Earlier this month, Denver Recruiters organized the first annual Fall Recruiting Conference at the Denver Aquarium. A rewarding experience for 200 industry professionals, the half-day event was sold out. The location was great, as beautiful aquariums filled with various sea life surrounded us at every turn outside of the meeting room.

This event was special to me, as I serve on the Advisory Board for Denver Recruiters and assisted in putting together a conference that would be educational, motivational, and easy to attend. Our goal was to create productive conversations and networking among industry peers, and to bring in knowledgeable guest speakers that could share their insights with us. We wanted to create a robust but affordable event in Denver that would be convenient for recruiters here, and I’m happy to say we succeeded.

The first presentation was from Steve Lowisz, a 24+ year veteran of the sourcing, recruiting, and search industry. Steve spoke to us about the “5 Keys to Leading Your Hiring Manager,” and I agreed with 100% of the points he touched on. His 5 C’s (Consult, Communicate, Candidate, Coach, and Compare) served as excellent reminders to ask the right questions in order to avoid making dangerous assumptions. This is our expertise, so we need to help hiring managers be successful in finding and landing the right talent by helping to form a plan.

After some healthy conversation, we enjoyed a second presentation by Mark Landwer, President of Enterprise Field Sales for CareerBuilder. Mark presented excellent information on “The Economy, Employment, + Recruiting Tips” that was helpful to everybody in the room. As recruiting professionals, we need to know the labor market and the trends that affect both the economy and the recruiting industry. It was informational to look at the numbers and see how changes in the economy directly affect our job, and exciting to hear Mark’s solutions for hiring in a low employment environment.

As I look back on the conference, it was fulfilling for me to witness the tangible success of the day. My favorite aspect of the event was seeing the room packed to capacity and hearing such positive feedback from the attendees. Plus, it was fun to give away a few prizes! It’s clear the Denver Recruiters Advisory Board has uncovered a need for this type of event in Denver, and I look forward to participating in and planning many more.