How (and Why) Recruiters Can Make Their Commute More Efficient

As a recruiter you may have worked out how to best use your time during office hours. But what about the journey to (and from) work? Depending on how far you have to travel every day, you could be losing valuable time sitting staring at traffic on the road or the back of someone’s head on the train. This is time that could be used to help you be a better recruiter and ultimately lead to recruiting more candidates.

Here are some tips to help you turn commuting to your advantage:

Stay Ahead by Planning Ahead

This is a fairly straightforward one – use your commute to plan your day. This might be something that you don’t normally do until you get to the office at 9am, which then eats away at your working day. Planning your day on the move means that not only will it get you into the working mindset (more on that later) but will ultimately allow you to get more done in the office. In the busy world of recruitment that can only be a good thing!

Make Social Media Your (Mobile) Friend

We all know that social media websites like Twitter, Facebook and Linkedin (to name but a few) are all a big part of our everyday lives - this is especially true when it comes to businesses. Take Twitter, for example. What was once a wasteland of tweets about what the latest celebrity hairstyle is or what somebody had for their breakfast (although that sadly hasn’t gone completely) has blossomed into a place that businesses take seriously to connect and promote with others in the industry.

A simple way to use your commuting time for recruitment is to keep an eye on your company’s social media accounts. All of the major websites have mobile versions and apps for easier use when you’re out and about. Want to check your Linkedin groups to keep up-to-date with a particular discussion? Like to monitor your company's Facebook profile to see who's commented on an article you linked to? Fancy replying to someone on Twitter who wants more information about a job? No problem! These are just some of the ways to engage with social media while on the move. This will allow you to be kept updated on the morning goings-on before you even get to the office. You might even impress a candidate or two by replying to something before or after office hours!

Read More than Just the Daily Newspaper

You may feel like it’s your duty (or you might just enjoy) to keep up-to-date with the latest news from far and beyond. However, as a recruiter it’s a good idea to keep your mind active about the world of recruiting. You could seek out some helpful reading material (yes, this is a help guide telling you to look out for help guides!) or if you drive to work there are self-help audio books available. By using your commuting time to do this it means you’re ready to go once you reach the office, with a little extra knowledge stored away – you never know when that may come in handy!

Take Phone Calls out of the Office

A big part of your job as a recruiter is talking on the phone to candidates and business associates. Depending on the size of your company you may have dozens of calls to make and receive a day. But don't panic! This one doesn't mean constantly being on the phone all the time while you're out. However, this is a good way to take a few of those calls off your to-do list – just make sure to go hands-free if you’re driving to and from work!

Shake Off the Morning Grumpiness

Don’t worry - we’re not accusing you of being grumpy! However, we all have those days when we’ve woken up on the wrong side of the bed or someone has annoyed you by cutting in front of you on the road. Indeed you may want to use your commuting time to try and relax yourself for the day of hard work ahead – that’s actually a valid usage of the time, too. But by shaking off that morning grumpiness and getting yourself into a friendly, approachable mood it means that you're more likely to carry on like that for the rest of the day.