Allow Me to Reintroduce Myself

Yesterday, my position at Cornerstone Home Lending, along with several others, was eliminated.

I shared the news on LinkedIn while I was still trying to process it myself.

Yesterday was a lot.

There was fear.

There was disappointment.

There was sadness because I believed in the mission and vision at Cornerstone.

I still do.

I believed in the people. I believed in what we were building. And I truly enjoyed the work.

Business is business.

I understand that.

But losing your job doesn’t feel like business when you’re the one sitting at home trying to figure out what comes next.

Especially after the last few months Hannah and I have had financially with our home.

The timing scared me.

I’m not going to pretend it didn’t.

But then people started showing up.

My phone rang.

The texts came in.

My LinkedIn inbox filled up.

Candidates, recruiters, leaders, friends, and people throughout the mortgage industry reached out.

Some offered encouragement.

Some offered introductions.

Some simply wanted to make sure I was okay.

Yesterday reminded me of the real power of this community.

It also reminded me that, for all the chaos, competition, and occasional bullshit in the mortgage industry, people still rally around those who genuinely care.

People remember how you treated them.

They remember whether you told them the truth.

They remember whether you cared about them beyond their production.

They remember whether the relationship continued when there was nothing in it for you.

A LinkedIn post may have told people what happened.

But one post didn’t create that response.

Years of relationships did.

That isn’t me bragging.

It has taken me a long time to acknowledge that the way I’ve tried to show up matters.

Before I rush into whatever comes next, I want to pause and tell you exactly who I am, what I stand for, what I’ve accomplished, and what I’m ready to build.

Allow me to reintroduce myself.

My name is Matt Wagner.

I started my career selling Yellow Book advertising business-to-business on the streets of Pittsburgh.

There was nothing glamorous about it.

I walked into businesses where nobody was expecting me and tried to start a conversation.

I heard no.

A lot.

Then I went to the next business.

That experience built something in me that I still carry today.

I’m willing to do the work most people avoid.

I make the calls.

Not one big call block when management is watching.

Not a burst of activity when the pipeline is empty.

Day after day.

Call after call.

Voicemail after voicemail.

No after no.

I’m proud to be a cold caller.

It isn’t sexy.

It is still necessary.

Technology has changed recruiting.

Artificial intelligence will continue changing it.

There are more systems, automations, campaigns, and tools than ever before.

I use them.

I see their value.

But eventually, someone still has to pick up the damn phone.

Someone has to risk rejection.

Someone has to interrupt a stranger’s day and earn the right to continue the conversation.

Someone has to start the relationship before there is a relationship.

That is what I do.

But making calls is only one part of who I am as a recruiter.

I know how to talk to people.

More importantly, I know how to listen.

I know when someone is saying one thing but feeling another.

I know how to stay connected without forcing every conversation into a hire.

I know how to tell someone that an opportunity isn’t right for them, even when hiring them would benefit me.

I believe candidates deserve honesty.

I believe hiring managers deserve the truth.

I believe recruiting is about people before it is about production.

That approach has produced results.

I have recruited successful loan officers and leaders.

I have helped build markets.

I have created pipelines representing billions in production.

I have helped people make career moves that changed their lives.

I have also built real relationships with people who never came to work for our organization.

I consider that part of my success too.

A signed offer matters.

Trust lasts longer.

My time at Cornerstone reminded me how much I love being a full-desk recruiter.

I loved meeting candidates in person.

I loved being included in strategic meetings.

I loved working on offers.

I loved having my voice heard.

I loved being part of the entire experience instead of operating outside of it.

It completely changed my energy around recruitment.

It also showed me exactly what I want next.

I don’t want to simply fill openings.

I want to help build something.

I want to be somewhere that views recruiting as part of the business strategy, not a service operating in the background.

I want to work with leaders who want me in the room.

Leaders who value my experience, trust my instincts, and still challenge me to become better.

I want to help an organization grow.

I also want an organization that is serious about helping me grow professionally.

I’m a leader at heart.

I’m ready for the opportunity to lead other recruiters.

Not someday.

Now.

I want to pour into people.

I want to help recruiters find their voice, build their confidence, and learn how to create real relationships.

I want to help them make the call when they’re afraid of hearing no.

I want to build strategy.

I want to improve processes.

I want to develop people.

I want to help shape a culture.

But I don’t want to lead from a spreadsheet.

I still want to recruit.

I still want to cold call.

I still want to sit across from candidates, hear their stories, work through the difficult conversations, and help put together the right offer.

I’m not looking to get away from the work.

I’m looking for the opportunity to lead while continuing to do it.

The calls keep me connected.

They keep me sharp.

They remind me what the people I lead are actually experiencing.

Recovery has also shaped the person and recruiter I am today.

I’ll celebrate ten years of sobriety in March.

That journey taught me how to be honest.

How to listen.

How to admit when I’m wrong.

How to sit with someone who is struggling without immediately trying to fix them.

How to keep showing up when the results aren’t immediate.

And how to see the human being underneath everything else.

That is the foundation of Big Heart Recruitment.

It isn’t a marketing strategy.

It is what I stand for.

You can be highly competitive and still care deeply about people.

You can chase results without treating human beings like numbers.

You can be direct without being cruel.

You can be ambitious without pretending success is the only thing that matters.

You can have a big heart and still be damn good at your job.

Yesterday changed my employment status.

It did not change my value.

I know what I’m good at.

I’m a damn good recruiter.

I’m a cold caller.

I’m a relationship builder.

I’m a strategist.

I’m a leader.

I care deeply about this industry and the people in it.

Now I’m looking for the right organization to see everything I bring and give me the opportunity to recruit, build, lead, and keep growing.

My name is Matt Wagner.

Allow me to reintroduce myself.