Happy to share our exclusive interview with the influential sourcing guru — Jan Tegze. Jan’s articles, conference performances, and, of course, his book are the infinite source of inspiration for us and for many recruiting fans across the globe.

The interview has been conducted in 2018.

Enjoy!

Jan, we’ve noticed that you have graduated from the Politics and Social studies department at Masaryk University and now you are working as a recruiter. Speaking about career aspirations, as a kid, what did you want to be?

Like almost every kid, I hoped I would become an astronaut and explore space. But life is full of interesting and unexpected opportunities and one of them got me into recruitment, but I still hope that my dream will become reality one day.

How did you start recruiting? Why are you still there?

I started as a recruiter in 2004, thanks to the unexpected opportunity that appeared at that time, and, as many other recruiters, I started working at a recruitment agency where I learned this craft and the basics of how to be a recruiter.

And why I am still doing that? That is the question I asked myself from time to time, but, as you know, I still haven’t won the Powerball lottery, so I still need to do something. 🙂 To be honest I am really happy with what I am doing and I feel good that I’ve helped so many people to change their lives by helping them to find new and better jobs. Working with people is sometimes quite hard, but sometimes it’s the best job out there.

You have a really strong personal brand. How does it help/ hinder in life and business? Who are the thought leaders in HR tech that you follow?

I’m not sure if my personal brand is that strong, but it definitely helps me to be recognized at events and it has also helped me to meet interesting people in my field. On the other side, with a strong personal brand, you will also get haters, and it’s funny how the people who know the least about you always have the most to say. But as my friend always says, “Love your haters, they’re your biggest fans.”
Thought leaders in HR tech? The list will be quite long and I don’t want to overlook anybody.

Nevertheless, there few people that I openly or secretly admire for what they are doing and what they have already done in our field: Glen Cathey; Dean Da Costa; Aaron Lintz; Shannon Pritchett; Jim Schnyder; Mark Tortorici; Balazs Paroczay; Katrina Collier; Jeremy Roberts; Steve Levy; Karen Azulai; Bill Boorman and my sourcing buddy Maisha Cannon. I could probably add dozens more names to the list, but it would be a long article and I am sure that I would forget somebody.

How did you come up with Sourcing.games? What is the mission behind it? Tell us about it in three sentences

I was looking for a way to test the sourcing knowledge of other recruiters. And I also want to refresh my knowledge and learn something new. And, as you know, I am a big fan of implementing gamification into the sourcing/recruitment process.

As a sourcing expert, tell us about your three favorite sourcing tools?

I do not consider myself a sourcing expert, I am still learning and I still have so many things I need to learn/archive to be considered an expert. But my three favorite sourcing tools are Google, Google CSE and AmazingHiring.

Recently you have written one awesome book (Full-Stack recruiter) and are writing one more, you are creating sourcing.games and also you have a full-time job. How do you relax? Do you have any hobbies?

And there are so many other things you don’t know that I am doing 😉 I have a small confession here; I was a typical workaholic, doing so many things at once for so many years. After I finished my book, I stopped working on most of my projects and made some major changes in my life, so I am trying to travel more, using less social media (FB, Instagram, etc.), and doing yoga. And if I have any free time I write articles and am slowly working on a new book.

By the way, what is your second book about?

That’s still a secret 😉 But I hope it will be out this year (or the next). I have slowed down my life so I get more free time for other people and for myself, so my new book is on the way, but I am not in a hurry.

Do you write your books for money or you have another motivation? Tell us about it?

Yes, my life goal is to be filthy rich. But rich in adventure, in health, in knowledge, in laughter, in family, and in love. 🙂 I believe that life is about making an impact, not making an income. And I wrote my first book to make some impact. I hope somebody was positively influenced by this book and if something that I mentioned there was the inspiration for somebody else to improve their work, that’s the best benefit that I could get as a writer. And who knows, maybe the book will be translated into other languages and have a bigger impact in the future.

What makes a person a good recruiter?

Curiosity and passion. You need to have both things to be an amazing recruiter—curiosity will push you to learn more, find out more, and find new ways of doing things, and you also need to have a passion for this craft.

Btw, here is my “favorite” question, “Where do you see yourself in the next five years?” 🙂

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