Somewhere along the line we all run the risk of allowing laziness, complacency, and even a touch of arrogance to sneak in.
When we start we're eager, we want to learn, we're aware of all the gaps in our knowledge, and we want to be the best we can. So how do we go from that, to... well, this?
Lazy habits and mindsets sneak in without us even realising they are happening. Somewhere between feeling the adrenaline of a new job, and feeling the routine of a job that we have done for a while, we are susceptible to little wrong turns that can not only hold us back as recruiters, but can also make us feel bored and stifled, with a sense of "I know everything - there is nothing more to know." And that's not a fun or productive place to be.
Below is a list (and it's by no means exhaustive) of some of those traps, and how we can try to fight against them.
I know my market
Well, this is good, isn't it? Isn't that what we all work toward? Yes, but a good recruiter knows that they never fully know their market. The day you think you know it all is the day you stop asking questions. Not made target this quarter? Well, that's because my market is down/ not as good as other markets. Boss telling you to try something different? Well that won't work with my market. Colleagues doing better than you? They have different markets. Wrong wrong wrong. You NEVER know your market like that. You should always be prepared to try something new, challenge existing perceptions, and ask more questions.
I don't mind missing target
So, you've hit your year target, but missed a quarter target. No big deal, right? You hit your big main one, so no one cares about one quarter. Or you have a history of being a big biller, but you've missed target this quarter - and that's okay, as everyone knows you're awesome. Nope. If you have missed target then something went wrong. Sure, there can always be extenuating circumstances, and if you know what went wrong and can work differently next time to ensure you hit target, then no one should be beating you up over it. BUT, if you're shrugging it off or thinking that you didn't do anything wrong, then you have made a mistake. It is never okay to miss a target, and your boss wants to see that you think that too.
My clients won't let me do that
Your clients won't let you work in a way that your boss is telling you too. You are not allowed to call your clients, and you must email them instead. You can't speak to managers and must only speak to HR. You can't send CVs through. Oh, and you're not making placements. Sure, some clients may want you to work in a particular way. But if all your clients (or a very large amount) are locking down your processes to the point at which you can't work with them, then you are kidding yourself if you are calling them your clients. Clients are people you speak to, with whom you have a relationship, and with whom you make placements. If you're sitting there wondering who to call, as none of your clients will let you call them, then they are NOT your clients. Get out there and make some clients.
I won't work with that company/ they won't work with me
Fine. There will always be some companies who you won't want to work with, or who won't work with you. But reassess the reasons behind this before writing them off. Was this decision made on the basis of a recent dealing with this client? Sometimes clients get marked as ones you cannot work with based on out of date information. Maybe your predecessor fell out with them, but they have no problem with you. Maybe you and a client clashed, but that person has since moved on. Maybe they were insisting on terms you couldn't work to, but they've abandoned that idea now. Keep it current. Keep talking to them. Things change. And if you're finding it happens a lot then check your attitude. Is your decision reasonable and in the best interests of your section/ the company? Don't let personal frustrations and annoyances hinder your client relationships.
I can't be bothered to deal with that candidate
We all have them. The candidates who we can't ever imagine placing, who hound us relentlessly. Or the ones who we thought we might place, but things fell over at the interview stage. So, it's okay to dodge their call? Or leave a message with a colleague to tell them you'll call when you have news. Or delete their emails. Right? You're busy. You don't have time for that. Wrong. And you know this one is wrong. You might not make a placement by speaking with this candidate, but you trade reputation in every dealing you have with someone. If you want to be the star in your industry then you need to get good referrals spreading about you. That unplaceable candidate will know other great candidates, and they will talk about you. Keep it brief, keep it efficient, but take their calls and reply to them.
I don't need to worry about KPIs
KPIs. The bane of a recruitment consultant's life. We have all been there, and you can bet that your manager who is now hassling you about call numbers has been on the receiving end of that same speech at some point in his or her career. You don't need KPIs. You're a professional. You know what you're doing. KPIs are for junior staff. Anyway, call targets just mean that you'll end up making calls for the sake of calls, right? And who wants that? Surely it's quality over quantity.
Well, if you're making calls for the sake of calls then you're being an idiot. There's no nice way to put that. Sure, your boss might be a nightmare, and might be so focused on KPIs that he or she doesn't care about your billings. And that would be silly of them - agreed. But usually KPIs are achievable. Assuming they are not set at a ludicrously high level, then why would you not want to increase your work rate? Why would you not want to analyse your sector and look at how you can increase your client base and improve your dealings with them? You can only do that by talking to people. If you're busy, and productive, then your manager might not be so worried about them. But if you're not hitting target, and you're busy sending joke emails/ trawling the candidate database with no luck/ chatting to your colleague, then don't try to tell your manager you're too busy and important for KPIs. No one is too busy and important to try to improve their work rate and efficiency.
To sum up
Challenge yourself. Question everything. Play a game where you start a day by pretending it is your first day on that sector, and you know nothing about it. Mimic something a successful colleague does. Try out something your boss has suggested, even if you think it won't work. Set yourself goals at the start of the day. Care about them. If you're usually office based then go and see all your clients. Enrol on a new training course. Tell your manager what your career goals are for the year ahead. But don't ever think you know it all. The day you catch yourself on autopilot is the day you need to wake up and shake that complacent mindset before it drags you down too far.
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