By GSR2R Admin | 10th December 2020

From lockdown to brilliant billings

It has been a weird few months; London is eerily quiet as many of us work from home, and as a good friend said to me – her bin has been out more than she has! 

Yet as a busy recruiter I bet you have experienced the upsides of being in the slow lane for once, as you worked from home or were placed on furlough. 

No doubt you have saved both time and money on your daily commute and had the opportunity to live a slightly more chilled lifestyle. However, I suspect without receiving the commission you usually nail each month to enjoy it! 

A question for you…. 

Is remote working and endless Zoom calls how you want the rest of your recruiting year to pan out?  

Probably not, according to what I am hearing; let me explain. 

Remote Working and Recruiters: Does It Work for Our Industry? 

I chat daily to recruiters, and so many of you have been sharing that though working from home has some upsides, it‘s not as good as you thought, and there is a huge gap in your life and not just in your bank account either. 

It‘s not the easiest thing to hear, but bringing back your brilliant billings are more likely to happen when you are back in the office. 

Let me share why. 

Recruiting is a Social Career 

Working from home is lonely for a start. 

Fact: Recruiting is a fun and sociable job, and you will make friends you keep for life. There is nothing like the banter in the office and the vibe from the competitions your crazy billing manager runs, and nothing can replace those after–work drinks meetups. 

Don’t underestimate the impact of going into work and enjoying hanging out with your teammates; you might not have thought about it until now, but it gives you a buzz. 

The more upbeat and positive you are, the more you attract into your life. Have a look at this article on the talent development website about all the upsides of being positive. 

Positive people perform better because they are more motivated and more effective. This is due to several benefits associated with experiencing positive emotions. 

Positive people have more energy and are more self-confident and hopeful. Because of this, they tend to set higher goals and expend more effort to reach their targets. 

Happy brains are smart brains. While negativity narrows our focus to help us respond to a threat, positivity does just the opposite; it opens us up, broadening the range of ideas that come to mind.  

And remember you won’t get all the positive ‘feels’ being on endless Zoom calls. It might be OK to hang out in your joggers occasionally, and yet there is nothing like putting on your game face and work gear and stepping out to meet clients. 

Recruiters Learn From Each Other 

Cast your mind back to your first day. You were sooooo enthusiastic, and yet you needed help on the best way to land deals. 

Remember how you used to get loads of help from everyone on the team. You would hear Andy deliver his sales pitch or Gemma bring a candidate back from a counteroffer and then you would make copious notes and soon you were doing exactly the same too. 

All that learning from hanging out with a great bunch of recruiters who all had each other’s backs – doesn’t quite work the same at home, does it? 

Let’s be honest: back to back Zoom calls are draining. 

And my experience is it’s hard to get under a client or candidates’ skin in the same way; all a bit too surface level for me. 

Bringing Back Your Brilliant Billings – What Next? 

I know it might be uncomfortable to hear but working in the office has many more ups than downsides. 

For a start, working with your buddies is enjoyable, and you can learn a lot. Recruiting is a people business; it’s a friendly environment. 

Being ‘out there again’ you can visit clients and get to know and understand what they need – so much easier to find the right candidate when you know first-hand what your client really wants. 

The Tube has its ups and downs, and yet I know I for one miss the thinking time it gave me. One day last week, I did 6 back to back Zoom calls with no time for reflection or making notes. 

A lot to think about, I know. Maybe going back to the office won’t be so bad after all. 

Until next time, 

Cheryl