How excited are you to get to your desk every morning? If the answer is ‘not very’, this could be a sign that the spark has disappeared from your current role, which can not only be hard to come back from, it can be damaging to your career in the long run too.
Staying in the wrong position for too long can throw a colossal bucket of cold water on your passion for recruiting and leave you thinking ‘What now?’ when you think about your next career move.
A really common reason why this happens for recruiters is that they are working in a sector which isn’t a good fit for their personality and long term life goals.
Today, I want to share with you five signs which prove that you’re recruiting in the wrong sector, and what you can do about it if you are.
1. You’re Not Building (or Maintaining Relationships)
The strength of your relationships is what your success as a recruiter is built upon. If you’ve lost the enthusiasm you once had for forming new contacts and keeping in touch with old ones, you need to ask yourself why.
It could be that you feel that you have got everything you possibly can out of your current role, or that you lack passion for the sector and this is impacting on your ability to form the long-lasting, meaningful relationships that are necessary for recruiting.
If you find yourself consistently not looking forward to your client and candidate phone calls, this is one of the first signs that you might be in the ‘wrong’ sector.
2. You’ve Got Little Confidence
As a recruiter, your confidence should build as you progress through your career. Yes, there will be natural peaks and troughs, but generally, your confidence should be on an upward trajectory all the time.
If you have been in your current role for a considerable time and you still don’t feel 100% sure that you’re nailing it as you thought you would be; this might be down to the desk and sector you’re trying to build your reputation in.
3. You’re Not Closing The Billings You Used To
Are you going through a dry spell, or have your billings been up and down for a while?
Failing to work with candidates and clients so you get the job order in the first place and then go on top fill it could be a sign that you’re recruiting in the wrong sector – do you really know what it is that your clients and candidates are looking for, or do you keep hitting wide of the mark?
It can take a little while for recruiters to find their niche (sometimes it’s in a completely different sector to what they previously thought). You’re not alone if you have a passion for recruiting but feel that your current sector isn’t right for you.
4. You ‘Fell’ Into Recruiting
Do you ever feel bored with the candidates and clients you are working with? You know its not their fault either, it’s just you wish you were working in a different sector where your real passion is.
Many consultants will tell you that they ‘fell’ into recruiting.
This is a phrase that is used by a considerable amount of recruiters, but it paints a picture that recruiting – and in particular, their current sector – was not something they had initially planned on.
If you ‘fell’ into recruiting – how much of a conscious decision was it to recruit in your current sector? If you love recruiting, but it was a bit of a curveball of a career choice, think about where you can take your career in the future.
What sector(s) did you work in before recruiting? What subject was your degree in? What passions and interests do you have in your personal life? If recruiting is for you, but your current sector isn’t, there are ways you can change this (which I will talk about in the last part of this week’s blog.)
5. There’s No Career Progression
With the vast array of different career opportunities and sectors within recruitment, smart recruiters who plan their careers will choose an industry where there is the most significant scope for progression.
The key to a long and fulfilling career as a recruitment consultant is to be continually progressing. This can be in terms of educating yourself, training to be better at what you do, and of course, progressing to more executive and higher-paid roles.
If your current sector offers little scope for progression, it might be time you had a rethink.
Your Next Move
How much of a purpose do you feel towards your current recruiting sector?
If you think it’s holding back your career, why not explore the other options that are available to you.
As a recruiter, you have the potential to make a positive impact on the world, and you can do this when you find your ‘tribe’ in the sector you work.
Imagine working with candidates and clients where every day you actually look forward to going into work!
If any of this rings a bell for you, let’s have a chat. We have helped sooooooo many recruiters find their new sector over the last 18++ years, and I know we can help you too.
The first step is to give the team here a bell on 020 3889 1670 and have a confidential chat about you and your next step.
Thanks
Cheryl
