Right here, right now...

It’s been an interesting first year, setting up my own business. A rollercoaster to say the least with some ‘slap you in the face’ moments where you realise just how volatile the world of recruitment actually is, as a Recruitment Service provider. And in my case, and many of yours, how it’s just you and you alone that is accountable for your ‘success’.

At times, I’ve felt all consumed by the pressure of ensuring I provide financially for my family and meet the ambition I have to make a ‘success’ of my decision. To walk away from the Corporate life and instead, work with Corporates and Start-ups, as an external services provider is vastly different. In-house versus agency are two different sports.

My experience within large global brands as an in-house recruiter has varied. I’ve experienced Pros and cons within each organisation, largely influenced by the leadership.

Having reflected on my time in-house, I can think of 4 key differentiators that present themselves:

1.    Playing God – As a gatekeeper to the presented opportunity, you make your subjective opinions about what is suitable and what is not. It’s ultimately your job, in majority of the cases, to determine who gets through and you base your decision on opinion, unconscious and conscious bias (AKA discrimination) and an individual set of knowledge and experience

2.    Internal politics – As much as you want to avoid it, every organization has its internal status quo or modus operandi, which you discover, through pure illogical decisions surrounding you on a daily basis. At first you question, push back and look to start a revolution (well you do in my case) but you only find yourself isolated and outcast by the “yes sir” foot soldiers that outnumber you. There are small victories but ultimately you need your own army to drive the neutral, logical change that organisations need to reach their full potential

3.    Pace of play – The larger the organisation, the slower the pace and ability to adjust, shift, change and make quick decisions. There are processes in place that stifle corporate success, in a world arena where the small, nimble, agile, Start-ups are chipping away at the market share. Risk adverse and frightened of disruption. This is where you find yourself, as an employee, swallowing creative and innovative ideas because you know, full well,  by the time you get through the system, the landscape has changed and the idea is not relevant.

4.    Transparency – Some days you are running on pure assumption and the lack of communication creates an uneasy, fearful and uncertain working environment. Knowledge is power, yet the trend of ambiguity is prevalent and stifling. In order for Talent to truly shine and provide the max ROI you seek, they need the full picture in order to make relevant, creative and impactful decisions as employees. Having access to the Business is key in the case of an internal recruiter when we all know, Talent is the key to the success of any organization.

Leaving that all behind, to pursue my own set of complexities, has led to many sleepless nights and saboteurs have wreaked havoc, convincing me I am out of my mind and emphasizing that I know nothing about running a business. Or very little.

But with my need to self- develop and learn, optimistic approach, courage and comfort in historic performance, I fly on, building the airplane whilst it’s in the air.

The first half of the year, I was running around like a headless chicken, working on some senior mandates, with great global companies, who operate at an extreme high level therefore pushing me into “over exceed” mode, where there weren’t enough hours in the day. Having to do it all yourself, with limited resources, and high expectations, means taking ownership of the entire process and quality of service. And if you, like me, expect high quality, responsive and exceptional service levels, you cannot deliver anything less.

One thing that stood out during that time, is that I really truly love what I do for a living. The thrill of the hunt! The challenge of taking a new set of requirements, learning and proving to myself that I can deliver, to a level that satisfies my Candidates and Clients, is such an incentive and motivator, that naturally my energy levels flick into overdrive.

The freedom that my decision has bought, present further reinforcement that I made the right decision. A core value, since a little girl, has always been my freedom and independence. And now having the choice of direction, Candidates and Clients to work with, I find myself fully engaged with my day instead of trying to just get through it.

As anyone knows in this region, whether in recruitment or not, the summer months slow down significantly and I found myself remembering a further factor in my choice to leave the corporate world and that was balance. Sometimes we ignore that gift horse staring us in the mouth but this year I embraced it.

The summer has long passed and we find ourselves in flat, soft and slow market, where the current pace does not meet my minimum speed levels. It’s a scary place to find yourself realizing that you are not invincible and that there are influencers beyond your control, affecting your targets and goals. I find myself digging deep into my creative mindset, to find solutions and new, fresh ideas to keep the momentum and further enforce and fuel my determination to make a ‘success’ of this decision.

The emotions of this journey to date, have been eclectic and wide ranging. The future is clear in my mind. Reveling in ambiguity is my only option. Embracing the unknown and adapting to my surroundings will be the key to survival and ‘success’.

Right here, right now I decided to detract from my daily mission and share my journey so far, in the hopes my rollercoaster is not dissimilar to yours and we can take comfort in that fact together.

Right here, right now, I know that tomorrow will bring new challenges that I am ready and willing, to face and conquer.

Right here, right now, I am excited about the future and look forward to the learnings that present themselves as well as the balance I hope to maintain.

And lastly, I point out that the definition of success is a subjective and unique ideology, that we all create in our minds. Usually vague and undefinable, however we strive towards it every day.

Is it a set of Things or Boxes that have been ticked? Or is it a quality of life? Where each day you are grateful for all you have, at ease and happy with your world and present, enjoying the moment.

Right here, right now, what does success look like for you?

Go ahead. Define it. Its time to realise you are achieving more than you thought!

Be brave,

Judy