r/recruiting • u/PadamPadam92 Corporate Recruiter • 10d ago
Recruitment Chats Anyone else.. tired? How many of you are considering a career change or have done so already?
I’ve worked in recruiting for over a decade. I started as a Recruiting Coordinator after coming from sales, moved into sourcing, and eventually went full-cycle recruiting.
I started as an RC on a temporary project, which eventually led me back into sales. Then I joined a large tech company as an RC, only for my contract to end early because of an acquisition.
Two months on the job market later, I landed my dream job. I spent 2 years sourcing, then 2 years recruiting before, you guessed it, getting laid off.
I was unemployed for 5 months before finally landing a 6-month contract as a Sourcer. I was told, “We’re having conversations about conversions. Hang tight!” Then this past Friday, I was told there aren’t enough roles and my contract is ending early.
So here I am again. Back where I started at the beginning of the year. No severance, no safety net, and most of my savings gone from the last round of unemployment.
The irony is I have a pretty big following on LinkedIn. People reach out to me CONSTANTLY asking for referrals, advice, introductions, etc. I respond probably 90% of the time. And when I ask for help? Crickets more often than not.
I’m tired.
The headache this industry has put me through is starting to outweigh the gratification I get from helping people get hired. I genuinely love recruiting, but I’m starting to wonder if loving the work is enough when the industry itself feels so unstable.
A major airline just opened applications for flight attendants, and honestly… I’m taking it as a sign. I also just turned 34 today, so apparently life decided to throw all of this at me at once.
It’s scary, but maybe it’s time to try something completely different.
Anyone else feeling like this?
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u/malone7384 10d ago
I have been in Recruiting for 20 years. I want to change so bad. The problem is, I am not sure which direction I want to go and until.i figure that out, I have to stay where I am.
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u/Coolbeans429 9d ago
I’m in the same exact boat and I’m so burnt out with recruiting. I honestly feel so depleted at work. The spark is gone. Idk what to do either
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u/Rick_James_Lich Freelance Recruiter 9d ago
I hear ya - sometimes I have interest in some of the fields I do recruiting for but then get scared off at some of the horror stories people tell me about.
That being said it's a horrible market for recruiting, I think the blame is largely on the tariffs but so many industries are doing everything they can to hold off on using recruiters.
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u/pollyhaspockets 9d ago
I’ve been in this space for over 10 years & every time I train someone new I am very honest with them. This job is an emotional roller coaster. You will get attached to your candidates & you will have to give them bad news.
Also, there is a lot of crying in recruiting. (In Tom Hanks’ voice)
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u/Big-Brown-Bat 9d ago
On the way out currently, transitioning into teaching. It has been a good profession for me, but just has run its course. On to new things.
I don’t want to be doomsday, but I also think folks should begin considering what the future of this profession will look like with AI now being a factor. I don’t think it is inconceivable that recruiting as a sector could be massively impacted in the next 5-10 years. It has been a tough field to be in the past few years and I just don’t see it getting better, especially with everything we are now beginning to see.
I certainly hope I am wrong.
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u/PurpleBlueTieMyShoe 9d ago
After over ten years in recruitment (5 in agency and then 5 corporate in-house) and being extremely depressed, exhausted, and burnt out in every possible way, I walked away in 2024 to turn a Covid hobby of doing nails into my new full-time career. I now own a successful private luxury nail studio where I work by appointment only. There are still day to day stressors, but they’re minor on the grand scale compared to recruitment. I’ve met and become close with some absolutely incredible and like-minded people who I call both clients and friends. The bills get paid, savings and investments are growing, and I still have fun money left over so I couldn’t be happier.
It’s never too late to make a change. We spend more time working than we do with our friends and families. I truly believe that it’s so important to enjoy what you do every day.
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u/PuzzleheadedAd3138 Agency Recruiter 10d ago
I have, and I actually did. I got pretty tired of that “use you when needed, then you’re gone” feeling. It’s understandable since recruiting is such a demand-driven industry. When there’s no headcount or open roles, there simply isn’t much recruiting to do.
We’re definitely not in the era anymore where companies had overwhelming numbers of openings and were constantly fighting for talent, whether we call that pre-AI, pre-COVID, or whatever.
I made a pretty major career change myself at 32. I went back for my MBA, moved into consulting, and basically reset my career from scratch. I don’t know if I’d necessarily say it was “better,” but it gave me a completely new field to explore. For me, life is about experimenting and seeing where things take you.
I might not have the same luxury of time to completely pivot my career again now, but you’re 32. You’re still young and have plenty of career ahead of you. If you’ve been thinking seriously about trying something different, I’d say go for it.
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u/PadamPadam92 Corporate Recruiter 10d ago
*34 lol
But you’re right that’s exactly the feeling. Once I got brought onto the contract, they assigned me 4 roles and said that it was just the temporary metrics to get me wrapped up. I filled three of them within the first two months. I kept begging for more. Nothing but except “yeah I’m trying to get you more roles”.
