Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: It’s not about recruiting more, it’s about recruiting right. Sure, that’s all well and good as a philosophy, but it doesn’t offer much in the way of guidance. If you’re looking to increase your productivity and efficiency as a recruiter, there are some easy strategies you can embrace that will set you on that leaner, meaner path.
Get The Right Tools
Technology is the helper you need. Many aspects of recruiting still need that human touch and expertise, but many parts of the process are—let’s face it—either tedious or beyond our analytical skills. Automated tools and artificial intelligence platforms enable you to outsource parts of the process that require less handholding (like reviewing resumes during a first pass or scheduling candidate interviews), or that would be better served by advanced data analytics.
Be A Unitasker
Unitasking sounds counterintuitive in our email/phone call/chat/tweet society. Doing more things at once means being more productive, right? Not necessarily. Everyone thinks they’re a great multitasker, but according to Psychology Today research, only about 2% of people are truly able to multitask effectively. The odds of you or me being in that 2% are not great, so it’s time to rethink how we’re approaching our day-to-day work.
For better recruiting, focus more fully on the task at hand—particularly ones that have to do with candidates. Putting more targeted thought into what candidates are looking for and what they need will help you craft more effective outreach and get more (and better) people in the door.
Manage Social Media More Effectively
Whether personally or professionally, social media can be a major time suck. And it’s a fine line between being productive and making changes or reading links that won’t really achieve anything. This is one of those areas where you should consider automating your work. Apps can help you schedule posts and curate material, enabling you to spend less time poking around Twitter or Facebook.
Think Like A Marketer, Not A Recruiter
Potential candidates are an audience, and also kind of a customer. Having a mindset that prioritizes customer service alongside the needs of your organization can help you reach candidates better—especially passive ones. With low unemployment, the current market is candidate-driven, and this gives them more power and options than they might have otherwise.
As you build your recruiting plans, take the time to think about how to differentiate your messaging and brand from your competitors. Consider every step of your process from the candidate’s perspective, and think about what you can improve. Your employer brand may seem different from the customer-facing brand that your organization presents, but it’s essential to have that fleshed out so that anyone who comes to your site or clicks on your job posting gets a clear sense of why they should take that next career step with you.
Use The Resources You Already Have
Who knows your organization better than the people who already work there? Having a robust employee referral program can bring great candidates to you with a minimum of recruiting time and expense. Offering incentives or rewards, as well as having clear messaging to employees about how to refer potential candidates, can help you build a strong candidate pipeline to supplement your other recruitment.
There’s no special secret to recruiter productivity, but if you put focused time and energy into the right parts of the process, you’ll likely find that you’re spending less time doing pointless or frustrating tasks and more time on substantive recruiting work.