If there is one thing I love about recruiting, it’s the truth of the old saying – “the harder you work, the more you make”. If you’re an IT Recruiter, that quote rings true more than false.
I personally gained from the old adage this past holiday weekend. I was at the office on the 4th of July (not all day mind you but for a good half day). I was able to reach prospective candidates on the majority of my calls and actually submitted close to 6 people for various positions. Not too shabby for a guy that spends his time as an equity partner, salesperson, operations, etc. (sorry for grand standing). My point is this: If you have the ability/desire/time – putting in extra effort on nights, weekends and holidays will give you a leg up on your competition and increase your personal income.
Here are a few advantages that I have found to putting in the extra time:
1. Most of your competitors are not doing it – you see, most people don’t put forth more effort than what’s expected. That’s the reason for the whole 80/20 rule. As a matter of fact, most people will not sacrifice their personal time, work/life balance, down time – whatever you want to call it. It doesn’t make them wrong or less motivated but it will give you an advantage when, or if, you decide to put in the time.
2. You will connect with more candidates – Most working candidates are limited in their communication during the day and are unable to speak freely. Connecting with candidates later in the evening or over the weekend provides them with the ability to speak openly about their reasons for searching, compensation, etc. You are also more likely to get a call back or have them answer on the first attempted call.
3. Less internal competition – If you are in an environment with multiple recruiters that work on the same positions, working outside of the typical 8 hour day will provide you with a “leg up” so to speak. Don’t believe me?…Try coming into the office over the weekend or stay past 7PM on any given day and see how many co-workers or other recruiters are making calls to prospective candidates.
4. Access to “Fresh” Candidates on Job Boards– While most job board companies will tell you that candidates typically respond to postings on Mondays. They will also tell you that new candidates will post their resumes to job boards over the weekend or evenings, which will enable you to be the first recruiter to call them regarding a position. This is especially helpful when you have multiple vendors competing for the job requirement.
I understand that there are those of you that disagree and that your personal time is valuable, weekends belong to you and your family and that you may have obligations that keep you from putting in the extra time. I am merely stating that if you want to get more deals done, give yourself a raise and/or increase your personal production then try the following:
• Work a few nights 1 to 2 days a week
• Come in for 1 day or even a half day every other weekend
• Put in an extra day or 2 during the holidays
Go ahead and try it. I dare you to prove me wrong!!
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