In recruitment activity equals results. Contingency based recruitment means that if you’re not careful you can be VERY busy but end up losing money as you chase down “placements”’ that have no chance of actually coming off. Having clear action plans are critical to focusing your efforts and working towards measurable results.

Step 1: Know where you want to be

All great leaders understand that if you don’t know where you’re going you could end up anywhere. Do you have a clear focus of what kind of recruitment you want to practice? The kind of clients and candidates you want to service? If not, now is the time to reassess and make some clear decisions.

Step 2: Be specific

Not only must your goal be specific, but you must also create a specific intention as well as very specific tasks or steps that will move you toward the completion of that goal. Assess the activities and actions that you need to perform in order to move towards your overall goals.

Step 3: Create measurable milestones

Once you have a clear picture of what you’re out to accomplish, as well as the targets you will need to hit throughout the specific period you’re measuring, the next step is to create measurable milestones. Of course ultimately placements are the key measure of success for recruiters but set up some interim milestones, such as CVs out to clients, interviews set up, etc, to track your progress.

Step 4: Make a list

Create a list and accompanying timeline of specific action items or tasks to complete in order to hit those milestones. Lists are great ways of keeping on track as well as visually reminding yourself of what needs to be done and/or how far you are in the process.

Step 5: Break large tasks into smaller, more manageable chunks. 

Some tasks or milestones may seem more daunting to achieve than others. That’s when it makes sense to break larger tasks down into sub-tasks or steps. For example, “source scarce skills” might be broken down into several sub-tasks, such as, scope task, search LinkedIn, contact network, etc.

Step 6: Assign deadlines

Without specific time frames and deadlines, work will definitely expand to fill the time allotted, and certain tasks may never get completed. An effective “To Do List” has clear timeframes that enable prioritisation and planning.

Step 7: Visualise your Goal

Once you’ve created your action items and set a specific timeline, the next step is to create some type of visual representation of your plan. You might use a flowchart, a Gantt chart, a spreadsheet, or some other type of business tool to accomplish this. This is particularly useful for individuals who better interpret and comprehend information in visual format.

Step 8: Acknowledge your accomplishments

Large tasks can be intimidating and overwhelming. Keep your positivity by acknowledging and recording your accomplishments. Why not utilise a highlighter when “crossing off” tasks on your To Do List that have been completed. Rather than the negative association with a strong black line, the use of coloured highlights helps to positively reinforce the items on the list that are finalised.

Step 9:  Work your plan and don’t stop until it’s complete. 

Once your plan is established take daily action and follow up with any other responsible parties to ensure that everyone is doing their part towards the overall goal. If you’re the only one responsible, set aside time at the beginning and end of each day to review your list and assess whether you’ve achieved the goals you’d hoped.

Step 10: Change the date if you must, but never give up on the goal. 

Occasionally, circumstances or unforeseen events can arise that throw a wrench in your ability to meet deadlines, complete tasks and achieve your goal.  This is especially true in recruitment when your ultimate goal – making placements – is dependent on the actions of at least two other people, the client and the candidate. If this happens, do not get discouraged – revise your plan and continue working to meet targets and move forward.

Herewith the complimentary digital edition of the November 2014 issue of “HR Future LITE”

To view the November 2014 issue of HR Future LITE, please CLICK HERE or on the cover below. To become an HR Future member and gain access to all the articles in the complete version of HR Future (R950 ex VAT for 12 months), email Chantal at chantal@hrfuture.net.

Boost creativity: Encourage outside-the-box thinking

The recruitment industry is tough and getting tougher by the day. It’s time to brainstorm and get your thinking cap on. Boost creativity in your business and invest in an afternoon of random thoughts (remember, nothing is too wacky and most of the best ideas start as completely manic!) and open discussion in an attempt to re-invent your business, your services and your value.

Before you can get down to creative thinking, make sure that you eliminate these creativity hurdles:

•  Heavy workloads

•  Tight deadlines

•  Red-tape (business processes)

•  Managers/Clients who are closed to new ideas

•  Limited budgets

Provide an environment that encourages entrepreneurial thinking and “different think”. Whilst you don’t have to accept (or implement) every idea that is presented, make sure that you listen to the idea, ask questions and actively consider it to see if it could make a positive difference.

Consider “time to market” in your planning. Rather implement a good idea quickly and see if it works. If it doesn’t, pull it quick and lose nothing. Waiting to see if someone else tries it will only defer your potential advantage but also ensure that you’re always seen as a follower not a trailblazer.

Opportunities for differentiation

Recruitment is recruitment....or is it? The labour market is the same for everyone – same access to clients, candidates and technology. So? How do you differentiate yourself in an otherwise crowded marketplace? Consider...

•   Different fee models – shift from contingency and traditional % on remuneration
•   Unbundling your services – think a la carte menu, not one price all you can eat buffet
•   Partnering with specialists in aligned services, such as HR, psychometrics etc.
•   Expertise due to specialisation
•   Individual, not company, focused services, such as payroll management

Employee engagement increases when individuals are asked to participate in discussions and feel that their opinions, input and suggestions are seriously considered. In addition to the potential of creating an entirely new way of marketing, service or product line or candidate attraction programme, a brainstorming idea will also lead to more engaged employees and a happier and more productive workplace.

9 Time Management Tips for Recruiters

Author: Gary Stauble is the Principal Consultant for The Recruiting Lab, a Coaching Company that assists Firm Owners and Solo Recruiters in generating more profit in less time. Visit his site for additional resources, www.therecruitinglab.com.

• Practice Single Tasking:

Batch your activities into segments such as marketing calls, recruiting calls etc. Do one type of activity at a time. This type of organised execution is a hallmark of high production.

