Set yourself realistic goals
You won’t be able to do everything at once. As a recruitment consultant, set yourself realistic goals and discuss them with your manager. When you set out clear goals, aim high but be realistic and write them down. Break your goals down into their smallest possible parts and celebrate the wins when you reach them. Put a plan in place to re-engage with your clients and candidate and stagger the plan, increasing the number of calls as the days/weeks go on.
Plan your day
Most of us have been spending our days planning what to watch next on Netflix. Time to get back into the mindset of working. As a busy recruitment consultant it really works to plan out your day the night before, schedule your week effectively and factor in time for unforeseen events. Get used to putting everything down in your calendar again – appointments, interviews, scheduling time for phone calls and meetings. You don’t want to lose track and it will be easy to do so.
Rebuild your client and candidate relationships
As a recruitment consultant, it’s going to take some time to really rebuild relationships with your client and candidate base and it will be important to re-engage with them as though you are communicating with them for the first time. We touched on this in an earlier blog
In a nutshell take nothing for granted. So much will have changed for them and you may need to go back to basics. But most importantly, just remember because you’re back at work, they may not be yet. So be gentle, ask gentle probing questions and show empathy. A lot of people, candidates especially seem to want support and advice over anything else. They may still be shocked from being made redundant or in a job but not ready to leave it just now. As an experienced recruitment consultant, you will need to really question and listen to what they’re really saying to you.
Engage with Social Media
Go onto LinkedIn and tell everyone you’re back. And not just LinkedIn. You need to re-engage with all your social media (FB, Insta, Twitter) to let your client and candidate base know you, their favourite recruitment consultant is back in business!
Keep your focus and self-motivation levels high
This is especially important, as an effective recruitment consultant, if you’re not back in the office just yet. It’s easy to take time out walk the dog, do a bit of exercise, go for a walk – but not during your working hours. Learn to keep distractions to a minimum where you can. It’s time to tell the dog you can only walk it before or after work and arrange for a neighbour/friend to do it during the working day and similarly exercise before your working day begins or afterwards if that suits you better.
Do take regular breaks
After the pandemic, things may take some time getting back to normal. It’s not going to happen overnight. The conversations you are having may not always lead to positive results and you will need that extra motivation to grit your teeth and keep going. Great recruitment consultants know that tough times are part of the norm but also that great days are just around the corner. In the meantime, go put the kettle on or take 10 mins away from your desk to regroup.
Until next time,
Cheryl
