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Blog
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13 handy tips for HRs to make the most of your workday
How many times have we regretted that there are only 24 hours in a day when there are still a bunch of cases and a bunch of candidates. Perhaps not everyone around is to blame, but you just need to work on your productivity a little bit more. Fortunately, there are many ways to save time for important tasks and feel like there are those 24 hours in a 8-hour working day. Our GitMax team has prepared a list of reliable tips to boost your productivity. Choose which ones suit you the best!
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Use time trackers
It's hard to evaluate your effectiveness if you don't even know which tasks take up most of your time.
Try installing time tracking apps like RescueTime, Toggl or ATracker. These apps will immensely help you analyze which tasks are taking up the most of your time.
We would recommend RescueTime. It tracks the length and quality of the time you spend on your gadgets (incl. computer, phone and tablet) in the background. Toggl and ATracker also track time spent on individual tasks, however, RescueTime is more user-friendly. All apps are free of charge.
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Break your work day into chunks (time cycles)
Use the split calendar method. Take your to-do list for the day and allocate a time slot for each type of activity. For example, if you are used to doing complex tasks in the morning, start sourcing or writing job openings during this time. Then, set aside time for phone calls. And so on. The best working scheme consists of 25 minutes non-stop working and then taking 5 minutes for the rest.
You will receive a complete schedule for the day that is easy to follow. Be sure to include short breaks for rest and lunch.
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Automate your calendar
- Arranging a time for a call or a meeting that works both for you and the candidate (or your colleagues) can be challenging and time consuming. It is about sending several messages that may take long pauses, clarifying the details, arranging time shifts, etc.
Check out an automated calendar like Calendly. This tool automatically syncs with your calendar and sets a personal schedule. Thanks to this app, candidates and colleagues will always have a clear picture when you are free at their fingertips. All you have to do is share the link. The tool is free of charge.
- LinkedIn also suggests using LinkedIn Scheduler in LinkedIn Recruiter.
Add a link to your calendar directly in InMail. The candidate will click on the link and select the appropriate time for a call.
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Find similar candidates
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If you're using LinkedIn Recruiter, take a look at the search bar. Enter the name of the candidate you think is the perfect fit and click on "Find Similar Contacts". You will receive a list of specialists according to the specified parameters and it may offer you a couple of more prosperous candidates for a position.
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Tidy up your desktop
Yes, that does sound obvious, right? However, no matter how evident it may be, this is not only about the desktop in the office. We know that a pile of papers in which nothing can be found, and leftover food do not have a beneficial effect on human productivity. In addition, a big mess around constantly distracts attention to itself and that may turn into an annoying factor that may unconsciously affect your productivity.
A cluttered computer desktop is a separate issue which can heavily hinder your workflow. It may take lots of your precious time to find the document you need, and the computer starts to slow down like crazy and usually right when you need to upload an important update or a document. Outer order contributes to inner calm. And higher productivity ;)
A cluttered computer desktop is a separate issue which can heavily hinder your workflow. It may take lots of your precious time to find the document you need, and the computer starts to slow down like crazy and usually right when you need to upload an important update or a document. Outer order contributes to inner calm. And higher productivity ;)
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By the way, to increase the performance of your computer, you can also remove programs from autorun - a handy tool many people forget about!
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Optimize your browser tabs
Let us guess if you are familiar with the following situation: you sort candidates for only 10 minutes, and you already have 1000 tabs open? Or at least it feels like you can’t find anything. There are dozens of tabs, you cannot properly click with the cursor on the right one and you get more and more nervous. And (here we go again) the more tabs you open, the slower your computer runs. So your browser turns into another time and productivity waster for you.
To speed up your work, highlight the sites you visit most often and add them to your favorites. You will be able to navigate sites faster, thus, managing your time more efficiently.
- You may think of installing a free browser extension. If you are using Google Chrome, download OneTab that will keep all your open tabs in one neat list. If you need several tabs from the list, just select the ones that are necessary at the moment. Opera has a free Group Your Tabs extension that works exactly like the previous one. For Firefox, download Tree Tabs. The extension is similar to OneTab, the only difference is that the tabs are divided into a hierarchy and categories.
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Organize your email
Email is the central part of HR's life. Therefore, it is absolutely crucial to automate it as much as possible.
A handy time-saver is to create letter templates in your mail. You will no longer have to spend time writing and thinking through the wording for each letter. You can use this function when accepting applications or announcing intermediate decisions on a candidate. Of course, these letters should still be personal, however, creating a base for them will save you precious time.
A handy time-saver is to create letter templates in your mail. You will no longer have to spend time writing and thinking through the wording for each letter. You can use this function when accepting applications or announcing intermediate decisions on a candidate. Of course, these letters should still be personal, however, creating a base for them will save you precious time.
