The Top Five Stressors Faced by Recruiters, and How to Avoid Them
Stress is so universal in the workplace these days that it’s considered a ‘lifestyle’ disease. On top of this, the recruitment industry has long been considered one of the toughest and most stressful sectors out there. But why should we just sit back and accept the consequences without examining the stressors in our working lives and addressing them head on?
Let’s take a look at the five most common stressors in the recruiter’s working life, and what you can do about them.
“My ‘Get Up And Go’ Has Got Up And Gone!”
We all know that the recruitment sector demands very high energy levels of its people. Whether it’s verbal energy for phone calls and meetings, physical energy for travelling, or stamina for long working hours, recruiters often battle to keep their energy levels sufficiently high.Getting enough sleep is an obvious must – and the quality of sleep trumps the quantity of sleep. Make sure you have a half-hour wind-down before bed, turn your bedroom into a digital-free zone and use any of the practical aids for sleep that you need, whether that’s black-out blinds, lavender linen spray (it’s really helpful to have a scent that you only ever use for sleeping – your body will quickly become accustomed to it, à la Pavlov’s dogs).
Nurture Your Work-Life Balance
We know that all work and no play made Jack a dull boy, but did anyone tell poor Jack how to switch off? Practical steps such as to-do lists that are left on your desk instead of carried around in your diary, a ‘transitional’ commute home where audio books, music or just mindful driving are used to create a sense of leaving work behind, and a ‘barrier’ between work and home, such as going for a run or to the gym, can all be really helpful.Enjoying work is healthy, but work seeping into your home life really isn’t, and it’s not great for your relationships either. Separate them, and enjoy both!
A Vigorous Pace in a Fast-Moving Industry
In the 1980s, a frenetically-paced working life was considered the ideal. Then again, in the 1980s, people were wrong about a lot of things (see under ‘shoulder pads’). Things do move fast in the recruitment sector, but thankfully technology has also advanced so that we’re more easily able to keep on top of new developments. Use news readers and social media wisely to manage your knowledge needs, and don’t feel you have to operate at breakneck speed.Make your working pace vigorous, not frenetic.
A Sedentary Homo Sapiens
Any GP will tell you that a sedentary, office-based lifestyle is one of the great health dangers of the past 50 years. Human bodies are not designed to sit down all day slumped over a laptop – in evolutionary biological terms, we’re still supposed to be out flexing our all-hunting, all-running, all-lean bodies over the savannah.Sadly, only Kalahari bushmen get to channel this kind of physical need in today’s world, but we can still help ourselves by being aware that our seated working life is not great for us, and combatting it through exercise – starting with simply getting up and having a little walk and stretch every now and then, and ideally incorporating meaningful exercise into our working week.
Your Place in the World
Let’s not neglect the psychological health element either. Many therapists believe that the root cause of countless depressions is existential anxiety, or angst, about one’s place in the world. This is perhaps a question best answered by philosophers or vicars, but in the meantime we can reflect on the fact that recruiters serve a vital function in the world of work, helping candidates get the right job for their skills and personalities, helping employers get the right people for the job, and helping the economy through helping employers do well.So be proud to be a recruiter – your country needs you!
