100 ways to improve your life as a recruiter without really trying

1.?Acknowledge what's going well. It will boost your mood and release one of your happy chemicals.?When we focus on what isn't working or going well, our minds can slip into negative thinking patterns. Rhonda D'Ambrosio, Mental Health in Recruitment

2.?Invest in a scheduling tool (like Calendly) that can allow anyone to find a time that best works for you. Oliver Perry, Trust in Soda

3.?Seek out a mentor. They don’t have to be in your own organisation, just someone who has been on the journey, and can help you with yours. Matt Collingwood, VIQU?

4.?WIIFT? (what's in it for them?) Make your outreach messages all about the recipient. Change all the 'I's and 'We's to 'You'. And on that, consider using a medium other than LinkedIn first.?Katrina Collier, Author The Robot-Proof Recruiter

5.?Have a tick list. Write everything down you need to achieve that day with a box, so you can tick it. When the list is longer than the day, split it to today & thereafter. The list is always for the current day. Mel Forbes, APSCo OutSource

6.?Set yourself 3x 5 minute breaks in the day where you are disconnected from all communications. 5 minutes to clear your mind and think in the fresh air. This doesn't include going downstairs to get your caffeine fix. Josh Keeley, Trident Search

7.?On a Friday, and before you leave. Clear out your inbox, file stuff, add notes to your CRM. Plan Monday, and set 3 goals for the week ahead. Hannah Keep, Agility on Demand

8.?You are a product of your environment. Choose what you surround yourself with, good content, conversation, inspiration, and relationships. Remove the negative. Lysha Holmes, Qui Recruitment

9.?Before you start writing a job ad, first ask yourself the question "Currently, is the target candidate most likely to be employed?" and if the answer is "yes", you know you're going to need to write something that's going to convince this person that this job might be better than the one they're doing. Then start doing it in the first sentence. Mitch Sullivan, copywritingforrecruiters.com

10.?Score your jobs and tell your client. If they give you a job that scores low, tell them that - and tell them how they could make it an A* job for you, which would help them fill it quicker. This level of transparency transforms client relationships. Ryan McCabe, Odro

11.?Search for the words you expect to find. Irina Shamaeva, Sourcing Expert. booleansearchstrings.com

12.?Screenshot thank you messages and emails. Add them to your favourites in your photo library.

13.?Call 3 candidates today with no agenda other than to check in and see how they are.

14.?Focused on crushing your sales targets this year? Remember this: When you focus solely on deals and sacrifice everything else, your health, relationships and mindset will pay the price. And eventually, your billings will suffer. But, when you focus on your health, relationships and mindset daily, you will thrive and achieve more sustainable results. Andrew Sillitoe, Team Head Coach

15.?Plan the work. Work the plan. Repeat.

16.??Be yourself, and if you can't do that? Always be honest. Do what you say you are going to do, and admit when you were wrong. Mark Hopkins, Thomas Lee Recruitment

17.?Close off each day by writing your to-do list for tomorrow, then give yourself permission not to think about it until then. Tina Ambrose, Valrose

18.?Remember that your value as a recruiter is built through years of experience, thousands of candidate calls, and hundreds of hours searching online. That is what your customers pay for. Maintain your margins accordingly! James Osbourne, TRN

19.??Searching on Google? Remember "things not strings", Google uses semantic search, ditch the Boolean AND / OR

20.?Build your creativity strength every day by writing a list of 10 ideas in less than 10 minutes. Jeremy Snell, TalentBuilder ?

