Undoubtedly, deciding to make the leap into a new role is a huge personal decision.
Determining whether it is time to leave your current job can be an unsettling thought for many. Moreover, the impact of 2020 cannot be understated, with over a quarter of all jobs in the UK placed on furlough.
However, as many in the aviation industry swapped skies for supermarket shelves, the Tech industry boomed. The vast demand for online software such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Social Media and Google Hangouts has resulted in huge growth forecasts. The market is set to leap from $131 billion dollars to $295 billion dollars within the next five years.
Whilst its bleak effects within retail and hospitality sectors continue to reverberate, 2020 has also paved the way for a huge expansion in personal development. A recent article by the BBC stated that “lockdown might have turbo-charged a phenomenon known as ‘The Michelangelo Effect’” – the idea that we are more likely to develop into the kind of person we want to be.
Director of the Personality Change Lab at the University of California Davis, Dr. Wiebke Bleidorn, also detailed that self exploration during lockdown “may lead to increases in ‘self-concept clarity’, people have coherent beliefs about themselves and their goals in life. Therefore, deciding if it is the right time to leave your job is a more prominent question than ever.
What does this mean for Recruitment Consultants?
The general market has been reflected in recruitment, with a layer of emotion of ‘should I, shouldn’t I’ move into a new recruitment role.
In the UK, recent insights from LinkedIn’s career experts showed that as a direct result of Covid-19, internal mobility has increased by 20%. Opportunities for growth within successful companies are extremely exciting as their focus turns towards Learning and Development – how they can help employees fill their qualification gaps.
This is where our approach towards Rec to Rec resourcing can be a vital asset to you. Our relationships with both clients and candidates are different from our competitors. We understand the value and impact of mental health in the workplace, and are constantly looking at how people are treated in their positions, pre and post covid,
We seek to introduce longevity into the staffing market. Without a doubt, the UK Recruitment Industry has a poor reputation with high rates of staff turnover. Our aim is to challenge and change this with a holistic approach to staffing. As fellow recruiters will agree, placing a candidate into a career is much more rewarding than filling vacancies.
To us, your happiness comes first. We want you to make the most of your career and will always advocate for you to be in the right position for you.
Many people have reassessed post the pandemic and are beginning to place a different set of values on themselves, including and not limited to their career choices.
Covid has brought a wave of revelation, with the loss of what we knew as normal, it is completely reasonable to want more from your current position. As COVID thaws, people are looking to move again.
How to help yourself decide whether to leave your current job
When looking to move roles and weighing up your options, you should ask yourself the following…
“Are you good at what you do?”
If yes, then you’re in a great position to move. If you’re good at what you do then your skills are marketable, no matter what’s going on in the market, or even the world.
If you are in the top 10-20% of performers in your office and you are considering moving roles, then we would encourage you to go for it.
Employers of recruitment consultants will be looking for individuals who have a track record of success and thrive in an environment with minimal supervision. They are also aware that COVID has impacted results, with many people having not met targets set pre-pandemic. When you go to interview, showcase your last 3 years and don’t be afraid to speak about your results, a good employer will be more than aware and will take everything into consideration.
For example, in Canada, as the pandemic caused non-essential businesses to grind to a sudden halt, huge corporations are now desperately seeking Sales Executives, Recruitment Consultants and Account Managers to pull them out of recession. Salespeople who are able to strike the balance between sensitivity in a crisis and driving sales upwards are high in demand; so too are the recruitment specialists that source such individuals.
What is driving your desire to move job roles?
We are strong believers in self-reflection. What do you want to achieve in your career? What is your main motivation? From this, you should be able to highlight whether your desire is coming from short term or long term.
Short term:
Could it be that you’re not enjoying a particular project? How long does this project last? Would you still job search if you were no longer working on this project? No? Maybe it isn’t the right time to move jobs.
Long term:
By contrast, perhaps you thought your role would be different, or that you would spend more time on a particular area that you enjoy. If so, this is a valid reason to seek development opportunities.
