This interview will take you through the ups and downs you can expect as a corporate recruiter, what it takes to land the job, what you can expect to earn and more. This is a true career story as told to JustJobs.com (http://www.justjobs.com/), and is one of many interviews with professionals including a Corporate Recruiter (http://academy.justjobs.com/corporate-recruiter/) and many more!

My formal job title is Corporate Recruiter. I work for one of the leading companies in the networking technology industry. Other corporate recruiters are external to the companies they supply job candidates to, but I am directly employed by this large company. I have been in human resources for slightly more than fifteen years.

I happen to be a white woman, but ethnicity and gender carry very little weight in this field. Certainly, we all know that any type of discrimination is illegal, but we also know that, sadly, it does still occur. Of all the disciplines where function should be neutral in both ethnicity and gender, human resources certainly is the leader.

The primary focus of my job is not only to find qualified potential job candidates, but also to strive to ensure that qualified candidates end up in positions that are suited to them. The goal of getting “the right people on the bus” has become a faddish catchphrase in recent years; but recruiters also have to guard against letting the quest for getting the “right people on the bus” become an excuse for failing to develop those already present.

It is not enough merely to ensure that the “right people” are present. They also must be occupying the “right seats on the bus” if the organization is to gain the greatest effect possible. Besides recruiting and selecting potential job candidates, corporate recruiters also want to ensure that newly hired employees are in satisfying positions so that they want to remain with the company, growing and expanding with the organization rather than leaving for greater opportunity elsewhere.

Reaching that goal is quite satisfying, because it always is a win-win for everyone involved. The new employee is happy, and the company gains immense benefit from the employee’s contributions. And less turnover reduces the costs of replacing employees. Even customers benefit because of greater internal continuity.

The job of corporate recruiter is much more than filling a slot with a qualified individual. Anyone considering a career position in human resources needs to understand that the entire discipline has changed dramatically over the years, and it continues to evolve. In the past, we often provided little more than a clearing house for those seeking to file resumes and applications with our respective companies.

Senior management would determine new headcount needs and notify human resources to fill positions that senior management had created. Today, it is far more common for human resources directors to occupy a permanent position on the organization’s strategy team, allowing human resources to plan for future needs as well as search the current workforce for skills and talents expected to be needed in the future. My company takes that long view, but many others still do not.

I firmly believe that any company that is going to be successful over the long term will need to adopt the perspective that places human resources in its strategy position. My company’s approach is not unique, but neither is it as common as it needs to be. The journey to this point has been challenging, but we all have been learning along the way. The process becomes easier and clearer as it becomes more common across many industries. It is quite satisfying to occupy a position from which I can influence the progress of this evolution.

The job is stressful at times, but probably no more than any other similar job. The only hindrance I have to maintaining a healthy work-life balance is making sure that I do my part. I take two one-week vacations each year, and I take other personal time for long weekends with my family. That time off is enough as long as I maintain discipline and avoid taking work home for nights and weekends.

This position requires at least a bachelor’s degree in human resources, as well as several years’ experience in the field. The average annual salary of a corporate recruiter is $96,000, which is more than enough to support my family and a relaxed lifestyle.

The job is challenging and rewarding. It changes continually so it is never boring, and there is always something to learn. My advice to someone considering working toward becoming a corporate recruiter would be to gain the proper educational background, accept all relevant internships and be willing to work up from an entry level. Though the journey can seem long at times, the rewards are most definitely worth the effort.