When I first started in recruitment, there were so many moving pieces that I wasn’t sure how I was ever going to get anything done without feeling frazzled and like I was forgetting something. Over the years, I’ve learned what really helps me and I wanted to share my tips for managing your workload and getting everything done!

Prioritize Openings

However your organization does it – by level of position, criticality to products going out the door, etc. – prioritize your workload. Most recruiters are working on 40 requisitions on average and you can’t work on everything everyday, so find a way to prioritize.

Make a Schedule and Stick to It

Going into your day not knowing what it’s going to look like is really stressful. Schedule out your day how it best works for you. Two or three days a week, I book completely solid with interviews. I do back-to-back phone or in-person interviews, leaving a few half hour gaps to glance at emails. For me, once I get in the groove of doing something, I like to keep going.

The days in between the interview days look something like this: When I first start my work day, I check emails (and respond if needed) from the evening before. I follow up with any clients/hiring managers I’m waiting for feedback from. If any of my interviews from the day before were a success, I put together resumes and interview notes into submittals for my clients and hiring managers. I go through any applications late in the morning and set up my  interviews for the coming days. On the lunch hour, I passive source and send messages. I also do this later in the day around 4 and 5 PM. I know those are the times I check my phone and LinkedIn, and other people are too! After lunch I check email again and set up any in-person interviews with my hiring managers. The rest of the afternoon I like to leave open for meetings with my team, intake meetings with new clients, touch-base meetings with existing clients, negotiating offers, etc.

The Extras

Make to-do lists, daily priority/goal lists, calendar reminders, etc! Of course things are bound to change, so make sure you have a method to record things on the fly if you get interrupted. As a recruiter, you may do other tasks as well like processing background checks, making business development calls, or participating on company committees, so the schedule frequently changes. Some structure is helpful, and knowing what works for you will help you feel more productive. To get the most out of your day, you want to spend less time making decisions, and having a plan helps with that!