Time.  The Currency of the Future.  The Currency of Now.

I just saw the trailer for the new Justin Timberlake movie, “In Time.”

The premise of In Time is that time is money.  It’s a common phrase, but in the movie, time is literally money.  Want a cup of coffee?  That will be four minutes, please.  The amount of time you have is somehow embedded on your wrist, so you just swipe and go.

The trailer for “In Time” also immediately brought to mind “Mockingjay,” the final book of the Hunger Games series, which I am currently entrenched in.  In Mockingjay, the residents of District 13 have their schedule printed on their wrist everyday, using it as a type of currency – scanning their “wrist schedule” to gain access and to receive meals.

Time, Money, Schedules, Wrists

It’s all resonating with current conditions.  When you have to work a lot harder with less resources to get ahead, time is everything.

And, as we learned earlier this month with the passing of Steve Jobs, even when you have all the money, your time will still run out.

So with all of this time = money stuff weighing on my mind, an email in my inbox gets my attention.

The subject? “Get an iPod Shuffle for 30 Minutes of Your Time.”

My initial thought is to DELETE.  30 minutes is a long time.  And at first glance, I assume it’s an “enter to win” deal.  Give 30 minutes of my time to possibly get an iPod Shuffle?  Too costly.

But because I am writing this post, I take a closer look.

Okay, so it’s “take a 30 minute demo, and then get the Shuffle, guaranteed.”  It’s a better proposition than I originally thought.  An even exchange, no strings attached.

Except, as a member of a marketing team, I know that there are always strings attached.

So, I could spend 30 minutes demoing this thing I have no interest in.  And then spend who knows how many more minutes dodging phone calls and emails trying to get me to sign up.

Thanks, but I’ll use my 30 minutes somewhere else.

Is it Time to Forget Your Schpeel?

What message are you sending?  Are you stressing to candidates and clients that you value their time?

What will make spending time with you – whether it’s 5 minutes on the phone or 30 minutes + travel for an interview – enticing to a candidate?

What will make that HR manager, owner, or hiring manager take your call and listen to your 10 minute sales pitch,  or carve out 5 minutes to read and reply to your email?

Whatever it is, it better be good.

I liked the advice Amy Ala gave in her “Recruiting Animal” interview.  Be upfront, be honest, be direct.  Forget your sales jargon, and optimize your time with candidates and clients.

Time is Mobile.

If a candidate or client is taking time out of their day to spend with you, you better be prepared.  You better have access to your database, and you better be ready to spring to action.

Mobile recruiting apps keep your recruiting desk by your side everywhere you go.  Text messaging candidates becomes so valuable because it’s quick.  It’s in their face because they’re attached at the hip to their mobile device.

There’s a reason why time and schedules are adhered to wrists in movies, in books, and in real life.  What better way to optimize productivity than with accessible tools that are part of you anywhere you go?

this post originally appeared at www.sendouts.com