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Develop your own strategy
What is the best way to tell candidates at what stage the decision on their candidacy is so their calls do not jam the switchboard? You may come up with your own ideas so that you always know that you have provided the feedback for a candidate.
However, there is a very nice approach by Stacy Zapar, a famous recruiting expert. She called her strategy a Feedback Blitz. Every Friday, she devotes two hours to send feedback to her candidates. Stacey warns candidates in advance that their weekend won't start without news from her. And she keeps her promise. Thus, candidates understand that it makes no sense to write and call a recruiter a hundred times as they will receive an answer in the allotted time.
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Turn off notifications
Pay attention to how often you rush to your phone or click on the “Refresh” button in order to check your email. It may seem that a couple of minutes won’t make a difference, however, counting the total day time spent on this minor activity at first glance can form a huge time waster (as well as raising the anxiety level if you are waiting for an important message).
To minimize such distractions, turn off notifications on your devices, especially when you're doing a task that requires your full attention.
Set the time specifically set aside to check your email, for instance, when you get to the office, once before lunch, after it, and in the late afternoon. Don't keep the email tab on your computer open so you wouldn’t have to resist that temptation of clicking on it. The same rule applies to social networks (or even stricter). If you are afraid to miss something, add a phone number to your email signature so you can always get reached by the phone.
Set the time specifically set aside to check your email, for instance, when you get to the office, once before lunch, after it, and in the late afternoon. Don't keep the email tab on your computer open so you wouldn’t have to resist that temptation of clicking on it. The same rule applies to social networks (or even stricter). If you are afraid to miss something, add a phone number to your email signature so you can always get reached by the phone.
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Use AI
Artificial intelligence has rushed into all areas of our lives, including HR. There are huge advantages of using AI in work, such as driving down the time taken to perform repetitive tasks, automatic screening of the resumes, enabling fairer employment processes, etc., and we will never stop mentioning that.
Chatbots will save time in routine activities. There are a number of ready-made bots, for example, Mya. With its help, recruiters can automate up to 75% of the work. Some companies, such as Sutherland and Johnson & Johnson, have even created their own chatbots to optimize the HR workflow.
One undeniable aspect that bots can do what you can't is work 24/7.
Chatbots will save time in routine activities. There are a number of ready-made bots, for example, Mya. With its help, recruiters can automate up to 75% of the work. Some companies, such as Sutherland and Johnson & Johnson, have even created their own chatbots to optimize the HR workflow.
One undeniable aspect that bots can do what you can't is work 24/7.
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Conduct interviews remotely
One thing we can be grateful Covid-19 for is making remote interviews a new common standard for both the recruiters and the candidates. Remote interviews save time not only for the candidate, but also for the recruiter. Imagine that you no longer need to book a meeting room, order a pass for the office, and so forth. For example, if a candidate is late for an interview, you simply continue your daily routine at your desk (or in any other convenient places), without rushing anywhere. For remote interviews, there are plenty of options to conduct them via various apps, such as Zoom, Skype, Google Meet, etc.
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Stay friends with candidates
Maintaining friendly relations with candidates who, for example, did not suit you for a specific position, is a good habit. That may help you kill several birds with one stone at a time.
Firstly, a candidate can get back to you in case of looking for a new job. Secondly, a candidate who had a positive and friendly experience with you and your company, will recommend you to his or her friends (one should never underestimate the power of word-of-mouth). Finally, it is all about developing an employer brand. As well as it saves your time.
Firstly, a candidate can get back to you in case of looking for a new job. Secondly, a candidate who had a positive and friendly experience with you and your company, will recommend you to his or her friends (one should never underestimate the power of word-of-mouth). Finally, it is all about developing an employer brand. As well as it saves your time.
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Work with recommendations
Recommendations is a powerful source of enlarging the pool of the candidates.
How to work with those recommendations? We’d suggest two ways for that.
How to work with those recommendations? We’d suggest two ways for that.
As mentioned in the previous paragraph, if the candidate does not suit you (or vice versa), do not hesitate to ask him for recommendations of the talented suitable candidates from his acquaintances. If you manage to create a warm relationship, it will not be a hard thing to do for a person to send you a couple of contacts or even a shortlist.
Spread a word about open positions within the company through an internal corporate portal, social media, and more. Perhaps, one of the current employees has long wanted and waited to bring their friend to the company, but was not aware of how to manage that. It is a common practice in various companies to implement referral bonuses for the employees who bring new valuable hires to the organization.
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Let’s sum it up
- And if you’re still feeling swamped with all the HR duties while there are positions hanging and waiting to be closed, do not hesitate to contact GitMax! Our recruiters will become your handy tool and provide the best candidates for your projects within just a few days!
Let's work together!
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