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Careers in recruitment are fast paced and high pressured. Distractions are plentiful and so the rewards can be too.
As a recruiter, your focus is invaluable but also in demand – a client needs you to send those CVs - your manager is asking for your pipeline - you have an endless list of candidates to call and your teammates want you to go to lunch with them!
Hit pause now and reorder some basic parts of your day to improve your focus.
Every day before you head home, make a plan for the next day. Not a to-do list, but a full-blown breakdown of the day. Know in advance what you will be doing for each hour of the day. Have your call sheet ready. Block out your schedule for each task you have to complete.
Before you read on, have a look at your computer and count how many tabs and programmes you have open. If you are like most average office based workers you will have a minimum of 12 internet tabs and 5 different programmes open at any one time. You can’t possibly be using them all at once, even though you might not think so, they are pulling your focus.
Get rid of distractions as you soon as you complete a task. Checked your emails already? Close them and check back in later. Made your first lot of calls for the day? Turn off your phone and turn on your voicemail. Focus on one task at a time.
When you are reviewing job applications, don't over-read CVs. You only need 10 seconds to review them enough to know if they tick the right boxes. Pick up the phone quicker. Hesitate less and make the call there and then. By hesitating less, you will make more calls and qualify more candidates quicker.
The term “keystone habits” was coined by business reporter Charles Duhigg in his book The Power of Habit. Duhigg proposes that the key to understanding habit is the key to achieving success. He also believes that the development of good habits starts a chain effect that produces positive outcomes.
You can apply this theory easily to your working day by correcting any bad habits you have. This might include small habits like keeping your desk tidy or high stress habits like leaving things until the very last minute.
Do you know what your company is working towards? Do you know what you are working towards? If you answer no to either of those questions then find the answers asap.
By understanding what your company is working toward you will better understand your part in the plan to achieve their goal.
Knowing what you are working towards, what your personal motivation is, could be a game changer for your career. That clarity of ‘this is what I want’ will get you out of bed quicker in the morning than any alarm clock!
