By SHIRA HARRINGTON
Chief Engagement Officer
Purposeful Hire, Inc.

Shira Harrington will be the Keynote Speaker at the Leaders in Energy 4 Generation Event: Leading Through Adversity scheduled for December 4 from 5:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. at the Bier Baron Tavern in Washington, D.C.

They say that necessity is the mother of invention. That necessity showed up for me in a big way in 2009 in the heart of the Great recession. I had just completed 15 years at a recruiting firm (unheard of for a Gen-Xer!) when the company suddenly closed. Remember that not too many companies needed a recruiter back then!

While I was blessed to be picked up by another search firm, I also realized that my business development opportunities were still going to be quite slim. So, I turned my proverbial lemons into lemonade and started targeting the clients who DID need my services was job seekers. I quickly came to realize that all those years of recruiting would be valuable to people trying to navigate that very tight job market. Thus, my career coaching practice was born.

Little did I know that over the next year, I would fall in love with the work of helping people discover their passions and translate their value into branded resumes and LinkedIn profiles. By the end of 2010, I knew I needed to formally launch on my own, so that my own passions could flourish. In February 2011, Purposeful Hire, Inc. became a reality.

As my company has evolved, so have my practice areas. I still recruit and career coach, and now also have a thriving generational diversity keynote practice which began in the mid-2000s, but now I had a formal platform in which to grow. I’ve certainly seen my share of ups and downs, but through it all I realized that sharing my passion with others has been the best way to let my future clients know that I truly want to serve.

Teddy Roosevelt said it best: People don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care.