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The Highs and Lows of Recruitment

When I describe to people what I do in my job, their first response is – I could never do what you do. Low and behold, this is no surprise to me. Recruitment isn’t for everyone.¹

It takes resilience, persistence and comfortability in executing hard conversations. On the other hand, it is an extremely pivotal element of business as our work plays a big role in what causes our economy to thrive.

As important as it is, recruitment isn’t without challenge. Here’s a few indicators of what we tend to experience in the recruitment industry and why it’s so important:

Unpredictability

Choosing a career path and accepting a job offer is a big deal. The average Australian spends **** percent of their life at work. This opens the door for indecisiveness. Taking this one step further with many businesses likely to counter-offer their employees, this only add to the difficulty in a candidate’s decision. A candidate could verbally commit to accepting a role, only to have a new offer in their inbox the next morning and decide to follow a completely different path. That’s just life.

Sales Pressure

We’re not selling socks. The ability to sell a candidate’s skills and attributes or comparatively a business’ workplace culture is never consistent. Every business and candidate is different and therefore our job success lies upon our ability to understand each, source and then deliver. Unlike socks, it’s a different sale, every single time. While at Pace we’re not centred around numbers by any means, there’s a natural tendency to question our own competencies as recruiters if we struggle to fill a role.

Trust

As a female recruiter in my 20’s liaising with highly successful business leaders, you can imagine I have to drive a hard bargain to get many of my clients to even consider our support. Being taken seriously in my role is a constant battle. As sad as it is, bias still exists and very few people on first impression expect my depth of understanding across the recruitment industry, particularly when it comes to senior roles.

While every job has it’s challenges, recruiters arguably have much less control over the outcome of their sales, even if they are the best in the industry.

On the other side of the spectrum, in recruitment, when you’re on you are ON. After having no success one week, the next can feel like everything you touch turns to gold. All of a sudden you realise why you do what you do. So here’s our why:

Challenge the Status Quo

I can’t tell you the amount of times I’ve come across a candidate being underpaid, travelling long distances to work whilst trying to raise children. Why? They know no different and they require the security of their job to get by.

Not only does our work help candidates to create a better life for themselves, it also assists businesses to improve their practices, fill staff shortages and thrive within their industry long-term. We challenge employers to be better, expect better and find ways to grow rather than being content operating a business where happiness isn’t prioritised.

Change Lives

There is no better feeling than hearing the excitement of a candidate accepting their dream role. We’ve had several instances in the last few months, where our consultants have glassy eyes because candidates are SO happy in the roles we have assisted them in finding.

Promote Business Growth

Our ability to fill roles that clients have struggled to find a fit for, is priceless. The financial loss that a continuous cycle of bad hires causes is extremely detrimental to a business’s success and productivity. Being able to find solutions for our clients on an ongoing basis is highly rewarding, particularly after the 18 months businesses have experienced globally. The relationships we are able to form across such a variety of industries is extremely fulfilling and fuels a fire within our team to continue to learn and grow as they do.

Recruitment is hard work. It’s not for everyone, but I am a more resilient, compassionate and driven person because of it. I add value to my clients. I align a candidates’ needs to the right environment. I love my job because I believe in what I do, 110%.

If you are a business leader yet to partner with a recruitment agency and our challenges resonate with you, give us a call today to talk about how we can support your hiring process.

If you are currently seeking work and think our assistance could improve your current employment situation, we would love to hear from you. We’re in the business of bringing people together and without recruitment, you never know what opportunities you could be missing out on.