As you are working in the recruiting trenches, trying to quickly fill billets for your agency, you may love or hate your job. No one says to themselves as a young child, “I just can’t wait to be a recruiter when I grow up.” I certainly didn’t. Whether you are working in a recruiting role, wondering if this is it for your career trajectory, here are a few questions to get you closer to the final answer.
DO YOU ENJOY THE DAY-TO-DAY TASKS?
Reaching out to strangers, sending cheesy, eye catching messages, and cold calls are the necessary steps to making a connection with a potential candidate. If when a secret squirrel finally calls and you find yourself dreaded, and not excited, talent acquisition is definitely just steppingstone.
DO YOU PREFER MOVING ON THE GROUND OR HANDLING STRATEGY?
What’s the next step for a recruiter? If you don’t feel fulfilled by sourcing, resume sifting, interviewing, and negotiations, maybe you’re in the correct field but not the right role. Sometimes recruiters know their stuff but are just better at managing other recruiters and handling strategy.
SHOULD YOU TRANSLATE YOUR LEARNED SKILLS TO A NEW CAREER?
Recruiters gain some incredible skills…and maybe you love some of the tasks, but it’s just a little too fast paced. Those who can’t do? Teach. Become a recruiting consultant and work with staffing teams from other companies, training them into how to be the best recruiter they can be. You can even utilize your recruiting expertise to help candidates on a more personal level with resume revamping and interview coaching.
ARE YOU A SOCIAL BUTTERFLY?
Staffing programs means learning about your prospect and convincing them to join your team – and that takes a lot of conversation. If people are not your thing, recruiting probably isn’t yours.
Do you enjoy the day to day, prefer to be on the ground with candidates, and are a social butterfly? Perhaps you love almost everything about a recruiter’s professional life and just haven’t found your footing. Possibly, you just haven’t had a recruiting win in a while and it is tough on your morale. Keep at it and rely on your recruiting cohorts if this is the case.
Recruiting can be a rewarding dream career, or just a stepping stone to finding yours.
THE CLEARED RECRUITING CHRONICLES: YOUR WEEKLY DoD RECRUITING TIPS TO OUT COMPETE THE NEXT NATIONAL SECURITY STAFFER.
