"If you are going through Hell

Not my words ,of course, these have been erroneously attributed to Winston Churchill. It matters not who said them, the sentiment is spot on.

Hell is no place to stop.

And at the time of writing, it’s a place I feel very much stuck in.

The issue with working in recruitment is that you feel compelled to slap a smile on your face and tell everyone about how busy you are, what you have coming up and making yourself the “goto” person when people seek new opportunities.

If you need prove of this - have a look at my vids!!

“To be successful, you must look successful” or something like that!

To admit that things are tough is like admitting you are failing. That is the truth.

Here’s another truth.

It’s been 134 days since I last had any income from recruitment.

That’s right - 13th September 2023

Since then, I have sold things to make ends meet and have had to rely on the Bank of Mum and Dad.

That’s not me admitting that I’m failing - that’s just me telling you how things are.

The frustration is that I’ve been so close to things being the other way.

Last week I had someone accept a job offer, a good match, a great firm and a nice candidate.

A perfect start to the year!

Today, they have just told me that they are going to take another role they had applied for but hadn’t told me about.

And just like that, I’m back to square one.

It wouldn’t be so bad but just before Christmas, I had the same thing happen. We were all happy, the client, the candidate and then once we came back after the New Year, I received the email…. sorry etc.

The combined loss of income from these is over £15k. And the time spent working on them 3 months, collectively.

Now normally, I’d go to the other candidates in the process to see if they are still interested.

Except, there is no spare. I will have to start afresh. Which means more time looking and more interviews for my client. Far from ideal.

This is becoming a real issue within the whole industry, regardless if it’s feed, seed or grain.

The good people are in strong demand. And they know it.

Since I started in recruitment it’s been a “candidate led” market. That’s 6 years.

If you look at the adverts on the Farmers Weekly or other sites then you will notice that some of them have been advertising the same vacancies for months.

Why?

Well, the end of remote working isn’t helping. Firms have big offices and now want their staff back in them again.

No more watching Netflix whilst “discussing strategies” with your customers now “Jason - you left a sandwich in this drawer in 2021 and it needs sorting out.”

As soon as you remove the option of working remotely, you are effectively telling most of the people looking that you don’t want them.

Which is daft but is how people think now. Thanks COVID!

Secondly, the cost of living has really made people hunker down like it did during the financial meltdown in 2008.

Move for £5000 more a year or stay where you are, where you know everything and people leave you alone as long as you remember to answer an email and don’t ignore your phone. Option B, please.

Finally, look at the jobs that are out there - the majority of them are sales / commission led roles.

If your rent or mortgage payments are increasing you need to know what you are earning - not what an OTE is.

If it’s not sales, then they are looking for very experienced people with lots of accounts / tonnes etc who won’t leave now because they have amassed 35 days annual leave and a final salary pension.

And as I have said previously - salaries. There are some firms who think that £40k is still reserved for Senior Managers and not “the junior” roles.

It’s like some of the industry is in a “miasma of apathy.”

Where no one wants to move or intends to recognise the issue.

It’s particularly frustrating because on the flip side I am working with some excellent candidates currently who know exactly what they want to do next and have a clear idea of where they are going. This requires a more patient and methodical approach but it does deliver …. eventually!!

Together, we identify companies or a sector they want to work for and then discreetly I build up a relationship with those firms so that it feels less like a speculative approach and instead the opportunity to bring someone in who could offer a positive impact to the business.

Anyway, next week I promise to be back to my insightful best - but here in the meantime , are the pick of this week’s jobs!!