I’ve been getting a lot of “What should I be doing?” questions lately. Now let me tell you that there are no easy answers to this question, but I can tell you one thing for certain.
About 95% of the recruiters I’ve talked to about this are still missing one of the most fundamental elements of correctly attacking their desks in this environment. They are not properly planning their work. So whether you’re a veteran recruiter, or trying to figure out how to start a recruitment agency that will thrive, let’s talk about your recruiter daily planner for a minute.
Recruiter Daily Planner – You’ve Got to Have a Plan
Below is a recruiter daily planning template including three things that recruiters MUST do for proper daily planning:
1. Force your number of daily OUTBOUND calls
You have zero chance of talking to the right people and the right number of people if those people don’t know you want to talk with them. You absolutely can’t be waiting; you’ve got to be driving. So you have to set a goal for outbound dials each day and then hit that goal! I would tell you at MINIMUM that goal should be no less than 75 calls in this market environment.
2. Set aside an OUTBOUND call block
You need at minimum two one and one-half hour blocks (90 minutes) on your recruiter daily planner each day where all you do is dial out to people you’re trying to reach with either business development or recruiting as your mission. Also, this is not the time to follow up about submitted candidates and call it “business development.” These are “I’m trying to get new business” types of calls. You should be able to get AT LEAST 60 calls made during this time. Then you just need to squeeze in that extra 15 calls somewhere else during your day.
3. Have your list together before you call
There is no way you will get these calls made if you’re taking the approach of “Dial the phone, then think about who to call next, then dial the phone, then think about who to call next, etc.” You will never get the right number of calls made if you don’t pre-plan these calls.
Start will this simple idea, and you’ll start to notice results within the first couple of weeks. Don’t let things happen . . . make things happen!
Another Tip for More Effective Recruiting
Now that you’ve got a plan for new business, you’ll need a deep pool of candidates to draw on. Top Echelon’s recruiting network can help you share split fee recruiting job orders and candidates with other go-getters who want to operate at an increased volume as well. Track and manage candidates with our recruiting software for a more streamlined process.
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(Greg Doersching is managing partner and founder of The Griffin Search Group, a national search firm working in the direct hire staffing industry. Recognized as one of the most cutting-edge voices in recruiting, Doersching has presented training sessions for the National Association of Personnel Services (NAPS); the American Staffing Association (ASA); and the Association of Canadian Search, Employment, and Staffing Services.)