Recruiters, toughen the f*** up!

Most people who become recruiters do not last. There are many reasons for that. Poor hiring decisions and inadequate training being high on the list.

But there is another key reason why so few people actually last in the hurly-burly world of agency recruiting.

It’s a frigging hard job!

So I know that sometimes you question why you do it. There are times you hate what you do. There are days you go home feeling deflated, worn-out and frankly, useless.

The world is littered with ‘ex-recruiters’, burnt out, scarred and resentful about their all-too-short recruiting career.

Seriously, the guy who cut my hair last week told me he had ‘been a recruiter once’.

It’s true too that being a recruiter can be the greatest job of all, but even so, to survive you have to know the pitfalls, prepare for them, minimise their impact where you can, and push through the inevitable challenges this job will throw you.

Recruiting is uniquely tough because it’s the only job that I know where what you are selling can turn around and say ‘no’. Think about it. I sell you my car. You agree to buy the car. I agree to sell the car. We agree a price. The car does not then jump up and say “Hey you know what, I am not going to go with this new guy”. Don’t laugh. That happens to recruiters every day. We do everything right. Take a great job spec. Impress our client. Recruit great talent. Make the match. Manage the process. Architect a fitting deal for all parties. Secure a great offer. Get everything agreed and at the last minute – our product – the candidate – says, “ Nah, I changed my mind, I will stay where I am”. And that is it. All over red rover!

Recruiting is a killer because for us, it is all or nothing. Sure, a tiny percentage of our work is retained, but mostly recruiting is first prize or nothing. Our business is not like the Olympics where you can pick up a respectable silver or bronze for competing well. For us it’s gold…or its donut! We do all the work, spend huge amounts of time and expertise, and manage the process with skill and diligence. But if our 5 great candidates get pipped by a late runner from another recruiter, or an internal candidate, then it is big fat zero for us. That’s tough. Hard to take. Especially when it happens often. And it does.

Recruiting grinds you down because you do so much work you don’t get paid for. When you hear the words “I am feeling burnt out” from a recruiter, what that actually means is “I just can’t stand doing so much work for so little return”. Contingent recruiters are lucky to fill one job out of 5 they take, and place one candidate out of 10 they meet. And combined with the ‘all or nothing’ fee model most work on, it means lots and lots of hours for which we don’t get paid, and equally importantly see no tangible success. And success, in the form of happy clients and happy talent, is the bedrock upon which our self-esteem is built. And once that crumbles, it is the beginning of the end.

So what to do?

Firstly recognise that if you are going to be a recruiter, these challenges come with the job. In the memorable words of my Under 16 rugby coach, ‘Toughen the f*** up’ and prepare yourself for plenty of disappointment.

Secondly, work hard to mitigate the risk of these things happening to you. Hone your recruitment skills, your talent management skills, and your job qualification ability. Build trusted advisor relationships and work to get exclusivity on orders to increase your job-fill ratios. Great recruiters, who move from transacting to consulting, start to win more than they lose.

Finally, never forget that if you choose to be a recruiter, you have made a Faustian bargain. You have chosen a career fraught with pitfalls and sometimes it feels like a living hell, But do it right, and the fun and money we need for a great job is within our grasp, because being a recruiter can really rock too!

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Comment by Marley on October 12, 2011 at 10:50am: Love this post and will be suggesting each of my team members post it on their desk as a regular reminder!

Comment by Melissa Zentgraf on October 12, 2011 at 10:50am: Thanks. I needed this today as well. I'm in the middle of taking your advice and making sure I am more diversified that what I am currently.

I'm totally saving this for future readings...

Comment by Sue Kemper on October 12, 2011 at 11:18am: Great article - so true. No matter how many times you tell a new recruiter how the business works and how hard - so many don't believe you! Great career for people who love a challenge and want to continue learning and growing!

Comment by FREYJA P. on October 12, 2011 at 11:31am: Loved this post - could have been writing it myself when talking about experience not writing ability! I've found "new recruiters" don't listen to words of caution when they are starting out - what do we "old dogs" know.

When the going gets tough, people ask me why I "do this". I tell them, scratch a good Recruiter and you'll find - a Recruiter. There is no halfway into this business - you are either in with your whole heart and soul or you are "Out". I'm "In".

Comment by Jennifer on October 12, 2011 at 11:35am: AMEN. Additionally, anyone ever considering a recruiter role, corporate or staffing, should have a minimum of two years in the staffing world first! best training a recruiter can have.

Comment by Chuck Morgan on October 12, 2011 at 11:43am: I gotta tell you Greg. This is some of the most realistic writing I have seen in some time,. Often times bloggers get caught up in the minutia and details and forget how to lay it out. This is great!

This business is awesome, but it also sucks sometimes, okay, a lot of times. We have to weed our way through the bad times (BS) and come up with a win enough times to make those acceptable.

Thanks for sharing!

Comment by Bill Schultz on October 12, 2011 at 12:54pm

Great post. I think first you need to have the aptitude for recruiting. Lots of folks get into it during a boom hiring time where companies are practicing "foggy mirror" hiring. These folks believe they are good just by riding the wave. They're not able to find the "new cheese" once things come back down to earth.

The business that I think most resembles recruiting is Real Estate sales. Beacuse:

it looks easier than it is
there are 2 (or more) parties to close
a whole lot of s*it can go wrong

I have a friend in RE and we are always able to help each other out with similar war stories and advice.

Comment by FREYJA P. on October 12, 2011 at 1:36pm: Great comment John, which begs the question - "Why do we get so much disrespect from them?"

Comment by Erin K. Ashley on October 12, 2011 at 1:36pm: I love the car analogy; so true. I always thought of my recruiting career as being similar to a marriage or any long term relationship - it has it's ups and downs, but ultimately if you're in it for the long haul you'll reap the rewards.

Comment by Debbie Heiman on October 12, 2011 at 2:26pm: Greg- thanks so much for this post. I really needed this- I being a seasoned recruiter certainly know and understand the pitfalls of this business. I also, all to recently was in a "burnt out" phase. Lots of opportunities that at the 12th hour evaporated. I believe that there are times that you have to walk away from this job - if only for a few hours - to recharge the battery in order to be effective to your clients and your candidates. I know personally that I can get very engaged in my recruiting process, and I tend to work 12 hour days. But the return, if you will stick with it, are certainly worth it. Monetary, of course, but I also get the great satisfaction of matching client/candidates for a perfect fit. That's very fulfilling. But you are so right--- this is a fricking hard job. !!

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