CHANGING JOBS CAN BE A STRESSFUL PROCESS, BUT RECRUIT 12 HAS SOME HELP AND ADVICE TO STEER YOU THROUGH THE PROCESS…

Changing career or looking for a new job opportunity is never an easy process. It can create undue stress and have an impact on your mental wellbeing, especially if you are still trying to juggle an existing job alongside all of your other personal and family commitments.

As recruiters, we are well aware of how stress, anxiety and depression affect many people due to the 21st-century demands of the workplace. The connected world has brought amazing opportunities, but along with it, the ability to be 'switched on' to work 24/7. Your emails and electronic communications are at your fingertips from the moment you wake up until you go to bed. Employees are under increasing pressure to perform and keep productivity high to cope with not just demand but the uncertain future the UK faces and the tentative position many companies have found themselves in while we wait for our politicians to iron out the details of how we move forward in the coming years.

HOW ARE EMPLOYERS MANAGING EMPLOYEE WELFARE?

Employers are waking up to the fact that the mental welfare of their workforce is in need of some attention. Poor management, the overburden of work, uncertainty and toxic work culture have contributed to the 12.8 million working days that were lost in 2018-2019 due to work-related stress, depression or anxiety. To counteract this, employers are taking company culture more seriously, looking at how flexible working can be managed in their business strategy and encouraging employees to 'switch off' outside of working hours.

MANAGING STRESS AND MENTAL WELLBEING WHILST LOOKING FOR A NEW JOB 

Change is one of the main contributors to stress, so looking for a new job or change of career is never going to be a stress-free situation. In fact, the entire process can almost be like a job in itself and finding the right 'fit' can be a lengthy process.

THE FIRST THING TO CONSIDER IS YOUR APPROACH TO YOUR JOB SEARCH

We recommend that candidates do some research about the companies they want to work for and look at the career opportunities they have available. Take your time to consider the job criteria, the employer values and career progression opportunities. Think about what you want from work, and whether this job and this employer can give you what you need.

BUILD RELATIONSHIPS

Whether you are happy to approach job searching for yourself, or whether you feel a recruitment company may be better placed to help you, relationship building is key. Polish up your professional online profiles and get out there and get networking. Build up contacts, stay connected and present yourself as the consummate professional you are. When it comes to working with a recruitment company, build an open and honest relationship with your recruiter. Don't over embellish your abilities, be clear about what you want from a new job and understand what it is your recruiter can do for you. The more committed to the task of job searching you are, the more those you network with and rely on to help you in the process will be championing you as a potential candidate.

REGARDLESS OF YOUR CIRCUMSTANCES, DON'T JUST PICK THE FIRST JOB YOU ARE OFFERED IF IT ISN'T RIGHT FOR YOU

This is only going to create more stress further down the line. Even if the job criteria match your skillset and the salary exceeds your expectations, you need to work for a company whose values and work ethic match your own. Common causes of workplace stress can be as simple as the wrong working environment, poor lighting, too much noise, too little atmosphere, and so on. We are all different and as such, look for different qualities in our working environments. Someone who works well in a collaborative team that has a lively approach to work tasks will not be well suited to a business that has a policy for quiet working confined to small cubicles where there is little interaction.

CONSIDER YOUR OWN EQ AND HOW THIS FITS IN WITH A PROSPECTIVE EMPLOYER

EQ or emotional intelligence is high on the list of in-demand skills employers are looking for. Fortunately for us, we are all different and have different levels of emotional intelligence, which is great as it is what makes the human race so exciting. But certain jobs require certain EQ skills to be successful. Consider what your EQ skills are and whether you can deliver the right skills for the job. It could even be worth investing in some psychometric testing to help you dig a little deeper. The better your emotional fit to a job, the happier you will be, which often translates into a long and happy career with the same employer.

PUTTING THE RIGHT CANDIDATE INTO THE RIGHT ROLE AND THE RIGHT COMPANY 

At Recruit 12, we focus our attention on matching the skills of the candidate with the job criteria and the soft skills the role and the company demands. Making sure that our candidate's values match those of prospective employers and understanding the environment that best fits our candidates ensures that we only send them to interviews where there is a genuine opportunity that is the right fit for both candidate and client. We understand the stressful process that is job searching, and by digging deep into what both the client and the candidate want, across all levels, results in a less stressful recruitment process for both our candidates and the hiring team.

Forming partnerships and adopting a collaborative, consultative approach to recruitment are our core values. Matching great candidates with great jobs is the result of this approach. If you want to know how we can help you, contact our team