21.?Don’t be afraid to use your personal network of friends and ex colleagues for introductions. Always ask existing clients who they can refer you to. Louise Triance, UK Recruiter

22.?Strive for 1% incremental advances every day! Steve Guest, Author Top Biller: The Life of a Recruiter

23.?Figure out your sales approach based on what you are best at. Bash the phone, produce exceptional content, attend networking events/conferences. There are many ways that work, so play to your strengths. Ben Shorter, Ex-Mil Recruitment

24.?At the end of each day, write down three things you've positively achieved, regardless of how small (gave candidate feedback with greater empathy, made 5 BD calls, rang my mum). David Wolstenholme, Brand Me Better

25.?Always make sure your desk is organized and clean. Have your schedule structured at the end of each day in preparation for your next day. Rachael Manning, Manning Global

26.?Sleep trumps working late ?. Getting 7+ hours sleep a night has been proven again, and again, to increase productivity and health. Ben Stocken, West Peak Partners

27.?Everyone is time poor. Review what you spend time doing. Spend less time doing ￡5/hour tasks, and double down on the ￡1000/hour task. Michael Whatman, Team Head Coach

28.?Align your activity and financial goals with your personal goal, and you'll never work 'for' a manager, or 'for' a company again. Dave Lewis, Enabling Change

29.?Take a picture of your favourite book and share it with your network. You’ll receive lots of great suggestions in return. Dougie Loan, Odro

30.?Learn about stoicism. Focus on what you can control, and ignore the rest. Greg Wyatt, Bircham Wyatt Recruitment

31.?Measure how good you are by what you can control, and not the number of jobs you fill. This way, you control how much better you become. Be better in your communication, information sharing, honesty, transparency, and market knowledge. You will have way more repeat business than the repeat business you get from filling jobs. Oliver Perry, Trust in Soda

32.?Introduce a book club with your colleagues. Meet monthly to discuss any books, blogs, videos or podcasts and how they can potentially improve performance. Steve Beckitt, Sourcebreaker

33.?When candidates and clients ask you what the market is like, find out what they are most interested in knowing. Document the question and your answer to post on LinkedIn! You will add value back to 1000s of people in your market with ease! Sean Anderson, Hoxo Media

34.?Work out in the morning, it gives you more energy and makes you more productive.?Ryan Adams, Signify Technology

35.?Prioritise to prevent wasting any time. Important and urgent rank highest. Charlee Ryman, Trident Search

36.?Try the "pomodoro technique" when you need to focus. Set a timer for 25 minutes work with no distractions, followed by a 5 minute break to rest and not focus!

37.?Ask yourself at every stage of the process, "what percentage would I give to the candidate accepting an offer, if they were offered today?" Track those percentages in your CRM. If they’re not going up, you are in trouble. Ben Stocken, Westpeak Partners

38.?Your CRM is your golden source of data and will generate revenue for you. Reframe your mind, CRM is not admin. It is your Consistent Revenue Maker. Maria Vavoulas, HC Global

39.?Spend 20 minutes on a Sunday and prepare for your week ahead. Write down the things you want to tick off by Friday PM, and then set the time slots aside to achieve them. Your week will have complete focus, and the end is always in sight. Try writing down the type of lunch you want too. It can help curb the rushed Greggs lunch run! Ryan McCabe, Odro

40.?If you're working from home, bookend your day with a solitary activity, such as exercise or a Sudoku, so your work life and home life don't merge. Greg Wyatt, Bircham Wyatt Recruitment

41.?Diarise time to give candidates feedback and updates on their applications, regardless of the outcome.

42.?Work with clients that value your time. The ones that engage properly with you, that give feedback, that commit. When you prioritise clients that commit to a partnership, job fulfillment increases tenfold, as does performance. Jordan Taylor, Retrained Search?

43.?Be authentic, don’t try to copy anyone else or live their dream. People will love you and your story.?Ryan Adams, Signify Technology

44.?Include a target every week for you, the personal stuff.?It might be to listen to a podcast, or go for a walk. Try and build in one thing for a positive mindset every day. Liz Brennan, Griffin and Scott Recruitment

45.?Give your LinkedIn profile an overhaul. Ensure your photo is set to public (1st level only is the default setting) and ensure your profile makes you look worthy of someone's time. Katrina Collier, Author The Robot-Proof Recruiter ?

46.?Say "no" to bad business. Practice on your least valuable clients first to make it feel less scary. Jon Brooks, The Value Advantage

47.?Read and know your terms of business as if you were legally trained. Matt Collingwood, VIQU

48.?To find your flow, focus on a single goal, make it meaningful to you, and have it slightly outside your comfort zone.

