And, if you work in recruitment, it can also be the time when you start thinking a little more about yourself:
How has this year actually gone?
Are you still enjoying what you’re doing?
Are you where you thought you’d be by now?
And do you want to be doing exactly the same thing this time next year?
I have these conversations with recruiters all the time, and September definitely seems to bring a few more of them.
There Doesn't Have to Be Anything Wrong
One thing I always say to people is that you don’t need to hate your job before you’re allowed to think about moving.
Quite the opposite.
Some of the recruiters I speak to are doing really well. They’re earning good money, they like their colleagues and, on paper, everything is fine. But there’s still that little niggle.
Maybe they’ve been promised progression that hasn’t quite happened. Maybe they’re wondering whether they’ve outgrown their current business. Maybe they want to manage a team, move into a different market or simply see what else is out there.
Sometimes they can’t even put their finger on it. They just know they’re ready for something different. And that’s absolutely fine.
A career move doesn’t always need to come from a big falling out or a terrible month at work. Sometimes you just get that feeling that it might be time.
Recruitment Has Changed, and So Have Recruiters
I’ve been around recruitment for a long time, and one of the nicest parts of what I do is seeing people’s careers develop.
There are people in my network who I first knew as consultants who are now directors and business owners. Others have moved sectors, built teams, stepped into leadership or decided that actually, management wasn’t for them and they’d rather concentrate on being brilliant recruiters.
There isn’t one route to being successful in recruitment.
We talked about this recently in our blog about whether the traditional big biller model is still the right measure of recruitment success.
Because success looks different for different people. For one recruiter, it might be earning as much as possible. For another, it could be building and mentoring a team. Someone else might want more flexibility, a better culture, more autonomy or simply a job they enjoy coming into every morning.
What mattered to you five years ago might not be what matters to you now. And that’s worth recognising.
Be Honest About What You Actually Want
Before you start scrolling through job adverts, I’d always suggest taking a little bit of time to think about what would genuinely make you move. Not what sounds impressive and not what you think you should want.
So, ask yourself these questions: What would actually make your working life better?
Is it…
More money?
A better commission structure?
More flexibility?
A leadership opportunity?
A different market?
A stronger team around you?
Better training?
More autonomy?
Or perhaps you just need to feel excited about recruitment again.
There are plenty of recruitment businesses out there, but that doesn’t mean every business is going to suit every recruiter.
A good move is about finding the right fit.
And Sometimes the Best Advice Is to Stay Put
This might sound strange coming from Rec2Rec, but sometimes I tell people not to move.
If you’ve built a good reputation, you’re valued, you’re earning well and there is still plenty of opportunity where you are, the grass isn’t automatically going to be greener somewhere else.
That’s why I think having a conversation before making any decisions can be so useful.
I know a lot of recruitment businesses and a lot of recruiters, particularly across Yorkshire, and over the years you get a pretty good feel for different cultures, personalities and environments. That network matters.
A job description can tell you what somebody wants you to do. It can’t always tell you what it’s actually like to work there. And for me, that’s a big part of Rec2Rec. It isn’t just sending somebody three vacancies and asking which one they fancy.
It’s knowing the person, knowing the businesses and hopefully being able to spot where the two will genuinely work well together.
So, Is September Your Fresh Start?
Maybe.
Or maybe it just gets you thinking.
Either way, I think this time of year is a really good opportunity to take stock.
There are still a few months left of 2026, so ask yourself what you’d like to have changed by the time January comes around.
If you’re completely happy where you are, brilliant. But if you’ve got that little feeling that there might be something else out there, give me a call.
You don’t need to have made a decision. You don’t need your CV ready. And I certainly won’t try to talk you into leaving a perfectly good job.
We can just have a chat. That’s usually the best place to start.
Find out more about our Rec2Rec recruitment or get in touch with me for a confidential conversation.