I would be the first person to say that success in recruitment jobs is strongly correlated to the volume of activity you can generate. However, there is a level of activity which can produce a 'meltdown' in both quality and results, where organisation, order and efficiency vanish. The art is to achieve a balance between a high volume of working activity, whilst remaining organised and efficient, the key to which is to build planning and breaks into your work.

I have worked with many sales people who say they don't have enough time in their day to plan. Stephen Covey in his book, The seven habits of highly effective people, talks about 'sharpening the saw'. A lumberjack who takes breaks to sharpen his saw will cut more trees than one who simply saws all day without a break. The latter simply becomes less efficient as the saw becomes blunt throughout the day.

The same applies to your work. Time allocated to plan your daily tasks, prioritise importance and indeed review progress throughout the day, will contribute to both the volume of work you produce and the quality you sustain. Failure to do this can result in chaotic and unproductive effort, you can't see the 'wood from the trees' My top 5 tips for time management in recruitment jobs are as follows.


Allocate time at the start of the day to list your task for the day, the prioritise them in order of importance. Then apply thought to 'how' you will tackle each task. The second part is critical, once you are in the thick of activity, creative thought is much harder. If you have thought tasks out before you start, you are likely to be far more efficient throughout your task.

Prioritise task in order of business importance, not order of personal preference. business importance should relate to your job objectives.

Have regular breaks throughout the day to step back see how your task are going. A cup of tea and 5 minutes fresh air is the business equivalent of sharpening your axe. If necessary, re adjust your goals for the day to remain realistic.

Allocate time at the end of your day to step back and 'round up' your activities, and begin planning your next day. This is important from two perspectives a) Being well organised to start your next day b) Time out should be just that, and not time where you're still mentally computing tasks...if you finish your day mid task(s) you will be processing thoughts on it the whole evening and not sharpening your saw.

Keep written lists of tasks and cross them out as they are completed. It's a constant reminder of what you are out to achieve as well as providing yourself that you are progressing throughout the day, which in itself is encouraging and motivating to continue.

Good luck

This article is written by John Bult of Recruitment Vacancies