Posted on Mon, Apr 09, 2012
As I start my Monday morning with a cup coffee and an inbox full of emails I start to wonder how I am ever going to get through everything that the day is presenting me with.
As a recruiter finding top talent and building client relationships is very important. I’ve also found that it is very important for Recruiters to be experienced, savvy and exceptional planners.
A question I have asked myself is how do I get there? How do I start my day prepared and ready to take on the challenges that are waiting for me?
From my own experience in being a part of the recruiting industry, and from working with very talented individuals, I have a learned quite a few planning tricks to help me stay ahead of the curve so I can keep my eye focused on finding top talent for my clients.
1. Use your Outlook Calendar. Recruiters have a lot of meetings. It helps to block out time Monday morning and Friday afternoon to plan for your week and the upcoming week. You can also color code everything in your calendar, which helps you see what is urgent vs. a standard meeting. All of my urgent projects and meetings I color code in red, all of my scheduled prescreening of candidates are in blue, etc.
2. Use Outlook as a tool. Create folders and sub-folders in your inbox to help organize and manage the amount of emails you have coming through. I personally keep all emails in my inbox that I need to respond to, and I color code them by importance. Once I have completed the task I then move the email into the appropriate folder. I have worked with Recruiters that schedule reminders, which is helpful as well. It is truly a matter of preference, but it is vital to use your outlook as a tool.
3. Create a List. Lists are no longer just for grocery shopping or errands on the weekend. It is important to know what you have going on week to week, what needs to be done, and when it needs to be done. I personally rely heavily on my outlook calendar for this, but I also keep a separate word document ‘To Do List’ open at all times on my computer. I break it down into a few categories – what is due today, what is not as urgent but due during the week, and miscellaneous items. The miscellaneous items group is very important, because someone may ask you to do something during a phone conversation and you are able to jot the task down quickly and go back to it later.
4. Become an expert at using your applicant tracking system. This tool is specifically built to benefit you in your role. Continue to learn outside of just understanding the basics. Schedule a meeting with other recruiters to understand ‘best practices’ or unique features in the ATS system you are using for your client. Learn how to run reports to better support your recruiting strategies for each position you work on. Always remember to use this tool to its full advantage.
There are so many ways to stay organized with all of the technology today, and as a Recruiter is it important to embrace this in order to stay ahead of the curve. Without planning it is impossible to reach goals. Ask your colleagues what they do and what tools they use to plan out their week, and create a strategy that works best for you.
This quote caught my attention and is something that is worth sharing, “For every minute spent in organizing an hour is earned.” – Anonymous. By planning ahead I cannot promise that you will still not be asking for more hours in the day, but I can promise you that you will stay on top of deadlines and feel pro-active in your approach.
What planning tools do you use to help organize your calendar and to do lists?
What tips do you have that might help other recruiters organize their day so they can keep their eye on the important goal of finding top talent?
Post contributed by Michele CapraConnect with me on LinkedIn
