Behind the Scenes of Recruitment: The Emotional Toll

At The Animal People Recruitment, we love what we do — helping people find meaningful work in industries that care for animals and the planet. We take a deeply consultative approach. That means we truly get to know our candidates: their goals, their motivations, their fears. They trust us with their future, and that means we hear everything. Sometimes beautiful things. Sometimes heartbreaking things.

But in the spirit of Halloween, we’re lifting the lid on something truly spooky scary — and no, we’re not talking about ghosts, ghouls, or pumpkin-spiced everything. We’re talking about the hidden emotional toll of working in recruitment.

When our founder, Chris entered the industry 14 years ago, his biggest fear was the stereotype we all hear about:

Long hours. KPI obsession. Burn-and-churn sales culture.

Chris says,

“While many people experience that stereotype, I was fortunate not to start my career in that type of environment. But even in a supportive, values-driven agency setting, I quickly discovered something people rarely speak about… Recruitment can take a real toll on mental health.  The hardest part? Not the targets. Not the competition. Not the workload. It’s the human stories.”

🧠 Recruitment & Mental Health: The Unseen Struggle

We work closely with candidates — not just reviewing CVs, but understanding their goals, motivations, and fears.

That means we hear it all:

• Stories of redundancy

• The aftermath of toxic workplaces

• The stress of job insecurity

• The heartbreak of being misled

A job isn’t just a job. It’s identity, stability, and the way people care for their families. When someone shares their story with us, we carry that with us — and it’s not always easy.

📉 The Stats Speak Volumes

• In 2022/23 there were an estimated 875,000 workers suffering from work-related stress, depression or anxiety, causing around 17.1 million working days lost. Mental Health Foundation

• Around 1 in 5 UK workers reported feeling unable to manage stress and pressure in their workplace. MHFA Portal

• Only 14% of employees feel comfortable discussing their mental health at work. Stribe

• The cost to UK businesses of poor workplace mental health is approximately £56 billion annually. spill.chat

When you’re in recruitment, these aren’t just numbers — they’re daily conversations.

👀 We See the Dark Side of Workplaces too

We hear the real stories behind the CVs:

• Bullying and discrimination

• Being overlooked or undervalued



• Lack of support or progression

These aren’t just red flags — they’re warning signs that something’s broken. We take that seriously when advising both candidates and employers. And because we care deeply about the people we work with, we absorb a lot of that emotion too.

👻 And Then There’s… Ghosting

Let’s talk about the ghosts in the world of recruitment.

Ghosting is one of the most frustrating — and unfortunately common — parts of recruitment. And it goes both ways.

• A poll found the majority (≈ 92%) of people have been ghosted during the job application process by hirers. People Management

• More than a quarter (27%) of UK employers reported that new starters failed to turn up on their first day. CIPD

• Up to 56% of UK employers admitted to ghosting job applicants. Onrec

• One source indicates that 6 in 10 job seekers (≈ 61%) said they’d been ghosted after a job interview. UNLEASH

Imagine investing hours into a role, preparing a candidate, aligning with a client — and then… silence.

It’s not just unprofessional, it affects our sense of being valued, of being a partner, of being human.

🤝 Recruitment Should Be a Partnership

The best outcomes happen when recruitment is a collaboration, not a transaction or a power dynamic.

When clients value our insights into the industry.
When candidates communicate openly.
When there is mutual respect for the process and the people in it.

We know these industries. We know their heartbeat. We know what candidates value today — and how to position businesses to secure the talent they want.

Done right, recruitment is powerful.
Done wrong? That’s when the ghosts come out.

🪄 Be kind. Communicate. Choose your partners wisely.

At The Animal People Recruitment, we don’t just recruit — we educate, we advocate, and we raise awareness. Because understanding the human side of hiring is super important.

Our message this Halloween? Simple.

• Treat people how you’d want to be treated.

• Don’t ghost — communicate.

• Partner with recruiters who truly understand you.

• And if your recruiter isn’t supporting you, guiding you and advocating for you… find one who will.

Recruitment isn’t just filling roles.
It’s changing lives.
It’s supporting industries we love.
And for us, it’s helping the people who help animals.

We’re all just doing our best out here — let’s make it a little less frightening for everyone.

Happy Halloween — and please, no more ghosts. 👻