How to Survive the Recruitment Summer Slump...

Summer can be a difficult time in recruitment, with things slowing down - or seeming to grind to a halt altogether. However, the downtime presents some great opportunities to boost your profile, enhance your skills and work on getting together a solid portfolio of clients and candidates for when things start hotting up again. If your summer features more office than beach, discover how to make the most of the season from your desk.

Network Summer presents the perfect time to network with clients, attend industry events and widen your professional circle.

Second to none, networking is a sure fire means of getting noticed and known by potential clients, helping secure future business and boosting your reputation at the same time. In a relationship based industry like recruitment the chance to develop a less formal connections with clients and candidates is crucial, and could be the deciding factor in how much business you pull in over the rest of the year.

Keep an eye out for recruitment networking events, suggest taking existing clients out for lunch or post-work drinks, and attend sector specific events and awards. Just make sure you have up-to-date business cards on you!

Enter awards Success is something to be shared, and letting others know how well you’ve done is the only way you’ll become identified as the industry leader you are.

While we don’t like to brag, the IRP Awards are the most respected recruitment industry awards offering the chance for leading individuals and companies to gain the recognition and respect their efforts deserve. Entries are open for the 2017 IRP Awards, and as an IRP member you can enter any of the individual categories FREE of charge.

Get on top of admin and reach out to candidates Yes, this is probably the least interesting thing you could do, but it’s also one of the most important things. Sloppy records and disheveled databases will cause delays in contacting clients and candidates later in the year when time is precious.

Spend time getting your desk and database in top condition, and while you’re at it why not email candidates with a ‘looking for work?’ themed email…

Contact your candidates A short and sweet email to your candidate pool provides the perfect opportunity to identify potential hot candidates for when roles start coming in, and is a great way to remind candidates that you’ve got their career success on your mind.

You can also use these emails to seek referrals – asking candidates to recommend any friends or colleagues that could benefit from your recruitment expertise.

Get qualified We don’t need to remind you that recruitment is a competitive industry. But we know that having time to boost your industry specific knowledge trough training can be tricky when you’re focused on meeting (smashing) targets. We lead the way in recruitment qualifications and training courses, and have some great courses running right now that will sharpen your competitive edge and ensure you’re up-to-date with everything from legal requirements to sales pitch techniques.

Take a look at our qualifications and training courses and enrol today!

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