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Is Multitasking Good or Bad in Recruiting?

Jonathan Kidder

Every recruiter faces this dilemma on a daily basis: How should I effectively use my time throughout the day? Are you someone who puts time blocks on your calendar to focus on sourcing? When I first started in recruiting I did not plan out my daily duties I would just allow myself to jump from one thing to the next. From screening an applicant to scheduling an onsite interview loop. The day would just fly by and in some cases it think just too overwhelming to keep up with everything on my plate at that time. So, in general is Multitasking Good or Bad in Recruiting?

 

Multitasking was something that I was programmed to do during my recruitment agency days. Speed was the biggest outcome when it came to producing results. Whether it meant emailing a hiring manager back right away or dropping everything to respond to an interested applicant. The American Psychological Association recently did a study that concluded that switching frequently between tasks reduced productivity by overall 40%. Just by focusing on one single task you would significantly improve your productivity.

 

What I discovered from other recruiters on my team was that the best ones built daily and weekly routines into their day to day. This meant blocking out my calendar weeks in advance and preparing what I want to accomplish right when I got into the office. I would also wrap up my day by preparing for the next. Writing down what I wanted to finish etc.

 

“Pure & simple the best Recruiters always time block and set daily goals!”

 

I have concluded from my own personal observations that multitasking can become a time killer. Just by sticking to a daily routine I have saved so much time. Below are several ways of how I’ve reduced distractions throughout my day.

 

Here’s how to combat multitasking habits throughout your recruiting day:

 

1. Most important part of a recruiters day comes down to time management. You will need to stick to a plan whether that means blocking off calendar time slots or using the inbox-zero method. I’ve written about the top 5 time management methodologies (here).

 

2. I block off screening time for each applicant. I dedicate at least 20-30 minutes for taking screening calls. I usually book these out several days in advance. I wrote a post about automating your appointment  meetings with calendar apps (here).

 

3. A recruiter’s time is quite important. You probably don’t have extra time to manage your personal brand, social media accounts, building a pipeline, and keeping candidates warm. All these areas are important if you want to get to the next level. I’ve automated ALL my social media. I don’t have the extra time to retweet or update my LinkedIn status or other channels. I’ve automated my social media management and it’s helped tremendously. I’ve written a post about my top recruitment marketing automation tools that I’m addicted to (here).

 

4. Delegating tasks to different team members. If you have recruiting coordinator make sure to use them for scheduling out interviews and answering candidates questions. If you have a client lead or lead recruiter on your team let them handle the prepping calls etc. Let your team members do there job and don’t get involved if you don’t have to. 

 

5. Work on hitting your weekly metrics. If you’re goal is to do 10-15 screens per week and 1-3 solid submittals a week. Do everything you can to source and hit your goals. Stick to the basics. Don’t get distracted by external projects. I wrote an article about tracking your recruiting metrics (here). 

 

6. Take a lunch break every day. Don’t let the day fly by without taking a much needed break.

 

7. Invest time with your team members. Let this become a daily routine – make the rounds. Make sure you are adding value to your team. Even though recruiting in general is an independent mindset.

 

8. If an emergency happens drop everything and solely focus on resolving that conflict. If it continues to boil make sure to include in your manager for better direction.

 

9. Invest in your mental health! Hydrate, eat well, sleep. So basic, but so important. We simply cannot operate efficiently as humans if we are neglecting our bodies. I wrote a reflection piece about my recruiting year in 2019. It was good to reflect on my mental health and it’s impacts on my recruiting career (here). 

 

Multitasking is going to happen. You will need to organize your day in an effective manner in order to remain productive throughout your day. When I don’t plan out my schedule my day flies by and I usually end up going home with a major headache. If I take more than a dozen screens in a day I’m going home and sounding like a zombie.

 

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