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    How to Succeed at Work, Post-Pandemic  

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    Since March 2020, a lot has changed within our workplaces and teams. You may be permanently working in your home office, or your team may have changed its size or makeup. Even your role may have been adapted to survive the pandemic. As a result, it’s completely normal to feel a little lost or overwhelmed when compared to your situation over a year ago. To help, we’re sharing insights from our recent webinar with three incredible speakers: Simone White, Matthew Want, and Shakyra Campbell. While the focus of the webinar was on helping assistants (PAs, EAs, business assistants) overcome obstacles in their careers, we believe the advice they shared is applicable to almost everyone – especially recruiters.
    Bring your whole self to work
    During the webinar, Shakyra said we would aim to “be authentically [ourselves] at work”. On a basic level, you need to know who you are and understand where your strengths and weaknesses lie. Beyond that, it’s also ensuring you continue to bring the unique aspects of your personality to work as well. Many of us have seen different facets of each other’s personal lives over the past few months. Whether it’s a beloved pet or a treasured souvenir on the fridge door in the background of video calls, these glimpses of our colleagues’ personalities acted as a bridge to bring us closer. As many of us move back into the office, it’s important we continue to bring these personal aspects of ourselves with us. The personal and professional are now forever merged, so having the confidence to show your authenticity is essential to being able to succeed in your role.
    Develop essential traits
    If you’re feeling a little lost, it may be wise to focus on developing traits that you know are essential to you being able to succeed in your role. As recruiters, alongside being authentic in all your interactions, resilience is also integral. We’ve all experienced having a bad day, week, or month at work. It’s those who can get up again after falling down who will be able to succeed in the long term. Chances are, if you’ve gotten through the difficulties of the past year, you have more than enough resilience!
    Another key trait for many is emotional intelligence (EQ), or the ability to manage your emotions in a positive way for both yourself and others. This is something you can develop over time, through various exercises, videos, and courses available online, however, starting the journey takes some level of self-reflection. Ask yourself: how do you communicate? How do you take criticism? How much empathy do you have for others? By building up your emotional intelligence, you can help the candidates you’re working with by better empathizing with their situation and managing their expectations. You’ll also communicate more effectively with your clients, which is absolutely essential for building relationships.
    Recognize the importance of networks, sponsors, and mentors
    If you’ve ever thought about reaching out to others for help in your career, now is a fantastic time to do so. You can do this by becoming part of a network or developing a relationship with a sponsor or mentor. Networks are helpful as they allow you to connect with your peers. Not only that, Simone mentioned that a network can be “a catalyst for change” internally within your organization. Inhouse Recruitment is a great example of a network, as they offer specialist training and a community for you to connect with your fellow recruiters. It’s also a good idea to look to social media to see if there are any virtual networks you can join.
    Fostering a relationship with a sponsor is different from being part of a network, as they can use their influence and power to move your career forward. Your manager is likely to be your sponsor at work, so it’s important to be open with them about your future ambitions. They should be willing to devise a plan of action with you to help you get where you want to go, and therefore will be vocal in support of your next promotion or further training opportunities.
    Mentors are those you turn to give you career advice, guidance, and coaching. Developing these relationships may help you shape the next steps in your career, so choose your mentors wisely! A good rule of thumb is to look ahead at the position you’d like to have in three-five years’ time and approach the person currently in that role to help you get there. Remember: a mentor doesn’t need to be part of your company or team, it could be anyone who you believe will offer you valuable advice.
    Maintain positive mental health and wellbeing
    In the life of a recruiter – some days are harder than others. You may need to work late to fill a last-minute placement, or you may feel overwhelmed with back-to-back candidate registrations. While these moments are unavoidable for the most part, you should aim to protect your personal time as best you can. This is because a healthy work/life balance is key to well-being. One way to do this is to treat your personal engagements with the same amount of respect that you’d treat your work engagements. Tell your manager that you have an exercise class or a special dinner reservation booked, so you’ll have to leave on time. Being open with your team about your personal commitments will encourage others to do the same and earn you respect at work for maintaining those significant aspects of your personal life.
    During the webinar, Matthew talked about the importance of being open with your colleagues about times you may be suffering from mental ill-health. If they don’t know you’re struggling, they can’t step in and help. A common point of anxiety among many workers right now is the anticipation of returning to the office. If you’re finding the transition challenging, raise it with your manager, as they should be able to step in and help you get back to feeling your best.
    The pandemic may have felt like a pause (or, in some cases, a step back) in your career, but working arrangements are now changing and you should be able to get back on your feet. We hope the above tips help you overcome any obstacles you’re up against and allow you to emerge better prepared and ready to succeed!
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      Overcoming Burnout as a Recruiter

