5 New Year’s Resolutions for Every Recruiter (that you can actually keep)

Before you hit the “back” button on your browser, hear us out.
Yes we know what you are thinking – how many of us actually keep our resolutions. Research has shown that only eight percent of people actually achieve them so are they even worth making?
The answer is yes of course! Setting goals and achieving them is an important part of succeeding in whatever that you do. American businessman and actor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, is a prolific goal setter himself and he would write his objectives on index cards at the start of every year and he was a millionaire by 30, way before his career in Hollywood.
[bctt tweet=”Research has shown that only 8% of people actually achieve their resolutions. Are you one of them?” username=”ATCevent”]
So don’t worry – we are not here to make you feel guilty about the extra kilos you had put on during the past year or the unhealthy amount of time you had spent on your mobile phones. We are here to share with you some recruiter resolutions (a.k.a. best practices) that are easy to stick to and that could set you on your way to sourcing success in 2017:

I’ll apply for a job at my company AND at some of my competitors to test and benchmark our candidate experience.

You might think that you already have a wonderful candidate application process in place, but it does not hurt to give it a “stress test” every once in a while. It helps you identify any kinks and allows you to spot any areas in need of improvement. Get a few trusted buddies to try out the process too – fresh pairs of eyes are always helpful. It is important to keep up with the market and be able to offer a process that is competitive in order to avoid facing a decrease in quality of candidates.

I will get back to my candidates and not leave them hanging.

We know it gets busy, especially when you are juggling multiple candidates for various positions. We know it gets even more stressful when you have a deadline looming and you are just about one step away from meeting your personal targets.
However, many candidates would agree that a simple short note to say they have not been selected is much better than hearing nothing at all. Most candidates will appreciate a follow up even if it is news they do not want to hear. Treating your candidates like actual people and showing them that you care will enable you to build your personal brand and help set you up for future successes.
The CandE Awards website is a useful resource that provides strategies on how you can improve your candidate experience – check it out.

I will personalise my communications with candidates.

It is time consuming to personalise your messages – we get it. You feel like it is easier to just spray and pray, somebody will eventually get back to you – we totally understand.
However, we can guarantee you that the return of investment is much better if you actually take the time to craft a personalised message to your candidates. Talented candidates are usually highly sought after (they are also the people you are looking for, right?) and you can bet they receive tonnes of messages every day. Personalising your messages will increase your chances of cutting through the clutter and getting through to them.
[bctt tweet=”When was the last time you did a stress test on your candidate application process? ” username=”ATCevent”]

 I will keep up with the latest trends in the recruitment/talent management space.

Start following recruitment blogs and news to stay in tuned with what is happening around the industry. These are exciting times for everyone involved in recruitment and talent management and if you haven’t heard, the recent chatter coming out from the US is all about artificial intelligence, automation, chat bots and deep learning tools. These technologies could very well be on their way to our shores soon and it is definitely time to start preparing and thinking about how they could potentially affect your work.

I shall aim to stay relevant and invest in myself by attending conferences, workshops, training sessions.

According to Dr. Stephen Covey, one of the habits of highly effectively people is the way they continuously “sharpen the saw“. This refers to the process of “preserving and enhancing the greatest asset you have – you”.
Treat yourself better this 2017. Attending conferences, workshops and seminars are great ways to learn and improve your recruitment and talent management skills. It is also a good opportunity to get away from the daily grind and allow you to engage with your fellow peers and industry leaders to learn more about their work. You might pick up one or two useful recruitment tips from them!
So will 2017 be the year you join the elite eight percent?
Images: Shutterstock


Treat yourself better. Set yourself up for a great year of sourcing ahead by checking out our upcoming Sourcing Social Talent conference:
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