49.?Break tasks goals or targets into smaller bite-sized chunks. It makes them more achievable and increases the release of Dopamine. This is the happy chemical our brains release when we anticipate reward, and keeps us motivated.?Rhonda D'Ambrosio, Mental Health in Recruitment

50.?In recruitment, you can be ‘first or best'. Be the ‘first’ to discuss a client's hiring plans in 6 months, and not fight with the competition over the ‘best’ candidate. Matt Collingwood, VIQU

51.?Build a fan base, not a database.

52.?Prepare the 5 whys of clients and candidates. Why Listen? Why Care, Why Change? Why You? Why Now? Barum Jeffries, Reclearn

53.?Ask a client about the last product or service (not recruitment) they've bought that positively impacted their business. Ask to be introduced to the supplier and get to know them, so you can refer them to others. David Wolstenholme, Brand Me Better

54.?Before telling yourself you can't, think of 3 ways you can.

55.?Turn off notifications on your LinkedIn and emails. Check them on your own time. If it is urgent, they’ll call or WhatsApp you. Until then, you stay in control of your time. Ryan McCabe, Odro?

56.?You are in charge of your own mindset. You cannot control the uncontrollable, you can only choose how you react to the things that happen around you. People, process and circumstances. How you learn to react to these things will define you. Lysha Holmes, Qui Recruitment

57.?Send easy to collect market intel to clients. Take note of every candidate's salary and other useful information, like the benefits in a role most valued by candidates. Then collate in a spreadsheet and mailshot trends to clients each month. This will position you as a genuine expert and differentiate you. Steve Beckitt, Sourcebreaker

58.?Try and absorb something new every week that you can share with candidates and clients. If they know they can come to you to learn things they didn’t know before, they will come to you again. Oliver Perry, Trust in Soda

59.?Once a week, email your manager with any wins, completion of projects, and any client, candidate, or colleague feedback. You will have a portfolio of examples of your good work to refer to. Great for performance reviews, mentoring conversations, and to remind yourself that you can do this!

60.?Ask more questions.

61.?Ask for LinkedIn recommendations every month from the candidates and clients you have helped

62.?Be energy responsible. Say yes to work that makes you sit up and buzz, and say no more to work that makes you slouch. We attract what we put out, so if you keep saying yes to work you hate, you will keep attracting more of it ?? Katrina Collier, Author The Robot-Proof Recruiter

63.?Recruitment is a long game, do the right thing by your candidates or clients. Don't cut corners, always do what feels right, and put yourself in their shoes. Integrity is everything. Lysha Holmes, Qui Recruitment

64.?Find your why and set personal goals to allow you to grow. Always aim for the stars.?Ryan Adams, Signify Technology

65.?Share the working terms of a job upfront with candidates: salary or rate, ?expected hours, and work from home policy.

66.?Focus on understanding your client's challenges and problems, then you can start to understand how to position retained solutions and subsequently get their ultimate commitment. Jordan Taylor, Retrained Search

67.?A complaint is just a request waiting to be made. Complain less, request more.

68.?Take your holidays.?Charlee Ryman, Trident Search

69.?Diary management includes planning time, focus time, thinking time and time off. Oliver Perry, Trust in Soda

70.?Keep an eye on what your target client base is doing. Follow them on social media and in the news. If they are bringing out a new product, opening a new office, etc get in touch to see if this means they’ll be hiring. Louise Triance, UK Recruiter

71.?Constantly push outside your comfort zone. It's a journey, embrace the moments, experience the ups and downs, and learn from the good and bad. Steve Guest, Author Top Biller: The Life of a Recruiter

72.?Your morning will shape your day. Improve your morning, and you will improve your day. Matt Collingwood, VIQU

73.?Work with clients that value your time. The ones that engage properly with you, that give feedback, that commit. When you prioritise clients that commit to a partnership, job fulfilment increases tenfold, as does performance. Jordan Taylor, Retrained Search

74.?Live by your calendar, not your inbox. You can't add more time, you can only schedule what you have. Whereas your inbox will keep growing and capture you in its infinite to-do list.

