A day in the life of a remote recruiter…

Hello, I’m Jodie. I have been with Vanilla since March and I’m currently in my sixth week “WFH” (working from home). I am not a blogger; but with all this extra time we currently have, I thought I’d give it a whirl! Besides, I love sharing ideas and reading them myself – why not try writing my own?

So, working from home. Where do I start? I was immediately worried when the lockdown came into place, and I found working from home challenging and quite daunting at the start, especially as I was only weeks into a new job and still in training. People that know me know that I overthink everything. To be honest, I was really worried about how quickly I would adapt, but I did. We all have.

My Daily WFH Routine

I wake up when my alarm goes off (I’m not a snooze kind of girl!), jump in the shower and get dressed. I do NOT stay in my pyjamas. I don’t know about you but staying in my pyjamas makes me feel tired and want to get back into bed, instantly affecting my motivation and drive. Trust me, getting changed into clothes instantly adjusts your mood. But I am embracing the no makeup look at the moment and loving it, something I thought I’d never hear myself say.

I then set up my desk space on my dining table and tune into the Daily Stand-Up meeting through the Recruiting Gym whilst eating my breakfast, which immediately puts me in a good mood and boosts positivity. Great training webinars if you are in the recruitment industry.

Next is a daily video call with Eloise to discuss our key focus for the day, talk about any business updates, as well as sharing any positive news from the day before.

I spend most of my day at the moment virtually training, as well as learning the practical ropes of temporary recruitment.  A lot of my time is focused on contacting clients and candidates, allowing me to introduce myself, build relationships and importantly, see how other people are coping during these uncertain times.  Wherever possible I love being of service and offering positivity, as well as calm and useful resources such as advice on how people can improve their skills during furlough, CV writing, how to conduct a virtual interview or sharing our how to work from home productively presentation.  It’s difficult not being able to physically meet our clients and customers in person due to the situation we are in, as I’m a real people person so I love face-to-face interaction. For now, though, I will continue with Microsoft Teams, Zoom and WhatsApp video calls, which are all new technology that I have had to learn.

Lunch for me tends to be around 12.30pm, which I try to have away from my office/desk space. That can be a bit tricky with me already being sat at the dining table; trust me, I’ve tried having lunch in the living room but the thought of tomato soup or crumbs going on our light grey sofa freaks me out and immediately puts me off! Yes, I am a bit of a clean freak! Thankfully, with the beautiful weather recently, sometimes I treat myself to lunch al fresco.

At the end of each day, I pack everything away and complete my activity report. This is something we have in place to keep us focused and positive. In this report we start with a new daily positive affirmation that we share (Eloise loves reading those and they actually really help to keep me feeling more positive as well) and then go on to talk about what we have achieved, what we are proud of and what our goals are for the following day. I find this extremely beneficial and as it gives me something to aim towards, and ensures I am accountable for what I do each day.

One final non-work-related thing to add. Exercise. I have been going on walks with my husband and completing online workouts provided by my gym to keep fit and healthy. Exercising instantly improves my mood and to be honest, it’s just nice to get some time out of the house! (Obviously, no more than the hour the government recommends.)

Communication and Training

Communication is key, now more than ever. Remote working can be hard. Luckily, I have my husband with me at home, so I don’t feel completely alone or isolated, but I know that’s not the same for everyone. One thing I have learnt is that regular check-ins with your team or a remote working buddy makes a real difference. Vanilla have a Virtual Pub Quiz video call and team catch up every Friday simply to have a laugh and feel connected – we’re all human at the end of the day. I really look forward to this, as the new girl I still feel I need to get to know everyone properly so what better way to do it than through banter and beers?

Being the newbie at Vanilla means I’m still in my training period and thanks to technology and social media I can continue with this. I have Eloise sat at my table (virtually of course) so we can still communicate and go through my training program, as well as listening in on each other’s calls. I didn’t know how this was going to work, but I’m glad to say it has and I’m learning something new each day. After the Recruiting Gym Daily Stand Ups in the morning, each afternoon at 1pm they have a 30-minute training webinar which I tune into. These change each day and I am finding them vital in my learning, especially with everything that’s going on. They are educational, fun and always have me smiling afterwards.

Remember… ‘We’re All in This Together’

It may sound clichéd, and you have probably heard it a million times, but we really are. Everyone in some way has been affected by the COVID-19 crisis and is experiencing some form of change. One thing I have seen a lot more of lately is people offering to support and help one another. To put it simply, it’s because we all care. People buy into people, right? Take the Thursday 8pm clap for our brilliant and completely amazing NHS as an example, we are coming together as a nation to do this which I find incredible and really moving. Is your street joining in and doing their bit?

Let’s just say, remote working is not and has not always been easy. But by following my daily routine, keeping in touch with my colleagues and continuing with my training I have positivity and purpose. We have all adapted so quickly to this way of working and should be proud.

If you have any tips to share, or would like any advice on remote working, training tools or just need a chat – get in touch below!

My mobile number 07593 445813, my email [email protected] or connect with me on LinkedIn.

Speak soon and stay safe X

 

PS Here’s some pics of the lovely Milo enjoying my office chairs 🙂