😔 My Candidate Felt Helpless And I’ve Been There Too

This morning, I was sipping coffee and reading when I bumped into a former candidate.

She told me she was on leave.

I asked, “Then why are you in Central at 8am?”

Her answer hit me hard:

“I’m mentally burnt out. I stayed overnight at a 24/7 gym just to avoid work and family.”

That moment reminded me of a concept I’ve come to understand deeply:

- Learned helplessness

It is when someone stops trying to change a negative situation after repeated failures.

It brought me back to a tough chapter in my own career.

Two years ago, I was in the office every day from 9 to 6, making client calls nonstop.

I made around 50 calls a day but it was all rejections.

Rejection after rejection for 90 consecutive days

Three months of trying, no progress.

I felt stuck. Defeated. Helpless.

I was thinking of quitting my job and recruitment.

So I told her not to be too hard on herself.

Burnout, if left unchecked, can spiral into depression.

Instead, I encouraged her to focus on something she can control such as exercise.

Gymming is one of the few things in life where effort = visible results.

You show up, you lift, you grow.

Recruitment is the same.

🎢 There are ups and downs.

Last quarter was great.

This one? Slow.

How about next year? I never know

I shared my own struggles with her.

Not to compare, but to connect.

🙏 We’re in this together.

And sometimes, the strongest thing we can do is keep showing up until we find a better solution!

PS: If you’re job hunting today, feel free to check out my guides on:

📝 Fixing Your CV & LinkedIn in 1 Day

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