Mental Health for Me, A Recruiter
If you’ve ever been a recruiter, you won’t be surprised to hear that it can be stressful. It’s a job that doesn’t really have a beginning or an end, with candidates and hiring managers working on their own time (and expect you to, too). Urgency is always present, and the expectations of the job can be very high. It can be a real challenge to one’s mental health, which is why burnout is so common among recruiters.
What is mental health, and why is it important?
Mental health is a state of mental well-being that enables people to cope with the stresses of life, realize their abilities, learn and work well, and contribute to their community. It includes emotional, psychological, and social well-being, and it affects how we think, feel, and act.
Reading all of that, you would think that more people would understand its importance. But many times employees, and recruiters specifically, push their mental health to the side in favor of completing assignments and meeting deadlines. This is not good. When I prioritize my mental health, I am able to be a better recruiter, colleague, and employee because I can see everything through a more positive lens.
“Mental health is a state of mental well-being that enables people to cope with the stresses of life, realize their abilities, learn and work well, and contribute to their community.”
What is mental health like as a recruiter?
For anyone, setting boundaries is key to maintaining your mental health. Many times as a recruiter, we may be given many requisitions all with the highest priority and tasked with hiring dozens of employees in a short period of time. The urgency, competing demands, and challenge of managing multiple schedules can very easily encroach on personal time and interests. This encroachment can harm our mental health because we are not able to set apart time for ourselves.
Tips for fostering positive mental health
Have a start and end to your day that works for you
A key factor that I’ve found important for maintaining my mental health was the way that I start and end my day. I work my hardest from 8-5, and before or after that is “me time”. I have set that boundary for myself and I do not cross it, because it is important to me, and I have seen the positive effects of abiding by this “rule”.
Prioritize exercise and healthy eating
I found out early on as I began my work from home journey that if I fed myself junk, and sat at my desk every day without moving, a sense of dread would overcome me. I have heard similar things from my recruiter friends as well. There is just something about making time to move around throughout my day that really helps my mental health.
Set up your calendar wisely
By wisely I mean only taking calls and meetings I am capable of. Open calendars mean anyone can put any time on my calendar that they want. To protect my boundaries, at the beginning of a new quarter, month, or week, I schedule time to take midday breaks. I schedule exercise or other activities of my choice and put breaks into my day to ensure that no one schedules time with me during those times. This has made such a huge difference when I might be bogged down with 20 calls in one day and risk losing energy by the end of the day.
Ask for help
Sometimes as a recruiter or employee, we have the tendency to try to achieve everything on our own. But I have learned that asking for help and support, and working with a team, especially on a more difficult search, can work wonders for my mental health. You would think that doing something alone might make you feel more accomplished, and sometimes it does, but in times when we feel overwhelmed, asking for support from managers and colleagues can not only help us feel supported and accomplished but can also prevent burnout.
Take your time off
Take that personal day. Take that vacation. Use your PTO, and don’t feel guilty about it. This is recruiting, not heart surgery. While we are all passionate about our jobs and want to provide a result to our candidates and hiring manager, it’s important to make time for family, friends, and doing things that we love. Even with the constant feeling of urgency, downtime and time off is very important.
Do what you enjoy doing
What else do you enjoy doing? DO IT! Recruiting will always be there, but taking the time to learn the things that make you happy outside of work will help you look at work through a more positive lens! It may be contributing to the community or attending your local book club. Whatever it is, find it and enjoy it regularly. Personally, I am big into fitness and I make time to work out every single day. Another thing I love to do is cook/bake, and I do this daily.
Recruiting will always be there!
“I am my best self when I prioritize my mental health. It benefits me and those around me when I can work at my best. ”
Over the years, I have been told that my work ethic isn't “up to par” by companies who interviewed me, and unlike most people, I am okay with that. I am my best self when I prioritize my mental health. It benefits me and those around me when I can work at my best.
I am thankful to work for a company that believes in my mental health and helps me to prioritize this by offering unlimited PTO. I personally had never heard of this prior to joining Flawless Recruit, but knowing that I work for a company that wants me to take time off, has made all the difference!
I hope these tips helped you to understand the importance of mental health! Remind yourself of the key points of why mental health is important to not only you but those around you. Know when to say no, and what a happy balance is. You are your best self when you take care of your mental health!