When I made the decision to found Aptus in 2009 I knew that I wanted a company which would provide everyone within it, including me, the opportunity to achieve what I want. I presumed most people, if not all, wanted to earn what I wanted to earn; they wanted profit shares, equity and management responsibilities, were striving to be the best recruiter in their field. I learned quickly this wasn’t the case at all.

There is a large percentage who work in our jobs because it pays the bills, it provides the money they are happy with and the life they are able to enjoy. By understanding that this was the case I not only made better hiring decisions for Aptus, I also became a better recruiter, better at matching people to employers, ultimately keeping them happy in their jobs for a long time.

What I want:

• I want to continually be successful
• I want financial security
• I want the freedom to set my own hours of work
• I want to empower others to share in my success and to own a piece of the pie

I now know that not everyone wants the same in their career, in fact not everyone wants a career.
We should not presume because we want something that everyone will be motivated by the same. Similarly we should not presume because a person didn’t survive in a particular company or wasn’t as successful as their peers in their previous role that they aren’t suitable for another company, nor are they not good at their job.

In life some people strive for more yet some people just live. In work some people continue to push themselves to grow their career yet some just work. In life both of these people can be happy and in work both of these people can be successful. We are all different, we all have a part to play, we all have a job to do, and there is a job out there for everybody.

I’m proud of the people I work with at Aptus as we never discount anyone; we aren’t always able to find the right role for someone; however we will try. That’s the beauty of our job, those times when we match someone to an employer when no one else could. To me that’s success, that keeps me interested in helping other recruiters experience this.

So next time you attempt to attract someone to your business don’t assume they want the same as you and the other people in your business. Having flexibility in benefits, offerings and incentives will help you attract and retain the right people.