75.?Drink more water.

76.?Make sales a daily habit with a 5 and 10 list. Write a list of 10-12 people you’ve struggled to get hold of. Calls that if you get hold of the person could help you move forward. Now every time you have 5 or 10 minutes between two tasks – get the list out and dial them all. Jeremy Snell, Talent Builder

77.?When having a bad day or week, seek out people who give you energy or refuel you. Call a few candidates who will be glad to hear from you. Chat to a client to check up on some successful candidates. Or even a friend whom you know will be upbeat. Chat about that. Rebalance the inputs, and you will rebalance the outputs. Greg Savage, The Savage Truth

78.?Create a list of your Top 5 dream clients. Think of one creative way to reach out to one of them each month. Small progress each month adds up over time. Dougie Loan, Odro

79.?Attach your self-esteem and self-worth to things inside your control. Become passionate about your process, and the results look after themselves. Dave Lewis, Enabling Change

80.?Read Black Box Thinking - it’s all about attitude to failure and how you learn from it.?Steve Beckitt, Sourcebreaker

81.?Every time you successfully place a candidate or hire for a client. Write down who helped you, and send a thank you note.

82.?Check their profile before you call.?Katrina Collier, Author The Robot-Proof Recruiter

83.?Shake it off. It's not personal.

84.?Commit to spending 1% of your salary on your own professional?development. (It's a much smaller hit when you look at it like this). David Wolstenholme, Brand Me Better

85.?It takes 23 minutes to regain focus once you've been distracted. Before checking your phone, ask yourself, "Do I want to stop doing what I'm doing for the next 20 mins?" Try turning off notifications, using do not disturb, or even deleting some apps.

86.?Ask yourself, what things am I putting off? Do them first to get them out of the way. Liz Brennan, Griffin and Scott Recruitment

87.?Before you point fingers, blame someone or something else for what went wrong. Ask yourself, "What would I have done if I had done everything?"

88.?Make the apps you check first thing in the morning unavailable for the first hour of your day. Start with 30 minutes if an hour induces panic!

89.?The better you treat candidates, the better they treat you. Help them with their CV, interviews, and what might help them get what they want. Go above and beyond what other recruiters do, which might just be to let them know whether their application has been successful. Ben Shorter, Ex-Mil Recruitment

90.?Create content and push it into the space where your candidates and clients are. It’s not difficult to use the video option on LinkedIn, or to create short videos for YouTube, which showcase your knowledge and expertise. Tag potential clients on LinkedIn or Twitter – giving them a reason to get in touch. Louise Triance, UK Recruiter

91.?Ask people in your market who you admire and want to work with to collaborate with you. Ask them to share tips, advice, be interviewed or contribute to an article (see what I did here!)

92.?Read (or listen to) one recruitment or industry book per month. Ask your peers for recommendations. Katrina Collier, Author The Robot-Proof Recruiter

93.?Have a phone conversation more often, meet more people face to face.

94.?Learn how to navigate a P&L. Most of your hiring managers will talk about theirs, so it helps if you know the buzzwords. Matt Collingwood, VIQU

95.?Money, Authority and Need define a decision maker. Not their job title.

96.?Create 30 minutes in your week for thinking time, and keep it sacred. Have no solid agenda and use it to let your mind process current challenges, or dream about bigger long-term goals. Dougie Loan, Odro

97.?Pay it forward at least once a week. Ben Stocken, West Peak Partners

98.?Make what you do about "them" and not "me". Gregg Wyatt, Bircham Wyatt Recruitment

99.?Ask questions publicly rather than privately. You will be surprised at the degree in which most people want to help, and even more surprised how good that help can be. As a bonus, you get some great new contacts and an ever expanding network. Hung Lee, Recruiting Brainfood

100.?Pick 3 tips from the 100. Write them down, then give them a go. Share them with others. Then try 3 more.?