Thinking it might be time to change jobs? Curious about what lies on the other side? Maybe the answer actually is that job in recruitment you’ve been considering all along.
Firstly, it’s ok to acknowledge that a job isn’t for you
It happens. It may come as a surprise to find out, but you can’t predict the future, and you, like everyone else, can make a wrong decision. Recent statistics from the New College of the Humanities found that 19 out of 20 graduates had switched jobs within three years. So, you’re not alone if you’re finding that your first job isn’t ‘the one’.
Having the ‘should I leave my job’ debate? Here's how to evaluate your situation
Being unhappy in your job can lead to a variety of negative consequences that can spread into all aspects of your life. We spend around 40 hours a week at work, so it’s important that we consider our well-being when deciding to work somewhere.
As the philosopher Maimonides stated, "The risk of a wrong decision is preferable to the terror of indecision." You probably had this exact quote in mind when you signed the contract for your current job, didn’t you? Knew it. Even if this isn’t exactly what was going through your mind, we all know that having uncertainty about anything isn’t very fun, it can be a headache. Whether it's questioning ‘should I leave my job? or ‘what will I do next?’ it can be draining. The mental conflict we inflict on our stubborn selves, explains why we have trouble leaving jobs when we know we’re not enjoying them. We’d rather have a temporary solution and have something over nothing.
But, to mitigate making the wrong decision as much as possible, my advice to you, is to really consider the pros and cons of your current work situation, devoid of feelings and emotions. Just look at the cold hard facts, this might lead you to resigning or to just have an honest conversation with your boss. Once you have your list of pros and cons, consider the solutions, and explore the actions that could be total game changers.
Reason for leaving your current job
Here’s a few things you might be feeling about your work, that mean that you need to resign (or have a sit down with your boss).
1. It’s a challenge going to work - You find it a challenge going into work. It saps your energy, and your motivation is flagging. This is a sure-fire sign that something needs to change. Writing a list of factors that contribute to this feeling could help you figure out the cause and find the solution. It may be a matter of management, expectations, work culture or work requirements. All valid- all amendable through resignation or a healthy conversation with management.
2. You’re not progressing - Despite your skill set improving and your ability to take on more challenging tasks, you are yet to see this acknowledged by your company. Very few of us remain the same year in year out, we grow, we improve and our confidence builds. If you’re fed up with feeling like your skills are being under-utilised and your attempts to address this haven’t changed anything, maybe it’s time to seek new progression opportunities.
3. Negative work culture - You’re either being micromanaged, unsupported or feeling under appreciated for your efforts. Maybe the work culture is a little ‘off’. There’s a lot of aspects that add to both your productivity and happiness at work. If you feel like you don’t have a sounding board to vent problems and set realistic expectations, then you are going to feel unheard and resentful at work. It’s a vicious cycle.
4. Financial compensation - Perhaps your remit has expanded, as has your responsibility and workload but your pay check has not. This is a fairly easy problem to solve (but one that most employers avoid addressing).
5. Your ethics and values misalign with your job - There is a mismatch when it comes to you and your company’s processes. Perhaps the company ethos isn’t right, for example they pride sales over ethical means of achieving them, or maybe their way of managing you is not conducive to your success. A common red flag is they don’t trust you to do your work properly and see micromanagement as the solution.
So what’s next? Perhaps that job in recruitment you’re friend keeps talking about might just be the best viable option...
Before we get into the pros and cons of recruitment, recruitment comes with one major elephant in the room- its reputation.
For many people, recruitment has a sleazy, aggressive and target driven image. Most people's preconception is that you relentlessly cold call candidates only to amount your own financial gain. Although you will need to make cold calls and it’s by placing candidates successfully that you will see commission, the two are not mutually exclusive in a twisted, greedy handshake. Recruiters know that it’s in their best interest professionally and financially to make the right placements happen, for you as much as them (hey they’re human too!)
Maintaining good rapport with your clients and candidates, ensuring that they’re happy and that their needs are met are your main priorities as a good recruiter. A good recruiter goes above and beyond to make sure all parties have a positive outcome. The bottom line is that a successful placement that sees the candidate and client happy and your personal and professional goals enhanced, can be life changing- for all involved.
Pros
The incentives for hitting targets - For some people, target driven work can sound very intimidating. But having targets is not a bad thing. In fact, there’s few jobs that don’t set some form of goals for you, whether its coffees sold, or candidates placed. Having KPIs helps to build your momentum, gives you something to strive for, and helps you to achieve constant self-improvement. Most recruitment agencies acknowledge that hard work deserves reward. Whether it is monthly dinners, seasonal parties and events, or a standard Thursday evening after work drinks, there is something for every palette!
Have influence in global business – It’s not everywhere that get the opportunity to work with big brand names and make a difference within their internal workforce. If you recruit well and build a client account, you will be responsible for planning out their business’s future through their workforce. Major! And for most, a company’s biggest asset is the people that work for them. It’s satisfying to know that you can have an integral role in hiring for a company, helping them to grow and your portfolio to blossom.
Financially rewarding - As you make placements, you make commission. It’s that simple. A meritocracy might not be for everyone, but it can be very lucrative if you have the aptitude. Unlike most jobs, that have an annual salary that only increase with bonuses or promotions, the effort you put into your work in recruitment is reflected monthly in your bank account.
Skill set - Being a good recruiter requires a range of skills such as problem solving, communication, relationship building, attention to detail, organisation and negotiation. Whether you plan to recruit for the rest of your life or only for a short period of time, you will leave with an invaluable skillset and business acumen that will benefit you both personally and professionally.
Cons
The job is *hard* - Recruitment isn’t easy. But then again, a job where you’re adding *value* to a company and doing something rewarding seldom is. Recruitment is a different kind of hard, you must be focused, be good with your words and resilient- the perfect candidate is hard to seek. However, the feeling of making a partnership made in heaven, matched with the commission to take you there, is worth it.
Setbacks - Days don’t always plan out as you hoped for. Sometimes candidates don’t turn up to interviews, they decline offers, or the company decides not to pick them. Nightmare! Well, not quite. These moments can be tough but, the ability to move forward is an amazing skill to have and that recruitment (will definitely) help you nurture.
Work overtime - Working in staffing and recruiting, most of your candidates will already have jobs, meaning that they are not always available during normal working hours, or maybe they’re abroad. This requires a degree of patience and planning and remaining flexible. It’s not unusual to see our consultants go above and beyond to support their clients and candidates through the process of a placement. Not many people see the amount of hard work that goes on in recruiters’ day, but trust me, they earn their fees!
Our ethos at Montash
There’s no denying the stigma surrounding recruitment. There’s a wide set belief that recruiters are ruthless, headstrong ambitious salespeople. In some cases, they are, but they’re also humans with patience, empathy and integrity.
Is this a justified stigma? For some recruitment companies, sure it is. But at Montash, we champion having an agile, diverse and driven workforce to fit our different approach to recruitment and culture. We strive to buck the trend and have a lot of fun along the way. Our consultants want to make good business connections with clients, where clients benefit from long term solutions and partnerships. We prioritise strong interpersonal relationships throughout our business, and for that to happen we need a workforce of empathetic and supportive individuals to merge with us from Associate to Senior levels.
The central ethos of the company is ‘if you’re good to your team, they’ll be good to you’. Knowledge. Service. Relationships. We give people the freedom, independence and support they need to do their job with integrity that results in all-round wins for candidates, clients and our consultants.
