It seemed appropriate to post this on a Friday when we have, in theory, two days of relaxation ahead of us 
– and maybe some time to consider if the following applies to us. Thanks go to James Deeney for writing this for UK Recruiter.
A 2018 Gallup poll of nearly 7,500 full-time employees found 23 percent of them reported feeling burned out very often or always at work, while an additional 44 percent reported feeling burned out sometimes.
Given this wider trend, it’s hardly surprising “recruiter burnout” is becoming increasingly prevalent. In fact, contingency recruitment has one of the highest turnover rates of any industry.
Increased competition, a focus on speed and responsiveness, and perpetual digital distraction from mobile devices are putting a strain on mental health among recruiting professionals. This is particularly problematic as recruitment already demands an extraordinary amount of resilience and mental toughness.
Candidates and clients have their own priorities and are likely to change their minds in ways that will affect a recruiters work. This lack of control creates a lot of emotional ups and downs. Indeed, many smart and capable people who enter recruitment find themselves unable to cope with continual disappointment and defeat.
Catching burnout early
If you find yourself struggling with the inevitable ups and downs of recruitment, don’t ignore how you’re feeling. The problem won’t take care of itself.
The unfortunate reality is that many recruiters don’t realise they’re burnt out until it’s too late. They tend to view incredibly high stress as part and parcel of working in the industry. But it isn’t. While a certain amount of stress is unavoidable (and oftentimes actually necessary), knowing where to draw the line is the key to avoiding recruiter burnout.
If you’re working at a frantic pace for hours on end and rarely pausing for breath, stress is going to mount. And if you’re not careful, the pressure can get the better of you. So let’s take a look at some of the most reliable early warning signs of burnout according to Psychology Today:
Chronic fatigue
In the early stages, you may feel a lack energy and feel tired most days. In the latter stages, you feel physically and emotionally exhausted, drained, and depleted, and you may feel a sense of dread for what lies ahead on any given day. It’s worth noting that dread is not an emotion you should be familiar with.
Negativity
Maintaining a positive attitude is essential for a career in recruitment. But under high stress you may find yourself moving from a glass half-full to a glass half-empty attitude. At its worst, this may move beyond how you feel about yourself and extend to trust issues with coworkers and family members and a feeling that you can’t count on anyone.
Anxiety
Early on, you may experience mild symptoms of tension, worry, and edginess. As you move closer to burnout, the anxiety may become so serious that it interferes in your ability to work productively and may cause problems in your personal life.
Detachment and isolation
Detachment is a general sense of feeling disconnected from others or from your environment. It can take the form of the isolative behaviors resulting in removing yourself emotionally and physically from your job and other responsibilities. You may call in sick often, stop returning calls and emails, or regularly come in late.
Increased irritability
Irritability often stems from feeling ineffective, unimportant, useless, and an increasing sense that you’re not able to do things as efficiently or effectively as you once did. In the early stages, this can interfere in personal and professional relationships. At its worst, it can destroy relationships and careers.
Impaired concentration and attention
Lack of focus and mild forgetfulness are early signs. Later, the problems may get to the point where you can’t get your work done and everything begins to pile up.
Insomnia
In the early stages, you may have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep one or two nights a week. In the latter stages, insomnia may turn into a persistent, nightly ordeal; as exhausted as you are, you can’t sleep.
Increased illness
Because your body is depleted, your immune system becomes weakened, making you more vulnerable to infections, colds, flu, and other immune-related medical problems.
Doing something about it
If a number of the signs above sound familiar, then you may be at risk of experiencing recruiter burnout. But the good news is that by simply recognising these red flags, you’re already halfway there. Remember, most recruiters don’t spot burnout until it’s far too late. So if you feel things are getting on top of you, the sooner you act the better your chances of finding solutions.
While it may feel like an impossible task, once you start to work toward actively making changes, you’ll typically find that most problems are in fact manageable. Often they only seem daunting because they’ve been ignored and pushed aside for a prolonged period.
It’s also worth keeping in mind that the vast majority of employers would much rather help you take steps to address burnout than risk losing you. After all, high turnover is extremely costly. But they can only help if they know about the problem, they aren’t mind readers.
Making your voice heard
Request a brief meeting and go prepared to explain why you’re feeling stressed out. Try to be specific as that makes it much easier to find tangible solutions. Simply stating that you’re “stressed out” doesn’t give an employer much to work with.
Just speaking about the issue will start to eliminate some of your feelings of helplessness, and give your employer a chance to try to rectify the situation. Although it may feel difficult to work up the courage initially, staying silent will just allow the situation to deteriorate.
Get out of your usual routine
Ask your boss if there are any new responsibilities you could assume, or any training opportunities available. Shaking up your daily routine is a great motivator and learning new skills may help to reignite your interest in what you do.
Take some time off
Sometimes taking time off work is the only way to get to the root of your stresses. Under stress it’s easy to perceive relatively minor problems as big ones. So without the enough breathing space to review your situation with clarity, it can be difficult to ‘see the wood for the trees’ so-to-speak.
When trying to address burnout, it’s crucial to you use your time off appropriately. Even though it may seem unappealing, make a conscious decision to sit down and reflect on your situation. Evading the issue by preoccupying yourself other things will only make matters worse.
Seek additional help if needed
It’s important to be honest with yourself during the onset of burnout by acknowledging the different stresses you are facing. The tips above should help improve your situation in the short term, but in more severe cases, they may not be enough.
If your stress levels remain high despite taking proactive steps to improve your situation at work, it’s strongly recommended to seek professional help. A mental health professional will be able to provide you with guidance, tools, and strategies to make your recovery simpler and easier to maintain.
James Deeney writes for Venturi, a specialist IT recruitment agency. When he isn’t writing research-driven articles, he enjoys listening to podcasts and trying to maintain a consistent meditation practice.
