After 15 Years In The Recruitment Industry, Would I pick Recruitment Again As A Career? If So, What Would I Do Differently?
After 15 years in the recruitment industry, would I pick recruitment again as a career? If so, what would I do differently?
After having worked in recruitment from the age of 26 through to 41 I have to say pondering the question: Would I pick a career in recruitment again?
Maybe it is my nostalgia getting to the old age of 41 or maybe it is because I have taken a small pause in my career for my family that I am pondering this question.
Would I choose a career in recruitment again?
My initial thoughts are, no, I would not choose a career in recruitment for the following reasons: It burns you out emotionally dealing with the roller coasters that come with the job. From the ups and downs of candidate acceptance to the nail-biting wait for the client to pay their bills, there are a large amount of ‘stress points’ within the recruitment industry.
My first two ‘careers’ were a couple of years bouncing around insurers on temporary contracts and then two years working in politics on reflection is possibly a far better career than recruitment. Recruitment, even when working in a large agency can feel very lonely as it is very much an industry that is focused on personal placements (for good or bad) and not on teamwork.
Reflecting on a Recruitment Career
Reflecting a little more I realize that working in recruitment has given me a whole host of life experiences, insights, opportunities and lifestyle options that other jobs would not have allowed me to have.
For instance, as a 25-year-old with options, drive and ambition. Processing group income protection policy renewals was not the life for me.
Working in recruitment allowed me to do the following:
- Made relocating easy as I could work from home.
- This allowed me to combine my passions in business and politics for a decade.
- Allowing me to set up my own business taught me a lot about life and also about myself.
- Help friends with their careers.
- Meet dozens if not hundreds of interesting people from all over the world and learn about what they do and what makes them tick every year.
- I would not have been able to work for an American travel insurance company as an in-house recruiter. Which, whilst working from home gave me great insight into the world of American “corporate”.
- Worked in Westminster during Brexit which was fascinating watching the worlds of politics, economics and the real world collide.
- Would not have had the chance to speak to people in the oil and gas sector in the Middle East, Latin America and Asia.
- Most importantly I would not have met my partner as I probably would have left Scotland if I did not get a job in recruitment.
- Was blessed to run a business so I learned accounts, sales, marketing, operations and of course staffing.
So would I choose the career again?
Looking back after reflecting on a career in recruitment, I have been very lucky to have been able to work from home, have my own business for a decade, work from home when it was needed, and get to meet some fantastic people. A lot is going for a career in recruitment, so would I choose recruitment again?
Probably, maybe, definitely but differently.
What would I do differently?
After deeper inspection, I have a feeling if push came to shove I would again choose this career. However, I would have approached how and why of a career in recruitment differently. As I have a totally new perspective on the world after being a father it cannot help shape some of the ways that I would approach a career:
Personal finances first: This is a big area that I wish as a younger adult I had paid more attention too. I would have put more focus on the management of my personal finances because the world of recruitment is both money-focused and stressful. Having better control on my finances would have made my entire career a little less stressful and profitable.
Spent less time in one industry: I spent close to 10 years working within the recruitment field of politics/public affairs, this I would have changed by picking a second sector to work in as well. I would never have passed up my time working.
Implemented social and digital earlier: As someone who has a keen interest in communications, marketing and digital communications I could see many of the trends ahead in business, yet I sadly did not double down on tactics like video on social media.
Hired a remote Virtual Assistant: This is one of the biggest operational mistakes I ever made. Given that at times during this period, a VA would have only cost $400/£350 per month for a full-time employee, this is a no-brainer, given the amount of data entry work that can go into a recruitment business. Found a better accountant: When I was running my business, I did my accounts for most of the time and this was also silly.
Master business development and sales: I am very average at sales, but absolutely superb at resourcing candidates. I honestly believe I am in the top 1% of recruiters for candidate attraction, but my sales skills are average. This I should work on more as winning more clients would have made resourcing for roles and my income higher.
Spent more time working with people: Working as a solo recruiter was a good experience, but I think I should have spent a few more years working for different companies and sectors to hone and increase my skills and breadth of knowledge.
Find a business partner: When I went out on my own, it was tough. Doing it over again I would find a business partner or partners to start up with. Although this would have come with its own challenges it would have given someone to work with and made scaling the business easier. Worked Abroad: I think that I would have spent more time abroad whilst working. Just because it would have been a good experience.
Document the process: I would have documented my journey within recruitment from the start via blogs and social media.
Final Thoughts
Recruitment is a tough industry, and I have had my challenges. I would do it all again. Differently, and maybe with a little less stress.
TL;DR
- After 15 years in recruitment, the author reflects on whether they'd choose the career again.
- While acknowledging its emotional toll and stress points, they highlight the invaluable experiences and opportunities it provided, including flexibility, diverse networking, and personal growth.
- I would likely choose it again but with some changes, such as better financial management, diversifying industry focus, embracing digital trends earlier, and improving sales skills.
- I also suggest the benefits of collaboration, hiring assistance, working abroad, and documenting their journey.
- Overall, despite its challenges, they would opt for recruitment again, albeit with adjustments for a smoother journey.