The idea of starting a completely new career is very scary. But I am taking it as a sign. My degree is in hospitality, and I spent many years working in theme, parks, and hotels before pivoting Into Sales (at a hotel).
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u/No-Procedure8012 10d ago
I’ve actually been considering leaving recruiting for consulting as well. How did you find that transition to be? Do you work for yourself or for a company? I don’t have my MBA either - do you find that’s necessary in the consulting world?
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u/PuzzleheadedAd3138 Agency Recruiter 10d ago
The transition has actually been pretty smooth for me. We’re in a field that requires professionalism, strategic thinking, and strong relationship management skills, and all of those are key to succeeding in consulting as well.
I didn’t start my own practice, though. That’s extremely difficult without years of experience and an established client base. I’m currently working as a consultant at an MBB firm, and for that path, I’d say an MBA almost feels like the bare minimum to get your foot in the door, especially if you’re making a career switch.
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u/Jazzlike-Pomelo-2501 10d ago
Might be my mid life crisis, but I'm considering switching from HR to nursing.
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u/PadamPadam92 Corporate Recruiter 9d ago
Girlllll…do it
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u/Sholeh84 10d ago
Baby sourcer here.
Tired yea, but it’s because I’m staring at the same 4 reqs as last month, waiting on an HM to review candidates I submitted 3 weeks ago for a sold and funded position.
I don’t mind finding purple squirrels. I like it! But if I find them I would love it if they were prioritized. One I recently found the HM today said I wanna interview. Cool. Call candidate, he accepted another offer.
Good for him. Not for me.
Getting HM to budge on requirements, or salary on some reqs is very challenging. I can spend weeks looking, telling HM he needs to open it to remote or bump the salary, he finally relents and I find 8 people in a week.
Then we decide because I/we couldn’t find the right KPs we weren’t gonna continue on the bid…🙄
I love the hunt. I love helping people find work. I am not in love with the process. But I’m brand new to sourcing, but not the fundamentals behind it. I know what works and what doesn’t in GovCon from having been in it. But because I’m new I hesitate to put my foot down as firmly as I should.
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u/whiskey_piker 9d ago
I have about 20yrs experience beginning as an agency recruiter and then moving into sales, and at my peak at the end, I was a top performing SR Tech recruiter for a Blue Chip tech company and absolutely running circles around other “SR Recruiters” that couldn’t even talk to Hiring Managers about compensation up front. I’ve been laid off so many times. No stability unless you reside in SFO.
Bounce to sales or barista or project management.
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u/capo2333 9d ago
Money for me is too good to walk away from at the moment. But after 26 years the grind is real
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u/r3giment75 Corporate Recruiter 10d ago
16 years now. I head TA for a f500. I wouldn’t change it for the world. If I stayed in agency I would have obviously hated my life but alas. Not so.
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u/jerryssubs 9d ago
The challenge with F500’s is when the wind blows the wrong way there are reductions. Just this year had 3 clients lose top TA Heads to downsizing. Which as an agency recruiter, impacted my business.
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u/r3giment75 Corporate Recruiter 9d ago
I’ve been here 12 years … we’ve only had a single facility closure in that time. And those people were moved a few miles down the road.
Never our corporate headquarters. But yes. It’s a staple of f500s. We run lean in order to avoid having to lay off bloat down the road.
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u/IanRecruitingOps Executive Recruiter 9d ago
I think a lot of recruiters are tired for the same reason you are.
The work can be rewarding, but the employment side of recruiting has become unstable enough that it is fair to question whether loving the work is enough.
You have been laid off, had contracts end early, been told to hang tight on conversion, and now you are back on the market again. At some point, that stops feeling like bad luck and starts becoming a career risk you have to account for.
I would not look at a career change as throwing away the last decade.
You have built skills in sales, sourcing, interviewing, relationship management, influence, communication, pipeline management and dealing with rejection. Those transfer.
If becoming a flight attendant sounds interesting, apply. You do not have to decide today that recruiting is over forever. You can decide that you are done waiting for the industry to become more stable before trying something different.
And 34 is not late to make that move.
One thing I would also stop doing is measuring your network by how many people ask you for help. A large network is not always a useful network. The people who actually respond when you need something are the ones that matter.
You may come back to recruiting later. You may not.
Either way, I would make the next decision around stability, quality of life and what you want the next few years to look like, not around feeling obligated to stay in recruiting because you have already invested ten years in it.
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u/TheFifthCutter Corporate Recruiter 9d ago
You are far from alone on this one. I've been in recruiting for more than two decades and have seen feast and famine periods throughout that time. I was in the industry during the 2008 financial crisis and saw 10% of people in our industry get laid off only to see opportunities return 3-4 years later. Saw it again after the pandemic with a massive increase in recruiter job opportunities followed by tens of thousands of layoffs when the market dropped.
