[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Whilst the title of this article could be considered misleading, to be clear, we’re not talking about Christmas dinners or gift ideas. We’re focusing on those activities good recruiters tend to do, as their businesses typically wind down for the festive period and what best practice advice suggests.
Cleanse your database
Now’s the time, as your business is typically winding down for the festive period and it becomes more difficult to reach your clients and candidates that you can actually find a little headroom and sort out some admin. All too often cleansing the database can get shunted to the bottom of the priority list, especially as these days many CRM or online systems will manage much of this for you, but if it’s not all handled for you, now’s the chance to go through and update your records, re-classify clients and update your database. Your future self will thank you for this in the New Year.
Wish clients and candidates well for the festive season
You’ll likely have completed your Christmas drops already with any gifts, hampers and bottles sent or hand-delivered to your chosen clients. But with budgets tight, and being mindful of anti-bribery laws of course, not everyone will or can receive something. That doesn’t mean you have to ignore them though. A simple email, phone call or even traditional posted Christmas card can be a really nice personal touch. You don’t have to be selling anything to them. It just shows that you value them as a contact. And it’s nice to be nice, especially during the festive season.
Schedule emails and social posts to go out
If you feel you must be seen to be active over the Christmas break, then let computer and software systems take over the hard work for you. Schedule as much as you can via email or social media systems. No one expects you to be busy Tweeting or updating your company Facebook page on Christmas Day or New Year’s Eve, but for those people that do go online and follow you, they’ll potentially see your post in their News Feed, so it’s not a bad idea from a brand awareness perspective.
Take stock
With it being quieter than normal, the phone ringing less and fewer contract starts or permanent roles being offered or accepted, now’s a great time to take stock and reflect on what you’ve achieved this year. You’ll often be your harshest critic, so take a moment to appreciate all that you’ve achieved. Pat yourself on the back. Reflect on how far you’ve come and the objectives you’ve met.
Identify priorities
And with that clearer diary, it’s easier to think about your priorities. You’ll know what you’ve achieved this year and which objectives you might have missed. Are these still priorities? Should you carry them forward into the new year? And think about the year ahead… what are the priorities now? Think not just about your business priorities, but also your personal priorities.
Plan for the New Year
And when you know your priorities, you can start formulating an outline plan. It might be that you’re going to endeavour to make more client visits. Or you’re going to commit to more self-development. Or simply, you’re going to grow your LinkedIn network by 10%. Whatever your priorities, try breaking them down into achievable smaller objectives that you can space throughout the year, so you can work towards hitting those bigger overall goals as you progress through the year.
Tidy your desk
Think about it. Start as you mean to go on and get your working environment ready for a busy start in the New Year. As you wind down for the festive period, clear your desk of the clutter, left over mailshots and other paperwork that’s no longer relevant and you’ve probably put off filing. You’ll feel better for this when you come back into the office in the New Year.
Update your website and social platforms with office opening details
It’s Christmas after all, so don’t be so self-centred! Let your clients, candidates and suppliers know when the office is closed (or open) and when you’ll be returning back to work. This could be as simple as updating your website, changing your email signature, publishing something on social media, or even mailing details out to a select distribution list. Whatever you choose to do, don’t neglect to let these people that matter know what’s happening with your business.
Set your out of office notifications
It doesn’t take long to do now, but the majority of email clients and phone systems include the ability to set out of office notifications. So make sure you do this. No one wants to be on the end of a phone line waiting to be answered, or emailing without any hope of a timely response. The people trying to contact you could be existing clients or candidates, or potential new ones, so do them all a favour and let them know when the office is closed and when you’ll be back to answer their queries.
Enjoy the festive break
Inevitably, once the festivities are finished, you’ve eaten your bodyweight in turkey and clearly over-indulged, many will start thinking about New Year resolutions and the often dreaded return to work. If you find yourself thinking it’s time for a change, for a new challenge or better career opportunities, then the team at Bluestones Group can certainly help you.
We invest in great recruiters, recruitment businesses and staffing service companies – so if you’re ready for a change and want to talk about your career opportunities, then get in touch with us today. Even if you don’t want to launch your own recruitment related business, with a portfolio of over 30 national brands, we may well have career opportunities within the Group that you could be interested in.
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