Is it easy? Not at first. But, if you train yourself to do nothing but execute one type of call (marketing, recruiting etc.) during a calling hour, you’ll get out many more calls each day.

• Do not take incoming calls during a calling segment:

This takes discipline but will produce big results for you. Return calls after you finish each calling segment and after your planning session at 5pm. Exceptions would be for placement-sensitive issues only.

• Ask yourself, "What’s the fastest way to a send out?" In real estate, there are three things you must keep in mind when buying a home: location, location, location.

In recruiting, there are three things that lead to placements: send outs, send outs, and send outs.

Send outs (your candidate interviewed by your client) are more important than search assignments. An average send out to placement ratio is 1 out of 7. So if you just focused on getting 15 send outs per month, with a 1 out of 7 ratio, you’d be making 2 placements per month. With an average fee size of R25 000, you’d be over R175 000 in production.

• Do a little bit of each part of the business each day:

If you do some marketing, some recruiting, some sourcing, some closing each day, you’ll even out your production and sleep better at night. I heard this idea from Peter Leffkowitz when I started out as a recruiter and it’s made a huge impact in my ability to avoid the peaks and valleys of production.

• Do the closest activity to a placement first:

What could be simpler than this? When planning your day simply prioritise what’s closest to revenue. Usually the money oriented tasks involve these things: scheduling send outs, debriefing with clients or candidates after an interview, reference checks, closing issues etc.

These tasks are the first thing you should do each day and take priority over any other task regardless of what you’ve got down on your planner. Top producers have a laser-like focus on what leads to revenue.

• Plan each activity segment the night before:

You’ve heard this before but are you really doing it each day? I recommend planning for a full hour each day from 4-5pm. Hold all calls during your planning time.

• Execute marketing calls each day:

I suggest making between 5-25 calls each day. The amount you make depends on how close you are to "full capacity".

Full capacity for most contingency people is 5-10 "A" level contingency searches. For retained or engaged assignments, usually 3-4 search assignments would be determined as full capacity.

Think of your marketing calls the way you think of brushing your teeth; not the most exciting part of your day but it definitely pays off in the end and is a good thing to do early in the day.

• Print your plan:

Have a physical plan in front of you so you can cross things off. For most people, this will increase your investment in finishing your plan for the day as we are generally visual people and can execute what we “see” we need to do.

• Create a daily template for what time you will do each activity:

You must have a set schedule template in order to plan. See my example below:

An example of a daily schedule:

08:30-09:30 AM- Priority calls (prep/ debrief/ references/ offers etc.)    

09:30-11:00 AM- Marketing calls               

11:00-12:00 PM- Interview candidates   

12:00-01:00 PM- Lunch

01:00-01:30 PM- Sourcing/ Name Gathering       

01:30-04:00 PM- Recruiting        

04:00-05:00 PM- Planning

Attract Better Candidates

According to Careerbuilder.com, 77% of all candidates are open to new opportunities...providing these are presented well by recruiters. Their survey also showed that on average, candidates are using 16 different platforms to source jobs, working with recruiters, applying directly and networking to secure career development opportunities.

In a highly competitive marketplace how does your brand fair against those of your competitor recruiters and clients? Why would a candidate choose to work with you?





Be easy to do business with

How complex/tiresome is your application process? If it takes more than five minutes or a handful of fields to complete you’re at risk of losing their interest. This is particularly true of candidates you’ve headhunted and who may feel frustrated by administrative hoops you expect them to jump through.

Give candidates options to connect with you. Provide multiple channels of communication including telephone. Many skilled/senior candidates would like the chance to talk to you about the opportunity before deciding whether to apply. Consider who you might be missing if you insist on cumbersome application processes.

Think WIIFM

When creating a job advert or approaching someone via social media, think how your approach may be perceived by the candidate. What’s In It For Them?

What information would entice you to consider the job? Go beyond the duties and KPI. In most skilled occupations the daily tasks are the same, irrespective of where you work. The attraction to a new opportunity will likely be related to environment, career development prospect, flexible work hours, benefits or something beyond the “job” itself. Highlight the uniqueness of the opportunity and, if headhunting, do your research on the candidate to find out whether there is something about them personally (or their interest) that may be aligned to your client’s opportunity and that could be used as a push lever.

Recruiters, you need to think like marketers. Semantics matter! The words you choose and the way in which you describe things counts and can make all the difference in who you attract and who ultimately follows your call to action and applies.

Are you mobi-friendly?

51% of candidates globally use mobile devices to apply for jobs. And in South Africa (and Africa as a whole) the majority of people access the Internet using their mobile phone. Are your online platforms responsive and mobile compatible?

Consider how your adverts will appear on a phone screen. Do the online application forms work on a mobile device? Whilst checking your agency’s online platforms, also check that the suppliers you use, such as job portals, have also optimised their sites to give you the best chance of attracting great candidates.

Develop an ACTIVE network don’t just build a database

Too often recruiters simply begin the recruitment process with a new advert, aiming to source all new candidates. Why not review candidates from previous assignments and those on your “database”?

With the implementation of the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPI) database management becomes more complex. It may even be best to reduce your risk and associated administration but focusing on building an active network rather than a large cumbersome database. 

As a specialist or niche sector recruiter, nurturing a network of candidates will generate a far greater return on investment. Actively participate in industry-specific forums, groups and discussions. At the same time as learning from those in these circles, you get to grow your knowledge, share your experience and build a reputation as the “go to” recruiter in that industry.

Manage candidate expectation

Word of mouth is a powerful marketing tool. Ensure that every candidate that interacts with your brand has a positive experience, even if you’re unable to place them. Treat candidates with respect, provide feedback and manage their expectations. Great people are confident in referring others and this can assist you in building your reputation and driving good people to your door, hopefully exclusively as they choose to work with you only and not go into the open market.