When all else fails… the next words that normally follow are life giving, meant to protect and sustain us but when you need to hear them most the end of the sentence seems to fade away in an uncertainty of how to complete it. What happens when we hit the end of our rope? Do you run to friends, seek solitude, refocus, cry, rent a good comedy to watch or simply take a deep breath and rethink things.

As professionals I’ve always taught that we should be very aware of our limits and how to recharge but I’ve also recently realized how easy that is to be simply words and plans. Do you know what recharges you and how close to your limits (an empty emotional bucket or bank account) that you are? If not, now is the time to make sure you consider it.

But what about our candidates? If the options are endless as to how we are replenished we shouldn’t be surprised that when working with candidates that they will also have a variety of responses. What works for us won’t always work with them. A typical example is space or time to process. If you need space when stressed you’ll probably give people space when you see they are going through a difficult time or vice-versa, if you need people interactions more, you may not give space to someone who may well need it more than anything else at the moment.

Job searching is most often stressful. Knowing the breaking points, the frustrations and also the modes of restoration can make all the difference in sustaining your relationship with your candidates and the candidates themselves.

Photo by Erich Ferdinand