How stressful is it to be a recruiter?
There are tons of wonderful benefits that come with being a recruiter. For instance, it can be super rewarding! As a recruiter you're constantly learning something new, and it's a very social job that will never leave you bored or twiddling your thumbs. That being said, before taking on your first recruiter role, it's worth noting that the job also has its challenges. Let's take a look at some of the reasons why recruitment can be stressful at times.
Accepting Failure
As a recruiter, you will spend a lot of your time and energy on building a brilliant rapport with your candidates. Working with them through every step of the hiring process can make it hard not to get too invested. Unfortunately, not all candidates will be successful and it can be difficult when a client chooses another candidate over your own for the position.
This can be upsetting but it's important to remember that this is not failure on your part. Your candidate will hopefully be successful next time.
Inconsistent Hours
When networking and searching for passive candidates or potential candidates that are currently in a job, it's unlikely that they'll have time to reply to your emails or messages during the working day. You'll probably find that they actively reply in the mornings before work, or when they get home in the evenings.
This can be stressful for recruiters, as you may feel the need to reply instantly, despite not being at work. Sometimes, depending on the situation, you may need to reply to an email the evening before a next-day interview or answer an urgent query for a candidate.
It's important to note that this isn't encouraged unless absolutely necessary, but if you're a senior recruiter, you may find that you have to work overtime or at inconsistent hours more frequently.
Work-Life Balance
Recruiters can get very absorbed in their day-to-day tasks. Whether it be replying to emails, scanning CVs or screening candidates, it can be easy to get tunnel vision as a busy recruiter. At HRS, we understand how hard recruiters work, so a healthy work-life balance is important to us! However, other recruiters might not have the tools available to prioritise this, which can be stressful.
There are many reasons why recruiters may struggle with their work-life balance:
- Recruiters and candidates can easily form an emotional bond through building a meaningful rapport which can be difficult to separate from your own personal emotions. For instance, you might find it hard not to reply to a query outside of your working hours.
- Potential inconsistent hours can disrupt a recruiter's schedule and this can be hard to manage.
- The fast-paced nature of recruitment means recruiters can often overwork themselves or forget to give themselves a well-deserved break.
We always recommend frequent breaks, walks, talks with colleagues, and enjoyable lunch breaks to split up the working day.
Dealing With Competition
There are tons of recruitment agencies out there, and there are recruitment agencies that specialise in certain sectors or industries similar to your own. As a recruiter, you may find that your ideal candidate has started corresponding with another recruitment agency, or you may find that your client has chosen a candidate that has been put forward by another agency.
This is obviously disheartening and difficult to deal with, and it can put a downer on a recruiter's mood which can be stressful. Ultimately, it's important to remember that you are working with humans and decisions can change at the drop of the hat for a range of reasons.
As long as you do your all for your candidates and you take the above points in consideration, you'll be a great recruiter and this will shine through to your potential candidates.
It's important to be aware of the potential cons associated with a job you're interested, but try not to get bogged down in the negatives. There are far more pros than cons associated with working in recruitment! Read our blog all about why you should pursue a career in recruitment: Why Work in Recruitment?
