Does your to-do list get longer and longer every day? For growing companies, the hiring and recruiting tasks that are essential to finding the right talent seem like a never-ending list of to-dos. That’s why we’re always on the lookout for helpful tips and new ideas to increase productivity and empower you to get those essential things done.
LinkedIn is also on a mission to help professionals take productivity to a new level. In January, LinkedIn collected productivity hacks from at least 60 of the platform’s most influential users, from leading entrepreneurs to CEOs to technology gurus. We culled some of our favorite hacks to help you increase productivity in 2014 and make your hiring and recruiting process more efficient.
“More Talk, Less Type”
Everyday our inboxes are flooded with emails. We spend hours communicating with applicants, interpreting workplace issues and trying to get things done all via email, which means we have less and less time to actually talk to people.
“Our life experience is shaped by the relationships we keep and the interactions that flower from them,” says Diego Rodriguez, Partner at IDEO. “More talking and more listening can only help deepen those relationships and lead to richer, more meaningful outcomes for all.”
Next time you’re tempted to send an email to your hiring managers, pick up the phone or meet them at their desks. If you’re trying to resolve an issue, this gives you the opportunity to have a one-on-one conversation and get to the bottom of the issue faster. Additionally, if you have a top candidate in your talent pool that you want to engage, plan for a more meaningful conversation over the phone to show the candidate you’re interested in building a relationship.
“Setting Priorities Straight”
Managing your time wisely is essential for productivity. Therefore, you have to identify the most important tasks to be completed in a day and prioritize them so you’re using your time in the most productive way possible.
“Time, as we all know, is limited, and the secret to a productive day is using it wisely,” says Dan Ariely, Professor at Duke University. “To avoid wasting your precious time, you must first prioritize your needs so that productivity always comes first.”
To set your priorities straight for the day, re-organize your to-do list so that it focuses on the projects and tasks that will have the most impact. But to ensure the pesky little administrative tasks get done, consider how you can streamline the process. For example, automated solutions, like applicant tracking software, can handle the administrative tasks associated with hiring and recruiting so you can focus on attracting and engaging the right candidates.
“Read Less”
The thought of reading less may seem counter-productive—reading keeps us well informed, inspired and engaged. But because there’s so much out there to read these days, from online magazines to blogs to the general information we have to read for work everyday, I can understand why Editor-at-Large at Bloomberg Television & Radio, Tom Keene, suggests that reading less is an important productivity hack.
“At some point, the need to read comes up against time. You don't have the time, your family doesn't have the time and often, your employer and colleagues don't have the time for you to read each and every word,” says Keene.
For most reading, Keene suggests cutting the paragraphs by two-thirds. Read the author’s main thesis then find the main takeaway within the next few paragraphs. This way, you’re getting to the essential point of the story or report quickly. Then you can decide if reading every word is worth your time.
Think about how reading less can make some of your HR processes more efficient as well. A great example of how you can save time and still have an effective hiring process is with applicant tracking workflows. Applicant tracking software drastically decreases the amount of resumes and applications you have to read by providing only the most qualified applicants for your evaluation.
“One-Minute Trick”
Have you ever considered how much you could accomplish within one minute? Responding to an email, listening to a voicemail or organizing your desk are some of those little tasks you can tackle quickly. However, when all the little tasks add up, it’s easy to push them off to the side.
“A bunch of trivial tasks, not intimidating when viewed singly, can easily mount up and seem overwhelming,” says Gretchen Rubin. “By eliminating them as they crop up, I make myself feel freer, more energetic, and more creative. In less than a minute.”
Completing those tiny to-dos as soon as they pop up will help clear off your plate so you can focus on other high-priority tasks at hand.
What other tips do you have for increasing productivity throughout the hiring and recruiting process? Please share your own productivity hacks in the comments below!
