Heightened expectations. Misalignment.
And if I weren’t feeling so loquacious I could just leave it there.
But I’ll explain.
There’s a common misconception that January heralds the dawn of a new era. A mythical moon where the world awakens desperate for career change and companies start hiring for fun.
It’s fallacy.
Because New Year January job board data forever suggests that rather than hawking new year opportunities, workers are instead in slumber. Perhaps it’s the festive hangover; the miserable weather; the dark mornings; hunkering down; the deflated sense that nothing much has changed since those midnight fireworks after all.
Add economic uncertainty into the mix and you’ve got a cocktail of blah!
No, January is not the month for jumping. February is.
So, how do we manage the malaise?
Understanding that in general the January market is more trickling stream than raging river, helps manage expectations and reshapes what success looks like at the end of the month.
How many customer calls have been made? Has candidate outreach going? Is the brand being amplified? And what are the results of the Q1 back office/tech stack audit? Because triumph needn’t only be measured in dollars.
But I get it. With December closing for business earlier each year and folk returning to the frontline later than ever, it can easily be four weeks between the last and first piece of meaningful commercial action. Which for recruiters, is an aeon.
Those with recurring revenue don’t feel the pinch so much, of course. And all sectors are different; hospitality output in January is a world away from tech, for example. Though whatever your sector, the need for calm and consistency remains.
The first month of the year is rarely energetic. We can feel deafened by the silence. But turn to LinkedIn and all the noise is about how well everyone is doing and how busy they are. Don’t be fooled. Rarely is a recruiter jammed in January.
So, the best advice for getting through January is this: declutter, remain focused, say no, continue the things that work, keep connected, and above all, stay calm.
Simon Lewis is the co-founder of RecConnect, the UK’s fastest growing community of recruitment business owners and industry leaders. Become a member today.