How to Conquer Burnout and Overwhelm for Recruitment Entrepreneurs, with Tina Hazlett, Ep #188

The Resilient Recruiter

Recruitment entrepreneurship can be immensely rewarding, but also brings the risk of burnout and overwhelm. New entrepreneurs can be vulnerable to workaholism, which can lead to negative consequences on physical and mental health, as well as personal relationships. We need to recognize the signs of workaholism and take steps to maintain a healthy work-life balance

My special guest, Tina Hazlett, founder of Spectrum Recruiting Solutions, shares her tips for success while maintaining a work-life balance. She gave at least four intentional steps that she took to overcome burnout, and I am sure you will find value in exploring the same steps.

Tina also shared the journey of how she transitioned from being a recruiter to a business owner, and how she navigated unpredictable market conditions. She also walked me through her advocacy of addressing the gender gap in her industry, and the steps they took to be successful in taking small steps forwards.

Tina has 22 years of experience in recruitment and started her own firm, Spectrum Recruiting Solutions, in 2018. They’ve since grown to a team of 14, based in the Salt Lake City area, Spectrum supports engineering and manufacturing companies in Utah through a combination of Direct-hire recruitment, RPO, and Consulting.

Episode Outline and Highlights

• [01:30] Tina Shares the Beginnings of Her Career in Recruitment.

• [03:57] Tina's One-Year Sabbatical Journey Before Launching Her Recruitment Firm.

• [10:33] Envisioning a Business Founded on Inclusivity and Remote Work Opportunities.

• [15:59] Addressing the Challenge of Hiring and Training Individuals Without Recruiting Experience

• [17:54] Tina's Four Steps to Overcoming Burnout as a New Entrepreneur.

• [24:34] The Evolution of Team Growth Throughout Tina's Entrepreneurial Journey.

• [28:30] Cultivating Camaraderie in a Remote Work Environment.

• [29:42] Discussing Gender Balance and Diversity in Utah's Engineering Industry.

• [37:00] Navigating Challenges in an Unconventional Market.

• [40:56] Insights into Tina's Business Development Strategies.

• [48:20] Establishing Career Paths and Succession Plans for the Team.

• [49:20] Tina's Approach to Transforming Solid Planning into Effective Execution.

• [51:48] Recognizing the Right Time to Expand and Grow Your Team.

Overcoming Burnout as a New Entrepreneur

New entrepreneurs can be vulnerable to workaholism for various reasons: passion and drive, new responsibilities, and adjusting to the learning curve of managing a new business. This was exactly how Tina felt when she founded Spectrum.

“If I'm being very honest about a couple years into starting spectrum, I hit a wall and I hit it hard and was so super burned out. And there was about at least a three-week period that I struggled to get out of bed. I was so tired.”

If you are feeling the same way, do not just ignore it. Workaholism leading to burnout can have many negative consequences. Tina was well aware of this fact, so she took action in order to build herself back up. We discussed the four steps she took to overcome overwhelm:

• Realigning her priorities and making the most of her support system.

• She took concrete steps like scheduling dedicated family time on her calendar

• Creating a space for herself to take care of her mental health by doing yoga.

• Walking away from adversarial clients.

Gender Balance and Diversity Within the Engineering & Manufacturing Field in Utah

Tina talked me through her advocacy when she was planning to launch her recruitment firm. She said, “We really struggle in terms of our reputation and women's rights. That's one thing that I really wanted to promote. Where we focus on engineering and manufacturing in Utah, there's not a ton of representation for females out here, especially when it comes to equality, politically and professionally. Our goal was to really make sure women have a seat at the table.”

Her team took intentional steps to reach their objectives. They created channel partnerships and pipelines of candidates. They go beyond social media platforms through face-to-face networking. She elaborated on how they would align with a group with similar mission and values for mutual support. This resulted in having females in 41% of their placement, which is an astonishing feat in their industry.

Business Development Strategies

We also discussed Tina’s most influential business development strategy. How are they able to develop their client base? She explains, “Through a lot of our networking events is our number one way to do it where we can get in front of people. For example, we just did a hosted roundtable with the Utah Outdoor Association which does a lot of product development for outdoors like kayaks, canoes, tables, and that type of thing. So if we can get in and present, be the experts, be that resource, then we have people coming to us with questions that evolve into those strategic conversations. And what's been the most successful for us is getting that FaceTime. We're not cold callers.”

This strategy of hosting and speaking at events builds the credibility of Tina and her team. This gives them the opportunity to have a consultative approach instead of just selling.

Our Sponsors

This podcast is proudly sponsored by i-intro

i-intro® is an end-to-end retained recruitment platform. Their technology and methodology allow recruiters to differentiate themselves from the competition, win more retained business, bigger fees, and increase their billings. Their software combined with world-class training enables you to transition from transactional, contingency recruiter to consultative, retained recruiter. Instead of being perceived as a “me too” vendor, you’ll be positioned as a “me only” solutions provider. Be sure to mention Mark Whitby or The Resilient Recruiter. Book your free, no-obligation consultation here: https://recruitmentcoach.com/retained

Tina Hazlett Bio and Contact Info

Tina started Spectrum Recruiting Solutions in 2018 after serving 17 years in the Talent Acquisition industry. A professional sabbatical and personal desire to travel helped to provide the mental space she needed to create her vision of the ideal Talent Acquisition Firm. She and her entire family spent a full year traveling across the United States in a Winnebago, on purpose. She fulfilled her soul as well as her contractual non-compete agreement.

With sheer determination and a dream, she built a successful recruiting, consulting & outplacement company that is thriving today. Amongst historic levels of economic uncertainty and geopolitical turmoil, she began a recruiting revolution!

When she’s not putting her blood, sweat, and tears into Spectrum, she is active in the community fighting for gender pay equality and managing her family's annual "Backpack Project" which provides basic necessities to underprivileged kids within our community. Somehow Tina still finds time to continue exploring her soul and her world, traveling, hiking, biking, teaching yoga, and living life to the absolute fullest with her AMAZING family.

• Tina on LinkedIn

• Spectrum Recruiting Solutions website link

• Spectrum on Facebook

• Spectrum on Instagram

• Spectrum on YouTube

• Spectrum on Twitter

People and Resources Mentioned

• Foram Brown on LinkedIn

• Emily Rushton on LinkedIn

Connect with Mark Whitby

• Get your FREE 30-minute strategy call

• Mark on LinkedIn

• Mark on Twitter: @MarkWhitby

• Mark on Facebook

• Mark on Instagram: @RecruitmentCoach

Related Podcast You Might Enjoy

• TRR#155 How to Grow a Recruitment Agency from Start-Up to $3M Profit in Two Years, with Emily Rushton

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