3 Benefits of Uniting Recruiters

In May, I had the honor of being a keynote speaker at recruitDC, a day-long event designed to re-energize and inspire recruiters in the greater D.C. area. I got to share some of the best practices my company, CAREEREALISM, is seeing in recruiting right now. Specifically, around using personas to help recruiters quickly and easily turn their job descriptions into much needed Employment Branding content they can share on social media - better known as “job stories.”

I had the best time with this audience Why? The recruiters in attendance were professional, positive, and clearly excited to spend eight hours contemplating their professional development with their peers. Unfortunately, not every region of the country has an organization for recruiters that hosts such a powerful and successful career development opportunity. That’s bad news for companies today. Why? With 60%+ of recruiters surveyed recently saying they’re frustrated and looking for a new job, it’s safe to say the candidate shortage is getting the best of our talent warriors… and that’s exactly why we need more opportunities right now to bring them together.

Image: J.T. speaking at #recruitDC on the topic of "recruiter burnout."

 Recruiting is Lonely Work

If you’ve ever come into the office and stared at a list of open positions and thought, “Where the heck am I going to find the right people for these roles?” then you know what it’s like to be a stressed out recruiter who is feeling unsupported and alone in the fight. Spend enough time fighting a battle you feel you can’t win, and eventually, you become burned out and ready to find a new career path that appreciates your efforts and gives you a sense of actual control over the outcome.

 Recruiters, when you hit that place, it’s time to seek out the comfort, support, and understanding of your peers.

 3 Benefits of Uniting Recruiters

The recruitDC event was very successful because it hit on the three things recruiters need to bring their excitement for the job back to life.

 #1 - Gave recruiters access to training their employers don’t offer. Kathleen Smith is the CMO of ClearedJobs.net and Chief Outreach Officer for the recruitDC. She explains how the event helps recruiters get access to people and resources they couldn’t tap on their own:

 While recruiters tend to get a bad rap, they are people with a passion to help make a difference in other people’s lives – by helping them find a job, fulfill a career and pursue their own passion. But like many jobs or careers, recruiters do burn out, need to network and share best practices. recruitDC fills this void for many recruiters in the Washington DC area. This is a network of recruiting professionals that can share challenges and ideas on how to do their job better. Unfortunately many companies do not invest in training and career development for recruiters but they should as these are the front line individuals who bring the top talents into the company. recruitDC can happen in any city around the world when passionate recruiting professionals get together to make a difference.”

 #2 - Validated their recruiting skills are in alignment with best practices of their peers. Ben Gotkin, is a Principal Consultant, at Recruiting Toolbox, Inc. and the Founder and President of recruitDC. He sees the event as a chance to help recruiters feel confident in their skills and abilities:

 As recruiters, we typically have limited opportunities to learn how to master our craft. For five years now, recruitDC has been committed to exposing the local community to top industry thought leaders and local best practices.  As a not-for-profit, our events are highly accessible and designed by recruiters for recruiters. As a result the community has benefitted in a way that has established recruitDC as the key focal point for learning and connecting for recruiters in the Washington, DC metro area.”

 #3 - Made recruiters feel part of a team. Kerry Noone is the Employment Brand Manager for Amtrak. And while she isn’t a recruiter, her work directly supports them. Here’s why she doesn’t like to miss a recruitDC event:

 The recruitDC conferences are an opportunity for recruiting and employer branding professionals of all levels to come together in one space and actually learn from each other. I’ve attended most, if not all, of the recruitDC events for the last five years and every single event I leave a little wiser and a lot more creative.  I love that all of the presenters are willing to share success stories and their secret sauces with us knowing in some way we will some how be able to make their great ideas unique to our own experience.  In some cases, we are all competing for the same talent and may in fact have recruited some of the same professionals and yet, in the spirit of giving back, we come together as a team of recruiting professionals.”

As you can see, it’s clear that helping recruiters stay fresh and engaged is vital to them not burning out on-the-job. Which makes me turn and ask you…

 Recruiters: How Are You Keeping Yourself Energized?

For those of you who don’t have an event like recruitDC in your backyard, there are other events you can attend (i.e. LinkedIn’s Talent Connect). And, if your company’s budget doesn’t allow for that kind of travel or time away from the office, you can seek some online events (i.e. webinars), that can at least give you a the chance to connect and learn from other recruiters.

Don’t let recruiter burnout get the best of you. If your company isn’t offering enough resources, be proactive and seek opportunities out for yourself. It’s the only way to fight back against the burn out. Recruiting is going to get tougher in the coming months - so, you’re going to need as much help as you can get to stay in the fight!

P.S. - Have we met yet? First, thanks for reading my article! I have the privilege of being the CEO of CareerHMO.com. Besides writing for LinkedIn, I also write column for INC Magazine is called "Workplace Referee." I invite you to CLICK BELOW on some of my most popular articles:

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