Strategies We Love To Prevent Recruiter Burnout

It’s February, which means love is in the air, along with the not-so-sweet sense of recruiter burnout that seems to be lurking over recruiters’ shoulders this time of year. In this Valentine’s season, we want to focus on ways you can provide yourself with self-care while working in the recruiting world. 

Take it from us, we know the struggles associated with keeping up with high-velocity recruiting, but that also means we have the tips you need to help manage your workload and recruit with ferocity. Keep reading to see some strategies you can employ that will have you saying, “Be Mine.”

Why Are Recruiters Facing Higher Rates of Burnout? 

First, let’s take a quick look at why recruiter burnout is becoming more and more common. It goes without saying that many professions have seen an uptick in burnout since 2020 - and it makes sense. The entire world of work has changed, so much so that some recent graduates have never even worked during a time when 100% in-person work was the standard. 

Job-related stress isn’t unique to the recruiting world, but recruiter burnout speaks to a very specific subsection of talent acquisition professionals who are facing an unstable labor market, ripple effects from The Great Resignation, and a potential recession. 

Here are some hard facts: 

• During the height of the pandemic and Great Resignation, 61% of recruiters reported higher stress levels, and 19% reported increases in stress. 
• 45% of recruiters believe that AI and automation will make their jobs better than they are currently, allowing them to focus on more strategic work. 
• 2 out of 3 recruiters report increased stress levels at work as turnover rates increase.

Strategies to Prevent Recruiter Burnout

The quickest way to prevent burnout is to proactively make changes in your current work processes to be more in sync with your working style. After all, you wouldn’t just want to follow someone else’s template for the rest of your career. 

You, as a recruiter, are an individual with unique skills and challenges. The following are some tactics you can use to make your work life less stressful, reduce the likelihood of burnout taking hold, and keep your recruiting team on the up and up.

Automate Where Applicable

If you only get one thing from this article, take this: UPDATE YOUR TECHNOLOGY. If there’s a place in the talent lifecycle that can be automated but hasn’t been yet, take a look at the different options available to your organization and invest in one. 

One of the strongest ways to battle recruiter burnout is to remove unnecessary, repetitive, or menial tasks from your plate. That’s not to say all processes should be automated. You have to be very tactical about this, but understanding where automation could be an advantage will help you in the long run.

We’re all well-versed in the art of giving something a human touch - it’s what separates standard recruiters from great ones. However, some processes, like sorting through applications or scheduling interviews, don’t necessarily need your fingerprint to hit the mark.

Optimize Your Internal Processes

When taking stock of what your processes currently look like, try to evaluate with an impartial eye. If you were an outsider, how would you streamline your day? What are some ways that you can immediately improve the time it takes for you to complete necessary tasks while not losing quality?

Between an updated internal communication host, applicant tracking systems, and even candidate relationship management platforms - there have been a lot of advancements in this software, especially if you haven’t audited your tech stack in the last two years or so. 

Go forth and audit. See where you can make improvements, secure executive buy-in to support your cause, and make the changes necessary to keep you on top of your game.

Be Realistic With Your Goal-Setting

This one can be a little tricky if you’re a perfectionist, like many of us are. But, realistically, you’re doing yourself and your candidates a disservice if you set lofty and unattainable goals for yourself. 

Instead of creating a goal you know won’t be able to come to fruition, stick with SMART goals - specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound. 

This may look different from recruiter to recruiter, so it’s important to understand your strengths in your position and what is truly in your control. For example, improving specific KPIs under a 3-month timeline would qualify as a great SMART goal with a focus on something like time-to-fill or quality of hire.

Set yourself up for success, not distress. For many, not achieving a recruiting goal can be disheartening and only adds to other stressors related to recruiter burnout. To make sure you’re on the right track with goal setting, speak with a trusted mentor or colleague who understands your skill set and elements of your job you can improve on. 

Outsource Recruiting

To give you and your team back valuable time while also being able to rest assured that the recruiting process is in good hands - consider outsourcing some of your recruiting. Outsourced recruiting firms are literally designed to help you in these situations and are more than happy to bring their expertise to the table. Sourcing as a service and recruiting as a service are easy, stress-free ways to scale up when you (or your team) need it and pull back when the busy season has passed. 

Not only will leveraging an outsourced firm mitigate extra stress on your team, but it will also connect you with experts and ensure your KPIs are being met. Plus, you’ll gain unmatched insights that you might not have stumbled upon without working with an outsourced firm.

IQTalent is here to keep you from feeling overwhelmed by your recruiting goals. Let us carry the burden of your recruiting efforts when you need us the most. One of the many benefits of working with us is that our model is scalable. When you need extra hands on deck, increase your services with us, if things are slowing down hiring-wise, feel free to decrease. What’s most important is that you’re getting the support you need from recruiting experts you want on your team.

If you’re feeling the recruiting burn(out), reach out today to see how IQTalent can transform your talent acquisition function on demand.