5 Lessons You Can Learn from Recruiters About Staying Motivated

This post was originally published on the Michael Page blog. In it, a recruiter shares how to stay motivated when you’re working in a fast-paced, often-unpredictable work environment.

Recruiters are undoubtedly some of the most resilient and motivated people in the working world. In simple terms, their job is to help companies source and hire the most qualified candidates—a delicate process that comes with an abundance of wins, losses and setbacks.

My colleagues at Michael Page are responsible for matching people with companies, a tall order with outcomes that are only partially in their control. As a result, a successful recruiter needs to be extremely resilient.

I reached out to hundreds of recruiters across my company and asked how they stay motivated. Their responses are full of great advice you can apply to any job field.

1. Keep a Folder of All Your “Wins”

Create your own personal portfolio of success that you update throughout your career. Refer to it whenever you want an energy or confidence boost—you’ll often realize you’ve accomplished more than you realized. Revisiting your successes helps you remember why you started in the first place, and know that your company hired you because they believe in you and still do. This folder is your proof that you are completely capable of success; you wouldn’t be where you are today if you weren’t.

2.  Determine Your Biggest Goals (and what it’ll take to achieve them)

What goals do you have in mind? Closing a big business deal? Getting a promotion? Doing more interesting work? It’s great to imagine how you’ll feel when you reach your goal, but you also need to take the necessary steps towards that goal. As my colleague Sara Hagey, a Senior Manager, says,”Never forget how it feels to have no activity happening. This motivates me to keep a consistent pipeline.”

Once you identify your long-term goals, the next step is to zoom in and write down the specific actions you must take to get there. Having realistic goals that you can commit yourself to will make the bigger picture seem less daunting and help you keep track of where you are in the process. Small wins add up to big ones!

3.  Surround Yourself with Positive, Encouraging People and Ideas

Your mind is extremely adaptable. In other words, you can teach your old brain new tricks, and as you receive messages on a daily basis, your mind begins to own the same mode of thinking. So skip the fear-inducing news and negative people and subscribe to more uplifting channels. Curate a supportive network of friends and colleagues who are passionate and growth-oriented. Sign up for a daily email that sends you motivational material first thing in the morning. Work with people who are on the same mission as you. Your environment is a huge part of setting yourself up for success, so create one that inspires you. Senior Manager Andrew Youssef says, “I entrench myself with optimistic people, videos, and reading material. The smallest story or saying could be the motivational tool I need to get me through a tough day.”

4.  Empower Yourself by Making Exercise a Top Priority

Mental fitness and physical fitness go hand-in-hand. Part of motivation is endurance, which you develop as your body experiences stamina breakthroughs at the gym, dancing, or whatever medium works for you. If you work with people, then you have to deal with a lot of emotions (that aren’t necessarily your own). Allowing yourself an outlet to release those will help you stay sane.  Plus, if you are under a lot of pressure, you’ll likely experience shallow breathing, which you can reset in intense physical activity.  Make time for this every day and you’ll have the fresh energy you need to be successful.

5.  Understand What Is and Is Not in Your Control

All you can do is what is within your power to do. When faced with a problem or difficult situation, ask yourself: have I done everything I possibly can to make this work? What external factors have shaped this outcome and what can I improve? In the professional world and the world at large, you should always be adding value in some form. You are uniquely talented, uniquely persuasive and uniquely able to provide something important. If you are doing your true best, the rest will unfold naturally.

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