Greg Muccio naturally followed in the career footsteps of his dad and brothers as a sales rep before realizing it wasn’t for him. He didn’t enjoy the role and admittedly wasn’t good at it – not exactly a winning formula for long-term success.

Luckily he was working at a staffing company when the epiphany hit. A manager asked if he’d be interested in learning recruiting, and the rest, as they say, is history. Today he’s the head of talent acquisition at Southwest Airlines, overseeing a huge team of 300 recruiters.

In this episode of “Unusual Attitudes,” Muccio talks about why he encourages his team to be thinking two roles ahead in their careers. He thinks of career growth as a lattice instead of a ladder.

Most talent professionals will say they didn’t grow up actively wanting to be a recruiter. Not Hung Lee. He was fascinated by the qualities that make one candidate stand out from others with similar resumes. It just took some time for that deep interest to develop.

That’s because HR would have been an unthinkable path in his teens when he actively avoided anything corporate. “Hell on earth” was putting on a suit and going into an office. Then came the “a-ha” moment that as one gets older, the more responsibilities begin to pile up, which constrain choice. Pivoting to recruitment became a conscious decision, then, as age and wisdom made him realize his own obligations.

In this episode of “Unusual Attitudes,” Lee talks about the advice he would give to early career professionals (including his younger self).

Guest: Hung Lee, Editor, Recruiting Brainfood

There are few continents Neil Crumpton either hasn’t visited or recruited from. He even once did a search in Burkina Faso! Crumpton is a natural at navigating cultural boundaries.

His career as a global recruiting executive was forged in his early 20s when he led a multinational team comprised of different cultures, languages, and perspectives. The experience taught him how to find common ground and bring multiple nationalities together.

In this episode of “Unusual Attitudes,” Crumpton describes how assimilation is a part of understanding others, a crucial skill in recruiting.