Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in November 2019. It has been reviewed and updated for relevancy and accuracy.

Talent acquisition (TA) professionals need proven tools and strategies to tackle the unwieldy to-do lists often associated with the hiring process. Here are five of the best research-backed resources to get your team started.

Key Takeaways

  • It’s often difficult for hiring professionals to focus on what really matters: making more meaningful candidate connections.
  • Finding the most effective strategies to support productivity and eliminate distractions for your TA teams may require some trial and error.
  • Generative AI technology, including Indeed’s Smart Sourcing and AI Job Description Generator tools, can significantly optimize the hiring process.

Hiring can be a long and complex process, with many responsibilities that require time and attention. From writing job descriptions and screening hundreds of resumes to coordinating schedules while balancing the needs of hiring managers and candidates, tedious daily tasks can keep TA professionals from the most important part of their job: making meaningful connections with top talent.

So, how can those responsible for filling open roles reclaim their time and focus on the more fulfilling aspects of their job? Adopting effective time-management strategies can help TA teams get things done.

The best productivity strategies are the ones that fit your organization’s specific needs and team dynamics, which may take some exploration — and iteration. However, there are a few tried-and-true time-management solutions that hiring teams can leverage to reduce distractions. 

1. Ensure goals and direction are clear.  

Let’s start with the big picture before diving into daily practices. Teams need clear goals, direction and milestones to have a shot at successfully managing their time. After all, what’s the point of being productive if you’re not getting the right things done?

Consider setting (or re-evaluating) goals using the SMART method:

  • Specific: Make the goal specific and narrow for effective planning.
  • Measurable: Build in milestones so that it’s easier to track progress and ensure you’ve achieved the goal.
  • Achievable: Make the goal reasonable and doable within a defined time frame.
  • Relevant: Align the goal with your values and long-term objectives.
  • Time-based: Set a realistic but ambitious end date to clarify task prioritization and increase motivation.

And remember, effective goal-setting begins at the top. In other words, individual goals are only as good as the ones they ladder up to, so it’s key that leadership take an active role in setting up their teams for success.  

2. Prioritize and execute with proven techniques. 

A little planning can go a long way, but the very task of prioritizing tasks can feel overwhelming without a plan of attack. Instead of trying to aimlessly tackle a mile-long to-do list, take a more structured approach using a proven framework. 

For example, in the Eisenhower matrix, tasks are sorted into four categories:

  • Urgent and important: To be done immediately
  • Important but not urgent: To be scheduled
  • Urgent but not important: To be delegated
  • Neither urgent nor important: To be eliminated

From there, implementing a productivity method like the Pomodoro technique can help with executing those urgent and important tasks. Thought to enhance concentration and productivity, the Pomodoro technique involves working on a task for 25 minutes at a time before taking a five-minute break, repeating this cycle four times and then taking a longer 15- to 30-minute break.

3. Structure workdays with time-blocking.

Once you know what’s most important, avoid multitasking — research shows humans aren’t very good at it. Why? Every time you switch tasks — even if it’s just looking up from reviewing a resume to check your email — your brain has to refocus, breaking the extended concentration needed for innovative thinking. And these costs are high: even brief interruptions caused by shifting tasks can result in a 40% loss of productivity.

Instead, plan to tackle difficult to-dos during the times of day you feel best (research shows that for most people, morning is the ideal time to take on challenging tasks), and schedule tasks that require lower engagement during “off times.” Consider scheduling meetings then, too, so you can save your golden focus time for the most important work. 

Other simple tricks such as color-coding calendars or recreating “airplane mode” conditions can also help hiring professionals block their time more effectively. Let yourself be guided by the Pareto principle, or the “80/20” rule, which states that the most important 80% of results come from 20% of actions.  

4. Set boundaries for yourself (and with others).

Email and messaging tools, in particular, can feel persistent, so it’s worth setting time to be free from them. Some experts suggest sticking to a strict schedule of checking your email or notifications only a few times per day.

But don’t rely on willpower alone to reduce distractions. Even just having your phone within reach reduces cognitive capacity because of the underlying work your brain has to do to resist grabbing it. Put your phone far away and turn off as many additional distractions as possible, such as email notifications and multiple open screens, to focus on the task at hand. 

Even though the hiring process demands a high level of communication, that doesn’t mean you need to be reachable 24 hours a day or respond to requests within minutes. Setting boundaries about when you can be contacted and managing expectations for response times (e.g., within a day) can make both you and others feel less frantic.

5. Leverage technology like AI-powered tools.

There’s no magic wand that can eliminate distractions altogether, but there are plenty of productivity-boosting tools and technologies out there — including, of course, generative AI. 

AI-powered tools could help automate mundane tasks and processes, freeing up other areas of the hiring process. This can include collecting and summarizing team feedback from panel interviews and sending meeting reminders to candidates. 

For example, Indeed’s Smart Sourcing uses advanced matching technology to deliver a list of quality candidates who match your requirements to expedite the talent-sourcing process. Similarly, Indeed’s AI Job Description Generator can help you write better, more compelling job postings — faster.    

The nature of hiring is complex, with lots of moving parts and back-and-forth communication. But with the right time management strategies, you can get important things done and focus on what matters most to your team and your business: building quality relationships with candidates.