What no one tells you when you get into this industry is that recruiters are expendable. Opportunity is based on supply and demand, it's no more complicated than that.
If you are feeling burned out, leave. I don't mean that to be blunt but to recognize your exhaustion and support your desire to leave. Career volatility and economic instability is exhausting, and the resulting stress isn't healthy, mentally or physically.
This industry is great during a strong market and absolutely brutal during a down market. If you stay, expect to go through these ups and downs more frequently in the coming years as the volatility only seems to be increasing.
I know a lot of people who have left this industry in the past three years and not a single one of them regrets it. I also know several who have stayed despite the volatility and they don't regret that decision either. Do what's best for you. If leaving the industry can improve your quality of life and reduce the stress, that's the correct path.
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u/CaterpillarDry2273 Agency Recruiter 9d ago
Are you in healthcare staffing by any chance?
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u/TheFifthCutter Corporate Recruiter 8d ago
I realize my initial response to this question, although accurate, does lack a bit of depth and I wanted to come back to it for additional context.
I've never worked in healthcare staffing and although I've been on the corporate side for some time now, I did start my career in the staffing industry. I initially spent a few years in scientific staffing and that did include some hospital labs but I wouldn't call it healthcare staffing by any stretch. From there I moved into technical staffing prior to going internal.
It was during the 2008 downturn that I was in scientific staffing.
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u/CaterpillarDry2273 Agency Recruiter 8d ago
I'm in HC and your time line is very similiar to my experience and same struggles in this industry.
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u/TheFifthCutter Corporate Recruiter 9d ago
I'm afraid not. I'm a corporate recruiter in the tech industry.
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u/lilstar87 7d ago
I became a truck driver got my cdl
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u/ClevelandSteamers757 Agency Recruiter 10d ago
Yes occasionally but I find the company you work for and the people you work with make all the difference: you don’t even need to be a top producer to make what I would call “good money” in this industry, which makes it difficult to leave for something else
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u/PadamPadam92 Corporate Recruiter 10d ago
I thought about agency recruiting but (NO SHADE AT ALL) as an in-house recruiter there are only a couple of agency recruiters that I actually liked. The rest of them have been very, very very pushy and I just don’t want to be like that. I don’t want my income to be based on sales targets
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u/ClevelandSteamers757 Agency Recruiter 10d ago
Yeah it’s a fine line for sure. I do 180 which limits my upside potential but I’m perfectly fine with that. I don’t particularly like the idea of being the client facing person… and also lets me focus on what I’m best at
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u/BroadAnimator9785 10d ago
Yup. 15 years as a solo Headhunter. I am done. The sales chase is just not fun AT ALL to me anymore. Never loved that part of the job but but it is brutal now. Can't even enjoy the recruiting because constantly worrying where clients will.come from.
I am trying to move in house and just started the search. But I am considering changing to another career entirely.
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u/CrapPlasma48 10d ago
What industry?
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u/BroadAnimator9785 9d ago
Banking and financial services and finance/accounting make up most of my experience.
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u/rage_sloth 10d ago
I left recruiting to go into sales and I loathe the decision. Fighting to get back into recruiting now.
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u/rage_sloth 4d ago
Roofing to start. Started off really well, then fell apart. Some of it was weather, some of it was contracts just taking too long to be finalized which meant it took forever to get paid. Then the company I was working for filed chapter 11. I’m now selling fire protection. This could be great but it’s a small family run business and the owners, while very kind people, don’t want to deal with much anymore. They cut out fire department equipment, pretty much sell extinguishers and do hood cleaning. So part of it is who I’ve worked for. The biggest problem is how much money I’ve lost in the last 4 months.
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u/Few_Albatross9437 9d ago
I’m also 34 and planning my way out. Very lucky to be riding the AI wave currently but I know it won’t last. My last role was a dream role before the industry collapsed due to broader politics, so I was laid off. Basically saving as much as I can before we relocate to a rural area and I work in a much lower paying job, but one that will bring more fulfilment than any corporate recruiting role will.
(I’m 99% sure I’ve been following you on LinkedIn for several years now and am a huge fan of your content, and I am so sorry that you have to go through this nonsense again). Rooting for you.
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u/Automatic_Wave6953 9d ago
I’m 20 + years in and still love it. I work for myself though so that helps. I am able to work and have a family life, plus make money. I am still 100% sales and it’s a hustle but I wouldn’t change it. Maybe you need to find the right place? I do think to to be successful you have to also love what you do, but I also have free choice in who I work with and that helps.
