Opening up · Recruitemy Community

Opening up

Hey yall..

I’ve been in a spot where I was putting in a ton of effort helping build someone else’s company late nights, over-delivering, staying loyal and realized I wasn’t really building anything for myself. No equity, no long-term security, and not enough recognition or retention.

Here are a few mistakes I made and what I’ve been doing differently:

I kept thinking “they’ll see the value eventually,” and stuck around way too long without asking for what I was worth.

I wasn’t visible outside of that company—no personal brand, no audience, no backup plan. I’ve been slowly fixing that by showing up more consistently on LinkedIn and making my work public.

I also started saying no to unpaid extra tasks and low-priority projects that weren’t aligned with my goals. That freed up time to work on things that actually build something for me.

Most importantly, I’ve been shifting from “stay valuable to them” to “build leverage for myself.” Still helping people but now I’m more intentional about how and when I do it.

So... all that to say, if you’re a recruiter who’s great at building others’ businesses but not your own you’re not alone ... TRUST ME. The market’s tough right now, but it’s also full of opportunity if you set clearer boundaries, get visible, and stay focused. Happy to talk more with others if anyone else is working through the same. Take care :)

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