A really relevant topic to consider is how your employer reacted to COVID. The global pandemic lifted the lid on many employers, and when put under pressure, did they choose to look after themselves or their people?
It has provided an unexpected microscope to reassess employers and how they treat their employees. Did they offer you support and how did they deal with it as a whole?
If you were treated well, are you looking to stay in your role due to a feeling of loyalty or repayment? Had you felt frustrated in your role before the pandemic, but have chosen to stay still because it is comfortable?
Make sure you’re asking yourself the right questions and don’t be afraid of change.
Personal development: Are you being challenged?
A common red flag amongst job-debaters is boredom. According to a recent UDemy study, 43% of workers admitted to being bored at work. Indeed, this can cause members of staff to feel unchallenged or, that their skills and knowledge are not being utilised enough.
Why is this an issue? Many psychologists believe that feelings associated with boredom at work can often have knock-on effects towards a person’s mental health, home life and overall well being. Certainly, boredom is a red flag you should not ignore.
Your value is what you bring into a company. When you progress in your role, and move up to management, the less you may be making.
Is your management working for you, or even are you managing others to your full potential?
It is not unusual for people who are good producers, to not necessarily be good managers. Progression doesn’t always have to be management of people. The skill sets don’t always match, and you may find you much prefer being an individual contributor and would rather be active as a recruitment consultant than as a team manager. There is no wrong path, but you may need to move recruitment firms to give yourself the opportunities you need to challenge yourself.
Which Rec to Rec companies should I work with to get a job?
When looking to choose a Rec to Rec agency to work with, do your research.
In the UK there are lots of Rec to Rec agencies to choose from, some which are very good and some which give the industry a less than favourable reputation.
Referrals are a good starting point which will give you a non biased or clearer view. Ask people you may know, or reach out to contacts on networking platforms such as Linkedin and ask for their personal experience. How was their placement, how have they found their progression and are there many opportunities?
Glassdoor and google reviews will also help you build a picture of the firm and how they work. It may even hint towards their values and if it’s the right recruiter for you.
But also be careful not to judge a book by its cover. Use your intuition and form your own path. There is nothing stronger than gut instinct.
How can I determine which recruitment companies are trustworthy to work for?
Numerous articles within the recruitment sector will detail 5 top tips to help you determine such a pivotal decision. Often, this can include a list of positives and negatives. Here at Raymond George, we advise that you delve deeper than that.
Take it further than your standard list of pros and cons. What do you want to achieve in your career? Will your current job help you to achieve that? We strongly suggest that you should ask any potential employer the following:
- Are there promotional opportunities for you?
- Do you offer incentives for doing a good job?
- What procedures are in place to acquire new skills?
- Do you have an adequate work-life balance?
- How will I be rewarded for my time and effort on projects?
- Can I share my ideas to executive members of staff easily?
Professional development is no longer a back-burner for successful businesses. In order for prospective employers to attract the best talent, they must compete.
Many recruitment businesses are now investing huge amounts into spacious, ‘friendly’ workplaces, containing breakout rooms and game spaces for colleagues to strike that crucial balance between work and play.
You should also look at them as a business and how they have reacted to external influences. When you apply this line of thought to 2020 and the global pandemic, we would again suggest you ask the following:
- What percentage of people did you let go?
- What was the business loss?
- Where are you on the road to recovery?
- What is your working from home policy post the pandemic?
You should feel encouraged and empowered to ask topical questions, and the hard questions. It is ok to ask, if anything it should be crucial to ask – and an employer who doesn’t feel comfortable responding is an immediate red flag.
The Market is still moving. Should you move with it?
The market is definitely still moving. Businesses are hiring a lot of people to take advantage of the current market pre “final recovery”. Normality and balance is restoring and there is less uncertainty, giving rise to plenty of opportunities.
At RGC we’re not just concerned with filling vacancies or providing job offers. Instead, we focus our time and energy exploring whether moving jobs is the best option for you.