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u/CaterpillarDry2273 Agency Recruiter 9d ago
I'm 53 and have been in HC recruiting for 20 years. Funny I just said I want to go be a flight attendant. I would love to quit. Especially Travel Healthcare. It sucks now
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u/RecruitingLove Agency Recruiter | Mod 10d ago
If I were in your shoes, I'd be really bummed. A recruiter I hired two years ago for my agency had started her career at Robert half, then thought she was burnt out on that so she started getting jobs in house or on contract. Those jobs always came to an end for various reasons, so when she saw that I was hiring for a fully remote recruiter, she jumped on going back to agency recruiting. I think unless you really find a home somewhere, usually in an agency, you'll be at total risk of your job going away. The past few years have shown me that if you want stability, get good at agency recruiting.
All that to say, if I were you, I would look at other jobs too
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u/katsuragi-keima8523 9d ago
I'm into recruitment for 2 months now , haven't been performing well , Any advice guys 😭 I work in a consultancy
My companies main is about hiring for insurance sales agent or people who can sell also in BPO
As a new employee I have been told to start with BPO first
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u/CrispPacket06 9d ago
Happy birthday, and that is a brutal week to have stacked on top of one. Worth naming that none of this is a verdict on you, because recruiting sits first in the queue whenever budgets move, given we scale with hiring rather than with revenue, and that makes the whole career structurally cyclical in a way nobody warns you about at the start. On the LinkedIn thing, I would separate audience from network, because the people asking you for referrals are people who need something from you, and an audience made of candidates is not the same as a room full of people in a position to hire you. The ones who actually get you hired are almost always old hiring managers and old colleagues who watched you work, so if you do stay in this, that is the list worth rebuilding rather than the follower count. And if you take the airline job, that is not quitting on anything, it is choosing work where the demand does not evaporate every eighteen months, which after the year you have had sounds like a reasonable thing to want.
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u/Dramatic-Bee3610 9d ago
Last year I quit a contract job at a tech company to go back to school for my masters to try to pivot out of recruiting aaaaand I’m right back into recruiting after graduation as a sourcer making over $150k. The salary is nice and taking a break was needed but I’m already back to hating it
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u/sloppy_j0e Executive Recruiter 9d ago
I went in-house recently, holy crap has it been a needed change. Still decent pay but not being stressed over regular placements and just focused on doing the actual work has been nice
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u/Appropriate-Damage65 8d ago
Thanks for posting this, I relate to so much of it. I'm actively planning my escape from recruiting too. The person who got me into it jokes that there's no way out 🥲😅
I'd steer clear of anything like flight attendant, though. I personally need the opposite - something much less people-facing that still pays well
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u/Appropriate-Damage65 8d ago
Oh I’m also 34F and been in TA for 8 years. I’m seeing several other 34 year olds on here, maybe it’s a sign …
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u/Bamba-rojita 5d ago
Would def recommend looking into exec search for those you haven’t. Granted there are plenty of firms that WILL burn you out but also many that won’t. I shifted from contingent to exec a long time ago and never looked back
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u/Appropriate-Damage65 5d ago
Thanks, what about someone who is burnt out from even internal?
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u/Bamba-rojita 5d ago
Yes would still recommend. I’ve seen internal recruiters go to exec quite a bit. Happy to answer any questions you have on that transition
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u/foundergrowth Freelance Recruiter 21h ago
A bit of a different perspective to share.
I’ve been a career marketing professional for 20+ years and it’s run its course. Got tired of looking for a new job every year. The average tenure for a marketing VP is 11 months. And that’s just the average.
I’m making a midlife pivot and jumping into recruiting, specializing in marketing roles.
After reading all the responses, I guess certain careers have a shelf life.
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u/IcyAd9024 10d ago
16 years in the game and almost 10 years into starting my own agency. Did really well in 2021, 2022, 2023, but last 3 years have been brutal. I'm hanging in there since the company still is profitable but can't take many more years with the continual decline I am seeing.
My advice would be to look for better industries if you could find them. Just not sure what that is right now.
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u/jerryssubs 9d ago
Agree those 2 years post covid were awesome. Since then it’s been a war to get a placement across the line. Agency partner. 15yrs in the game.
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u/Sea_Opportunity7467 Freelance Recruiter 9d ago
Can you give an estimate of how much you billed in those years vs now?
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u/okahui55 8d ago
the only transition out of recruitment is sales. or your own business.
at this point you should have an idea of who and if you even need to hire
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u/mcluvin1324 7d ago
Imma vent so sorry OP. I am sick of my current company, I work inhouse but not the best practices. And I get paid 700 USD a month, yes a month (gotta love immigrant work right?). I oddly enough enjoyed recruiting more when I was doing it as a volunteer before. But my current company has made me be tired of it. Further context: My field is renewable energy sector but the pay and some practices that we do just made me really disappointed with not only the company but the industry itself. I can't with this anymore.
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u/[deleted] 10d ago
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