I am a huge advocate of running an efficient desk and process. The way I see it, the more efficient the process and the more efficiently I can run that process, the greater my work product output. In a sense, the easier it is to do a job, the more we're going to accomplish.
Have you ever had that co-worker who always seemed to be able to do twice the amount you could, and they never even broke a sweat doing it? I have, and I hated it. Many of us hold ourselves to a high standard when it comes to what we achieve each day. Now that could be making the bed, loading the dishwasher and taking out the trash, or hiring that director of operations candidate who's been eluding capture for the past six months. Whatever needs achieving that day, great or small, we hold ourselves accountable for achieving it.
If you're feeling like you need to step it up so you aren't left in the dust at work, you're not alone. In recruiting, as in many other fields, efficiency is key. And sometimes, that means changing up traditional methods of doing things to discover how new technology can help you meet your goals.
Phone Screens
These things used to take me forever to complete. And I’m not complaining — phone screens are an essential step in the recruitment process. Recruiters must talk to candidates before submitting them to hiring managers, otherwise you will not be sending the right candidates. But if you have 40 phone screens to complete and spend an average of 30 minutes per call, how do you speed this up yet maintain the level of screening on each call? I found a formula that changed my workflow.
The first tool is an automated phone screen. There are many different styles out there, so you'll have to explore what works best for you. Essentially, there are platforms that automate the phone screen scheduling and, to a degree, the conversation. This does not take the human presence out of the equation completely, which addresses a common fear I hear about recruiting technology. But it can speed up the process and the time you spend on phone screening, while continuing to provide the same amount of data needed to properly screen candidates. Any recruiter looking for more efficiency and hoping to make the mundane exciting would benefit from this technology.
I like an app called Qualifi for automating phone screens, and in addition to or as a first step in automating this process, I recommend Calendly for sending invitations for a phone screen. The candidate can schedule a time based on calendar preferences. These are just two of the various platforms that help simplify and streamline this essential task for recruiters.
Taking Notes
The act of taking notes during a meeting or interview is inarguably helpful — no problems, except when you wind up with a million notes from the eight meetings you attended on Monday alone. What did you do with those papers? Where do they go? How do you find that one little yellow square piece of heaven that was hanging on the computer screen but somehow vanished?
While some will always argue in favor of taking notes longhand, there are software programs out there that are great for taking notes, whether you use a laptop, tablet or smartphone — the notes sync to your account so you can access them anywhere and at any time. A great advantage of using technology for note-taking is that you can add another layer of management by creating categories or labels. Whether you categorize by date, color, event, location or virtually any other option, this will drastically create more efficiencies in your day by cutting down the time you spend searching for important reminders.
I like Microsoft OneNote and also recommend Evernote, though research will show you countless options. You can take notes everywhere and find what you are looking for faster, and you'll never forget again.
Becoming more efficient at work, in life or at anything, really, takes time and the willingness to try new things. If you fear change, then maybe that’s why that co-worker is running circles around you. If you fear change, then how would you ever know there was an easier way to do a task that could give you so much more time back in your day?
If you fear change, I understand. I used to as well. But when I saw that by trying something new I might become more efficient at what I do, the fear of failing went away. Because what happens if you fail? You try something else. What happens if that fails? Then you try something else. And you keep repeating this process until you find what you are looking for. Never give up on trying new things, because it will introduce you to a world of opportunities.
