Recruiters typically have full days, with plate spinning and priorities to juggle galore. Without some well thought out and aptly managed house-keeping it won’t take long before the House of Cards comes tumbling down. If you’re not up to scratch as a Recruiter there’s always another waiting in the wings, so it matters that you’re on the game and proactive at being successful. So how do the most successful recruiters ensure they keep their house ship shape and spick and span? We’ve compiled our favourite recruitment tips below to get you started.
The Early Bird Catches the Worm
There’s a good reason this article is about what smart recruiters do in the morning. Simply put, utilising the time before work and before the rest of your office has had their morning caffeine shot is the key to giving you the edge for success.
Early rising is a common trait found among the vast majority of successful people from politicians, including prime ministers and presidents, to entrepreneurs. You may not think much of Maggie Thatcher’s politics, but the Iron Lady was an early bird and there’s no doubting she got things done with focus and determination. Successful characters are known for their dawn-raids giving them a head start over the later sleepers.
Morning people are more proactive and, essentially, more productive. By carefully having a Morning Plan of Attack, you can become a smart recruiter by employing these top five good house-keeping for recruiters tips. So before you press snooze again and turn over for another 15 minutes’ slumber, think wisely about how this morning slot could make or break you as a successful recruiter.
#1 – Plan, Plan, Plan
By using the lull before the storm to make a map of your day, a detailed plan, you can take some of the thunder out of the storm itself when it hits. By making a daily plan and using it to keep on track throughout the day means you are more likely to realise your goals. Reflection is easier first thing in the morning after a good night’s sleep, so one of your first priorities of the morning should be to reflect on what needs doing, work out your recruitment priorities, and make the most of the uninterrupted problem-solving time.
Importantly, you need to commit the plan to paper (or the electronic equivalent!) that can serve as both a checklist and a motivational tool. If you haven’t got one already, consider using a free app like Any.do to help you organise and manage your day. Advance organisation cuts wasted time later on. Don’t forget to plan in breaks – well-rested recruiters are better recruiters.
#2 – Make Your Day Top Heavy
When making your map of the day using your Early Bird time, make sure you load tasks and actions into your schedule in a top-down way. Make sure the meatier, harder tasks are up there at the start of the day. Why? Because by getting the hardest tasks done first you use the best of yourself for the trickiest elements of your job. Additionally, it doesn’t loom over you giving you a sense of doom to you for the whole day. And, last but not least, tough tasks are guilty of being procrastination generators.
It’s amazing how much time you can ‘waste’ in a bid to avoid the real task. Therefore, if you’ve got a tricky customer to call, or a report to write, schedule it in for first thing on your list. This means that as your day goes on you are rewarded with the easier and more mindless tasks when you don’t necessarily need to be at optimal best.
#3 – Visualisation
Entrepreneur.com assert that all the most successful Entrepreneurs have one trait in common: visualisation. By focussing on and seeing yourself achieving your goals, you are more likely to actually achieve them. By taking a cheeky 10 minutes to hone your visualisation skills, you are actively driving your success. There’s nothing “woo” about it if it means you have the cutting edge. For handy tips on how to get started with visualisation techniques check out these ideas.
#4 – Stay Ahead of the Game
When you work in Recruitment life gets a tad full. It’s easy to spend all your time on the minutiae of individual jobs and necessary fire-fighting and the endless tennis game of communications and lose sight of the bigger picture of your industry. For successful recruiters, it is essential to spend a short part of your morning routine keeping abreast of your industry. Read articles and news pertaining to your business so that you can follow and predict trends.
Winning and influencing people, which is essentially the prime aim of Recruitment, requires knowledge and information that can be rapidly out of date if you don’t stay ahead of the game. Additionally, nurture and spend time on mentor relationships, enabling you to learn from the best of the best. Lifehack believe another trait in common among successful people is having and utilising mentor relationships.
#5 – Be Social
Finally, part of your Early Bird Catches The Worm approach should include making time for your Social Media body scan, as well as analysing job boards and client websites to find out information but also to show your visibility and presence. By connecting and reconnecting with your network you build the links to take you from a good recruiter to an excellent recruiter.
Game On
Smart Recruiters know that by taking a little time first thing every day, for a spot of house-keeping following the above tips, then their day will flow more productively and success will follow as a natural by-product. The difference between average and able is the ability to approach the day with planning, purpose and being on the second lap whilst your competitors are still on their starting blocks. Be proactive with your day, not reactive, and you’ll have those plates spinning in sync in no time…and a solid house of cards that won’t fall the minute a new candidate so much as breathes in your direction.
