Recruiters....real talk.
If you’ve been in this game long enough, you’ve seen the cycle: hiring boom, layoffs, repeat.
You’ve seen recruitment teams go from overworked and understaffed to mass redundancies overnight. And when businesses panic and tighten the purse strings, who’s first out the door? Us.
So, simple but important question. Is recruitment still a good career?
The answer isn’t as simple as it used to be. So let's get after it.
The Case Against Recruitment
Job Security? Not Really.
Recruitment is a function that scales up when the economy is booming and gets cut when things slow down. Tech hiring freezes, market downturns, even a bad quarter can wipe out entire TA teams. If you’re looking for long-term security, recruitment might not be it.
Equity Is a Lie (For Us).
Startups love selling equity as part of the comp package. But let’s be real, if you’re a recruiter, your chances of still being around by the time there’s an exit are slim.
Most early-stage startups will go through multiple rounds of restructuring before they ever go public, and recruitment is always on the chopping block. That “life-changing” equity? Might as well be Monopoly money.
Performance Metrics Don’t Always Reflect Reality.
Success in recruitment is often tied to KPIs that don’t factor in market conditions, hiring slowdowns, or a company’s inability to make decisions. If leadership sets unrealistic hiring targets but freezes headcount six months later, you’re stuck holding the bag.
You’re Not Seen as a Strategic Function.
Despite working across every department and impacting company growth directly, recruitment is still viewed as a service function in many businesses. That means less influence, less investment, and more being told what to do by stakeholders who don’t understand the market.
The Case FOR Recruitment
No Degree? No Problem.
Recruitment is one of the few careers where you can make great money without a degree or a highly specialized background. It’s a results-driven profession, and if you’re good at it, you can climb the ranks fast.
You Learn More Than You Think.
Recruitment isn’t just about filling roles. You get hands-on experience with:
Project management (managing multiple roles, stakeholders, and timelines)
Data analysis (tracking conversion rates, diagnosing pipeline issues)
Internal comms (coaching hiring managers, negotiating offers)
Sales & marketing (crafting messaging, outbound sourcing, building relationships)
These are all transferable skills that open doors outside of TA.
Recruitment Sits at the Heart of a Business.
Few roles give you access to every function at every level. You’ll work with marketing, engineering, finance, execs, and board members. You get to see how a company operates from the inside, making it a prime launchpad for other careers.
No Ceiling on Earnings.
Agency recruiters have an uncapped earning potential, and in-house recruiters in high-growth sectors can make six figures. If you know your worth, negotiate well, and stay sharp, recruitment can still be a very lucrative career.
How to Make Recruitment Work for YOU
If you’re going to stay in recruitment, here’s how to play it smart:
Treat Your Finances Like a Freelancer Would.
The job market isn’t always in your control, but your financial security is.
Take whatever tax-free savings account your country offers (e.g., ISA in the UK).
Fill it up.
Go to your banking app and rename it: “Redundancy Money.”
Never touch it unless you have to.
Having your own financial safety net gives you leverage.
Build a Personal Brand.
Don’t just use LinkedIn to post jobs. Use it to build credibility in your domain.
Engage with industry conversations.
Share insights about your market.
Build a network before you need one.
A strong personal brand makes job searches easier and opens doors to consulting gigs, side projects, and new career paths.
Broaden Your Skill Set Beyond TA.
Recruitment overlaps with marketing, business development, operations, and even finance.
Get involved in employer branding.
Learn sourcing automation and AI tools.
Sit in on headcount planning meetings with finance.
Develop business development skills.
The more versatile you are, the harder you are to cut.
So… Is Recruitment Still a Good Career?
If you’re looking for stability, maybe not.
If you want high risk, high reward, recruitment still has huge potential.
But the reality is, you can’t just rely on your employer for career security anymore. You need to build your own safety net.
• Save aggressively.
• Build a network that works for you.
• Use recruitment as a stepping stone, not a dead end.
Luke Update
I'm on holiday this with the family for some long overdue chill time so ill be silent on LinkedIn and slow to respond to messages until the 24th.
Well... that's issue 40! If you have any questions about it, or any feedback on this issue of The Data Driven Recruiter, grab me on LinkedIn for a chat.
I'll see you next week!