Staying Productive as a Recruiter

Things can change no matter what industry you're in, whether it's external economic changes or internal changes. When your hiring demands rise or fall, you can very easily find yourself overwhelmed with tasks or suddenly with much less to do. No matter what's happening for you right now, here are some tips to help you stay productive as a recruiter. Have a plan and use your calendar. Know the importance of having a plan in place if your recruitment or resourcing plan has changed as a recruiter, you can still plan your workload and prioritise what needs to get done. In fact, to be a successful recruiter, it's essential you plan your day and week to be as organised as possible to maximise your productivity and output. Take 30 minutes on a Sunday to plan out your week. Look at each day and what meetings or phone calls are already scheduled in your calendar. Pop those unscheduled calls and other items that you need to action into your diary. When it's in the calendar, it's much more likely to get done. Block time out each day to focus on getting your own tasks done as well as work tasks. Include time for exercise or breaks as these will help you to stay focused and productive again. Try to get into the habit of using your calendar to help you 2. Address the top priorities when hiring needs change, it's essential you get on top of the priorities that are most relevant for your hiring managers or clients. Communication is key. Reach out to them and ask them some of the following what are your hiring priorities right now? What roles are no longer critical or are not needed anymore? What areas are causing you the most pressure? How would you like me to support and help you? How would you like me to update you on the hiring process? What market intelligence would be helpful to you right now? Focus on the right things and get those done first. By asking your hiring managers and clients what their priorities are, you're more likely to stay focused on the business critical matters. 3. Add value. If you find, for whatever reason, that you have spare capacity, stay productive in other ways. Some ideas include gathering market intelligence for hiring managers or clients Researching market sectors to help source new talent Reaching out to candidates who are on hold or who withdrew from earlier assignments to check in and keep warm for potential future opportunities. Reconnecting with people in your network by sending them a short message on LinkedIn or a personal message. These relationships are essential as sources of market insight and names of potential referrals for current and future vacancies. Updating information on your ATS or CRM system that will be helpful to you or your colleagues in the future, writing some high quality blog content for your community and being seen to demonstrate value to them. Checking in with some of your recent hires or placed candidates. It's a good thing to do and can also be a great source of names for future hires. Number four Keep learning. Developing your skills and expertise on an ongoing basis will always serve you well. For many, that can involve on the job training, where you hone your skills as you become more proficient, but also seek out external sources of information and training. Be open to sharing knowledge with your colleagues and team. If someone in your team is really good at a specific task that would be of value to you, chat to them, ask them to show you their skill, and in turn show them some of your tips and tricks. Staying productive as a recruiter is always a challenge, especially when you're juggling competing demands. Stay focused on adding value and on what really matters, and if that means having to ask others in your business or external clients for their input, then do that. It's better to be aligned to what matters and deliver on that. They'll be busy doing stuff that's not going to make any real impact.