Julia Weeks
Recruiting is stressful. Ask anyone in the industry and they will agree. This is one of the reasons why the recruiting industry has a high turnover. Many new and experienced recruiters simply burnout. If you are new to recruiting, or even a senior recruiter, there are several things you need to be doing in order to avoid burnout.
1. Manage your time
First and foremost, you need to have excellent time management skills in recruiting. Let’s face it, you have multiple job openings to work on, job postings to create, candidates to source, candidates to interview, and hiring managers to keep in contact with. On top of all of that, you are receiving numerous phone calls each day from candidates who are looking for work or want to touch base on a position.
Figure out what is most important to your success. Make a list and tackle each item on that list, marking it off as you complete each task. Set aside specific time during the day to work on certain items. Perhaps first thing in the morning, you work on job postings and source. Maybe in the afternoon you call top candidates and then return calls and emails later in the day.
Figure out what works for you and stick to it. You will quickly burnout if you are not able to manage your time wisely.
2. Leave work at work
When it’s time to leave the office, whether you are working from home or in an actual office building, you need to find separation. Set boundaries between work and home. When you are at work, stay focused on recruiting. When you are at home, stay focused on your personal life and leave all recruiting matters in the office.
I know, I know. You are immediately thinking that recruiting is not an 8 to 5 job. I agree 100%. However, you need to put in allowances for that. If possible, plan to work different hours on different days in order to be able to make those candidate calls in the evenings or early mornings.
Whatever you do, do not get caught up in today’s new technology, checking emails all hours of the night and taking candidate phone calls whenever they come in. I guarantee you that when you have this personal time away from recruiting you will be able to rest better during your off time, which will allow you to perform at your best the next day.
Bottom line, don’t be pressured to ALWAYS be on the recruiting clock. You need your down-time in order to avoid burnout.
3. Take time off
In the past, it was so difficult for me to understand that taking time away from work was actually beneficial to me and made me much more successful in the long run. It’s difficult in recruiting to take time off right in the middle of a candidate search or during final rounds of interviews. However, you need to put a plan in place for these situations and make sure that you are taking your time off.
Taking a few days, a week, or even just a half a day can sometimes be enough to recharge your battery. Don’t avoid taking your vacation or holidays off and leaving your work at the office.
What are some things you do in order to avoid recruiting burnout? Please share your suggestions in the comments below.
Images: Yastremska/BigStock.com
Josh Tolan
