Meet a Recruiter - Dave Swinehart

“Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm” -- Winston Churchill

I really like this quote from one of the 20th century’s greatest leaders. I think it speaks to a big part of who I am. Let me be clear; I have lived a very happy life with very few true tragedies or failures. However; I think what Churchill was trying to say was that we will all have failures in our lives. Some big, some small, but it is how we react to them that speaks to the essence of who we are. Maintaining enthusiasm in the face of failure, I think leads to success.

Well, before I get too theoretical, let me introduce myself. I am first a husband, a father and a son. Next, I work on McGladrey’s National Recruiting Team, helping to set strategy and optimizing our campus recruiting efforts, nationwide. My work career has spanned 5 presidential terms (Bush Sr., Clinton twice and “W” twice) which seems an appropriate reference here during election season. I have worked for large CPA firms (Arthur Andersen, Ernst & Young), a staffing agency (Robert Half) and for the last 3 years, RSM McGladrey. I am both a CPA and an SPHR. I am married and have 2 great children, Michael (9) and Natalie (6) who keeps my wife, Kathy, and I very busy. I was born, raised and currently live in the western suburbs of Chicago.

Now, let me get back to success and enthusiasm. Below is a link to a podcast of me talking about my career progression. Clearly, a large fork in the road was when Arthur Andersen ceased to be. My career started there and so, as you might imagine, I had strong emotional ties to that organization. I was shocked to see how many of my peers reacted negatively to that “failure”. So many of my former colleagues seemed to think the world was ending. While that situation was very stressful to those people who were losing their jobs, I embraced that change with enthusiasm. My podcast does not go into all these details, but my first career move after Arthur Andersen to the staffing agency was very challenging and sometime unpleasant for me. But, I looked at it as an opportunity, a stepping stone, that positioned me for my time with Ernst & Young and ultimately, McGladrey. Too many of peers lacked enthusiasm as they saw Arthur Andersen disappear. I hope this podcast sheds a little light on my background as well and shows how a little enthusiasm, in the face of failure, can result in some wonderful outcomes. Take a listen.

Why I Came To McGladrey.mp3