4 New Year’s Resolutions for Recruiters

With 2013 at a close, it’s time to start thinking about your New Year goals, challenges and game plan. In the past few years, recruiting has evolved drastically, and 2014 will be no different. That’s why it is more important than ever to make and adhere to your recruiter New Year’s resolutions.

1. Go virtual. If you haven’t taken your recruiting efforts online yet, you’re behind the game. It’s vital for your company and open job opportunities to get the exposure that only the Internet can provide.

Take your recruiting efforts online by creating profiles on job sites, like Spark Hire, listing open job opportunities on these sites and creating online dialogue and chatter about your company via social media outlets, such as Facebook and Twitter.

2. Don’t recruit; market. Recruiting these days is so much more than beating out your competitors for top talent; it’s about making your company brand the best and most desirable. Essentially, it’s about marketing your reputation.

Building your reputation as a must-work destination requires you to be at the forefront of your industry, engaging in dialogue with the industry’s best and brightest and providing transparency into what it’s like to actually work for your company. Again, a lot of this can be done through your online image. Once you’ve established an online presence, use it to market your company brand.

3. Be efficient. Recruiters often fall into traps of helping out hopeless causes or spending too much time trying to please everyone. Your goal as a recruiter is simple: get qualified job candidates into the right positions. One of the New Year’s resolutions for recruiters is to cut out all of the unnecessary day-to-day tasks or people that are holding you back from your number one priority.

Sometimes, this job requires you to be a little too honest, a little unavailable to certain recruits and a little more forthright in meeting in the middle of the road when it comes to client expectations. You may come off cold or brash, but in the end, you’re doing what you need to do to make everyone happy in the future — not the immediate present.

4. Invest in top talent. As a New Year’s resolution, be sure you’re investing time and resources into new hires. Your role with them doesn’t stop once they’ve started at the company. Rather, it’s just begun. Make sure they are receiving adequate training.

As they work on projects, congratulate them on achievements and a job well done. Hearing this type of encouragement from various individuals in different departments makes employees feel valued and special, meaning they’re more likely to stick around. Finally, re-recruit them. Don’t lose them to competitors by holding back promotions, incentives and benefits. Create benchmarks and distribute rewards that are more likely to make new hires stay rather than leave after less than a year.

Recruiters have more leverage than you think through the recruitment, hiring and career of an employee. This year, make yours count by being the best and recruiting the best with these recruiting New Year’s resolutions.

What other New Year’s resolutions should recruiters add to their list? Share now in our comments!