Is there ever a good time to go on holiday in recruitment?

I’m not sure. But one thing I am sure of is that if you don’t take a break every now and then, you won’t last very long.

Speaking in general terms (I know not everyone is the same) recruiters work comparatively long hours and at a continuously high intensity. Given that we deal with candidates who are generally at work during the day and unable to tell us how much they want to leave the office they’re currently sat in, we will often have to speak to them outside of working hours.

During normal working hours, we’re taking those candidates and trying to find them a range of opportunities to take the next step in their career. The clients that we’re speaking to are also very busy during the day, and aren’t always receptive to our advances. So we need to make a lot of calls to speak to enough clients to keep the wheels turning.

The long and the short of it is, we work hard!

Now, before the violins start playing and the sympathy starts raining down (which I’m sure it would have done…) – recruitment is one of the most rewarding careers you can have; personally, professionally and financially.

When you start to notice improvement in your organisational skills and are able to manage multiple interviews each day, giving exceptional service to your clients and preparing your candidates to give them the best chance of succeeding, it feels good. Being able to grow your own business built on your experience and then train others around you, then watch them grow into excellent team members feels great. Spending the fruits of your labour to pay for a deluxe holiday away somewhere feels freakin’ awesome! Which brings me to the point of this article…

When’s a good time to take a holiday? You have to take one, otherwise… well, you’d probably die. But when? If you’ve got loads of interviews coming up, you feel you need to be there for your candidates and clients – they need you! If you’re not working with many candidates or clients at the time, then there’s no way you can take a break – you need to get your numbers up! There’s never a good time to take a holiday!

I’m going on holiday tomorrow.

Fortunately, I’ve got a great team around me who I know will look after my candidates and clients to exactly the same level as I would, because I’ve worked with them for a few years now and I trust them. That feels good. I still can’t help feeling a bit like I’m leaving my children with a babysitter for the first time though…

Hopefully a cold beer and a sun lounger will help.

If you’re interested in a career in recruitment, or maybe looking for a change – I couldn’t recommend Harrington Starr more highly. Give me a call and I’ll tell you all about it (when I’m back from holiday).