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      Burnout is no joke. It’s an extreme state of exhaustion that can manifest as demotivation, anxiety/stress or feeling overwhelmed. Unsurprisingly, the rates of burnout have risen exponentially since the beginning of the pandemic. In fact, web searches for the phrase ‘signs of burnout’ were up 150% in 2020 from previous years, as many workers felt extra pressure to perform to help their companies navigate through the pandemic.
      Like in many industries, working in recruitment has had its challenges over the past 14 months. At the beginning of the pandemic, many recruiters found it difficult to get in touch with clients as they swapped their offices for home working and put many roles on hold overnight. Alongside this, candidates felt either disheartened while job hunting or stuck in their current roles as they didn’t want to risk moving to a new role due to the economic downturn.
      Now, as the market across many sectors rebounds and new roles are being called into agencies, it may be a difficult (and tiring) transition for many consultants as they try to keep up with demand. If you find yourself in this position, you’re not alone! Below, we’ve outlined four key actions you can take to protect your mental energy and prevent burnout over the coming months.
      Recognize your personal cues
      While chatting to Lead Consultant for Tiger HR, Aseel Ibrahim, on our Tiger HR Tales podcast, Tracey Carlton from BLME said it perfectly: “it’s so important to be kind to ourselves, and allow ourselves to just have those moments”. Part of this is educating yourself on your personal cues that indicate something isn’t right. Maybe you’re not sleeping very well, or you’re skipping the daily walk you usually look forward to. We recommend letting those around you know what they should look out for if you believe you’re in danger of becoming burnt out, as they may be able to pick up on these things before you do.
      Stand up and say “I’m not OK”
      Remember: you can only manage so much. We’re all still dealing with the effects of the pandemic, and so it’s normal to feel unmotivated or overwhelmed at times. If, however, you think you’re at the point of burning out, you need to speak to your manager. By reaching out and asking them to re-prioritize your workload, you can get your to-do list back under control. In these situations, taking a step back and assessing where you need help is essential.
      Draw a line around your boundaries
      As teams continue to work remotely or partially remotely, over-communication is key. This is also the case when it comes to your boundaries. At the very least, you should let your team know when you’re finishing up for the day and when you’re taking your lunch break. If you need to take a few hours out to finish paperwork or work with minimal distractions, block that time out in your diary and protect it like you would a meeting with a client. These healthy behaviors will demonstrate to your team the importance of separating work from home time, which in turn should help prevent overworking.
      Build a support network
      Whether it’s your desk buddy or your best friend, having at least one person you can offload your thoughts and feelings to is so important when dealing with difficult situations. Organizing regular catch-ups with your support network is essential to check in with how you’re feeling. It could be something as simple as a five-minute chat at the end of the week, or a monthly get-together over drinks. Whoever you choose, you need to give that person the permission they need to step in if they see you displaying negative behaviors. This way, they can act as a sounding board for potential strategies for coping and can get you through even the most severe bouts of burnout.
      As recruiters, we often experience times of extreme pressure. We may have to work long hours or become stressed when preparing shortlists for several different clients at once. However, when it comes to feeling burnt out, you need to act quickly in order to prevent yourself from becoming sick or unable to function. By taking steps to prevent the cause, you should be able to overcome burnout and promote healthier ways to manage your mental health and wellbeing.
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      5 Ways to Prepare Yourself for a Job Market Bounce-back 

