The Life of a Recruiter

By Rich Smith, 05-23-2018

(This piece was written by Atlas recruiter Colleen Fritche late last year. I sat on it for a while, unsure of how it would be received if it was published. It's a raw, honest look at what a recruiter goes through as they start their journey in this industry. I’ve always believed that at the core of any good travel nurse agency there has to be mutual respect between the recruiter and nurse. Colleen isn’t looking for sympathy. Being a nurse is hard. Being a recruiter is hard. She isn’t saying one is harder than the other. It’s simply her commentary on life starting off as a recruiter. Author and speaker Simon Sinek once said that “working hard for something we don’t care about is called stress. Working hard for something we love is called passion.” I think what you are about to read embodies the passion that Colleen has for recruiting.)

The life of a recruiter.

A look at how to be a nurse recruiter.

This job is hard. Really freaking hard. Describing it as a roller coaster is an understatement. No one said it would be easy but I didn't realize the extent of it until now. Since moving I'm working more than ever. My kids are constantly asking me to stop working and play with them. But I feel like I can't. Way too much to do and way too many people relying on me. Last week I felt like it finally paid off and I got 5 placements. Sarah, Jenn, Jeremy, Lynley, & Tammy. I was on the biggest high I have been on since I started this job. If I was in Omaha I would have gone out to celebrate. (But not in Hillsdale, MI hehe) I increased my headcount by 50% in one week. Working day and night had finally paid off. I was so excited but something in my gut didn't sit right, which is why I didn't even make one of the placements "active" in SF because I had a feeling they wouldn't all work out. Now this week Sarah backed out, Jenn wants to back out, I can't get ahold of Jeremy, and if we have one more compliance request for Tammy she is gonna snap. Oh and one of my nurses got fired in the middle of an assignment. I'm not a super emotional person so there are no tears yet. I keep telling myself to worry about what I can control and let the things that I cannot control go. But that's easier said than done. I'm stressed wondering if I did something wrong and questioning if I'm the right fit for this job. Could I have prevented these things from happening? Is it worth all the time I'm losing out with my kids? I'm currently on a flight home from Michigan to see some friends and family. On the way to the airport I got a call from one of my best friends that her dad passed away. Instantly I started thinking about the things that are important in life and while this job is extremely important to me, it's still a job. I am the type of person that cares about people and wants to please everyone. This job to me is about the relationships more than anything. So when things don't go as planned it hits hard. I love what I do. The love the relationships I have built. I have made some amazing friends along the way. I'm writing this because I'm sure every recruiter has been through this and if you haven't yet, you will and hopefully you can refer back this and know everything will be ok. Just take a step back and don't stress about what you cannot control. Realize that this job is relying on people we barely know in the beginning. And lastly there are people like Lynley out there who will go from AZ to ND over winter bc this is something they want so bad. If only they were all like Lynley.