It’s week 11 following nine weeks of Furlough and I’ve found myself saying the same thing to most clients & candidates – “I needed the break”. I’m not much of a blogger but given the current market and having had time to reflect, I find myself wanting to share some thoughts and my experiences over the last three months or so (I must be growing up eventually!).
Looking back, it’s only now I realise that changes in the Contract Recruitment market over the last couple of years had totally beaten me up. I find becoming a “key-word searcher” really frustrating, IR35 changes totally flattened me and COVID19, well…we know that story.
I was slightly apprehensive about taking the time off, but I shouldn’t have been. Although, there were some challenges & a few “loughs”:
The general uncertainty it has caused everyone.
The weird panic buying that went on at the start (what was that all about???).
Being stuck in the house with two young kids (3½ and a 7-month-old at the time). What would we do with them?
Initial worries about work & finances.
The golf courses weren’t open!!!
The “highs”, on reflection, definitely outweighed the lows:
Like most, I did lots of odd jobs around the house that I had been meaning to do.
I spent loads of time with the kids, walking a lot during that period of brilliant weather (the wee one decided to start/trying to walk/talk).
I did a few online courses that I’d been wanting to do.
I re-found my love for coffee cake and ate a lot of it!!
I did LOADS of research on mobility – for anyone that knows me, you’ll know I have terrible posture and that typical curve from sitting at a desk for too long. Taking time to research the changes needed is making a real difference now. I’m not pain free but I’m getting there.
I volunteered with the Scottish Tech Army – check them out of you haven’t already. What a great initiative!
Mental Health – I feel slightly strange writing about the topic but I think everyone is well aware of the benefits of switching-off and relaxing for a bit.
Looking forward
I reflected a lot on the challenges we sometimes face in the recruitment market and the negative perceptions of the industry and was reinvigorated and energised to be involved with the Scottish Tech Army, supporting them in Resourcing to fulfil really meaningful projects, having a lot of “peer” conversations and re-finding my recruitment mojo.
What I’m trying to say is try not to panic and stress too much. Use this time to do other things, re-charge the batteries and focus on the future, plus thinking about new ways of engaging with recruiters & clients. One really great example I've seen recently was a brilliantly written, technically focused blog by a candidate - it caught the eye of another client & led to a job offer.
The contract market will recover and we’re having lots of positive conversations with our clients at the moment. It isn't materialising into a wave of new contracts yet, but it feels like they're coming.
Next steps
I’m back & feeling re-motivated, focused on the challenges ahead (for the rest of 2020 and beyond) and I look forward to helping as many clients & candidates as I can over the coming months. Changes are coming in the recruitment market (there will be a “new normal” for us too – I’d actually love to hear your thoughts on this – what changes would you like to see?) and I look forward to trying to make a difference where I can. Having been here with the Credit Crunch and with IndyRef to an extent, I know the role we have to play in helping our clients & candidates navigate uncertain times.
Let's talk
To discuss this topic in greater detail, please get in touch with me over here.
The information contained in this article does not constitute business advice and should not be acted on as such. This content is based on our understanding in August 2020. Head Resourcing are not liable for the information contained on any third-party websites linked to this article.
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