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      Despite a lull in business for some agency recruiters over the past 12 months, the UK job market is expected to take off towards the middle of 2021, thanks to the vaccine rollout and easing COVID-19 restrictions. This means we can look forward to better, busier times ahead in recruitment! Here are a few actions you can take to ensure you’re fully prepared.
      Familiarize yourself with industry changes
      If you haven’t worked with clients within a particular industry over the past 12 months due to low hiring activity, now is the time to make sure you’re up-to-date on any industry-specific changes or new legislation. By reading up on sector publications and subscribing to newsletters from companies who work in that space, you’ll soon get up to speed on areas such as the sector’s unemployment rate, the impact of Brexit and competitor performance. It will also give you clarification on government policies, like furlough or other COVID-related schemes.
      Take advantage of the talent pool
      As we’re all aware, there has been an influx of fantastic candidates over the past 12 months. If you’re not as busy with live roles, it’s a great idea to register as many of these candidates as possible.  This will ensure you have access to a strong talent pool from which you can quickly pull candidates when jobs are called in. You can also take advantage of the people who are on your radar by communicating regularly with them. They can tell you how they’re finding their job search and where else they’re interviewing, giving you a better understanding of the market. It will help you to develop a relationship and a degree of loyalty among your candidates, which will be extremely important when the market improves.
      Showcase your expertise
      If you’ve always wanted to invest your time in developing your personal brand, take advantage of this opportunity and put yourself out there! As recruiters, we have a unique insight into the market, and our conversations with our clients mean we are well informed on workplace trends such as diversity and inclusion, wellbeing, and remote working. So, use your expertise and start producing your own content. Whether you want to try your hand at writing articles and publishing them via LinkedIn, or you want to start your own podcast or video series, the possibilities are endless.
      Prepare your candidates
      When talking to your candidates, it’s a good idea to give them an indication of when you expect the market to pick up, so they can prepare for it. Help them by working through their CV to ensure it’s up-to-date with no errors, and by practicing common interview questions. It’s also a good idea to go through any gaps on their CV, so they know how to explain them to an employer during the interview process.
      While we’re expecting an influx of new roles over the coming months, the competition for jobseekers is also likely to be fierce. As a result, you should prepare your candidates so they’re as responsive as possible. Let them know you will likely be moving very quickly from receiving a job spec to sending over a shortlist, so they need to jump on any opportunity they’re interested in.
      Keep your clients informed
      When reconnecting with your clients, remember that they may not have prioritized hiring lately. They’ll likely be interested in hiring trends in their industry, so prepare a handful of key points you can share. As many companies are likely to retain more flexible working practices moving forward, your clients may also have questions around remote hiring and onboarding processes. By preparing your best-practice tips, they will feel encouraged and supported as they tackle a new way of hiring while positioning you as a thought leader in your space.
      As recruiters, we can take advantage of quieter periods in hiring, allowing us to prepare ourselves for when activity picks up in our sector. If you know how to spend your time wisely, it will put you in good stead for the hiring boom to come.
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      in Talent Acquisition

      Three Reasons to Consider Return-to-Work Parents When Hiring

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      In January 2020, Tiger Recruitment hosted a roundtable discussion with an intimate group of HR professionals to discuss the reintegration of parents into the workplace. Further to that discussion, we produced a report that highlights best practices, stigmas and the future of return-to-work (RTW) policies. It also details why attracting RTW parents should be an […] More

    • 100 Shares149 Views

      in Talent Acquisition

      Five Reasons Why Candidate Care is So Important

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      As recruiters, looking after our candidates is a vital part of our everyday role. After all, if our candidates aren’t happy, we haven’t done our job! It’s imperative to maintain close relationships with them and inform them of any updates in their job search. You should also aim to accommodate their individual aspirations and personalities […] More