I heard on the news last night that certain types of flowers are already blooming and spring is expected to arrive a couple weeks early this year. In lieu of that very comforting thought, it’s the perfect time to do some “spring cleaning”. I recently read a blog post by Greg Savage titled “Keeping it real. Six tactics for hard-core recruiters in 2012” and I think he’s on to something. It’s time to identify the things that keep us moving in the right direction and the things that we do because we are “supposed to” but are not yielding any positive results. I’ve included a few ideas below for you to get started on weeding out the “time-wasters” and “money-makers.”
1. Social Media
Take a thorough look at your social media efforts and ask yourself if the effort is paying off. If there are no clear pay-offs from your time spent posting, tweeting, and “friending” decide which efforts you can dump and which you can focus more narrowly on. As an example, you’ve been dedicated to posting relevant content religiously and trying to get your audience to engage through your Facebook page, but in all reality it’s just not happening – I say, don’t obsess about it and focus your time where positive results can be documented. Or, try a new way to get your audience involved. Social media is all about being creative. It never hurt to try something once (usually).
2. Clients
It might be beneficial for you to take a look at the clients you consistently cater to that for some reason have never been able to place one of your candidates. Don’t waste your time and energy on clients who are working with multiple recruiters or don’t work with you. You have the control in this situation and it doesn’t benefit you to keep an unproductive client in your portfolio.
3. Old-Fashioned Networking
As a Millennial, I am supposed to “believe” in the power of technology – and I do, most of the time. But when it comes to recruiting, there is no better way to build a relationship with a candidate or client than sitting down for a cup of coffee or having a lunch meeting. Personality and integrity will take you farther than any online social media tool and it’s important not to forget you have this valuable relationship building tool in your back pocket.
4. Know the Difference
“Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference (or something like that).” Don’t waste your time worrying about things that you can’t change (economy, talent shortage, European economy, election, etc.) To keep moving forward, you have to be able to work amidst all of these challenges and find success in the things that you can control.
5. Are You a Member of an Executive Search Network?
If so, try to work with a couple new split fee partners this year. Maybe you’ve been working with the same ones for a while, but it never hurt to step out of your comfort zone and build a relationship with someone new. If you are paying dues to a network but aren’t getting a good return on investment, or at least your dues worth, it might be time to either find a new network or restructure your work-style within the network.
Hopefully this gets you thinking about how you are going to de-clutter your business and stay focused on the activities that produce results. What are some things you’ve decided to focus less or focus more on in 2012?