As a recruiter, you have targets to hit, candidates to woo, and clients to onboard. At least, these are the tasks you should be focusing your time on. But, your to do list feels endless and there are only so many hours in a day. Those mundane, non-value added administrative activities still need to get done.
You already understand all this .. but you may still feel frustrated and mired in all those checklist items that continue to weigh you down. A poor workflow and lack of the right tools may be hampering your progress, so consider these productivity hacks to get things on track:
Break your workflow down into manageable pieces.
Time management is an essential skill for recruiters to master. “Well, duh,” you may say, “but how?!” Start by dividing your workflow into smaller chunks of actions and the time it will realistically take to complete them. Invest in an online productivity tool if it helps. One great way to cull the clutter of those seemingly countless tabs you always have open is to install a simple, free browser extension.
Automate tasks when possible.
Once you break down your process into smaller pieces, you can delegate some of that work to machines. You may want to start by automating your emails to help you focus only on the ones that really matter. This one simple step can save a significant number of hours per week.
Track time spent on activities.
It’s hard to improve your productivity if you don’t know which tasks are hurting it to begin with. Tracking your time can help greatly. There are a number of free and paid apps for this purpose or, if you prefer, go old school and use a pen and paper. Whatever method you choose, try it for a week or two and then review the results. You’ll see patterns emerge of certain jobs taking up a disproportionate amount of your workday, and you can make adjustments from there.
Eliminate distractions.
Unplug, turn off your notifications, and literally shut the door to your office when necessary. You can always set up an auto reply to let people know you’ll get back to them later. According to researchers at the University of California, it can take more than 23 minutes to return to an original task following an interruption. If you’re worried about missing an urgent message, add a little note to your email signature to set expectations and tell people how they can get your attention right away if it’s absolutely critical.
Leverage the right resources.
Talk with a career coach and/or use multiple resources, which are available to help you improve your time management and other recruitment tools and techniques. Take advantage of training programs, conferences, webinars and courses.
Helping recruiters excel and build their careers is our passion and number-one focus at Search Wizards. This includes honing your skills in time management and other critical areas. Contact us today for more ideas, resources and insights. Let’s talk!
