I consider myself an experienced - actually very experienced - recruiter. I have over 15 years of experience and I have worked independently for most of that time. Only newbies benefit from rigorous programs like counting calls placed, messages left, emails sent and contacts made, right? Wrong!

I decided to count my calls for a few days to see if it would have an impact on my productivity and my results. I was actually shocked at the results. I got a lot more done when I forced myself to place 20 calls before taking a break. I didn’t allow myself to stop making calls to check email, do a quick Google search, or to find more intel, etc. And at the end of the day I had better results. I got on a roll with my calls, and left all the other work to do later. I felt like I exuded a lot more energy on the phone because I was focused and on a mission to finish this task before moving on to something else.

When I looked at the number of completed calls that I made per hour, I was surprised how low that number was in comparison to the number I had expected. In 1995 when I started contracting for a retained search firm, I used to average 4 completed calls per hour. I remember that number because it was a goal I set for myself and I worked toward it everyday. I was able to accomplish it because as a contractor, I worked off a call list of several hundred names supplied to me by the client. Later on when I joined that firm as the full time Director of Recruiting, I trained the recruiters to do their research up front and then work off a call list, striving for 4 completed calls per hour.

I know I am working just as hard now, so I checked with some of my recruiter friends and found out that they are completing fewer calls now themselves. We are all chalking this up to people relying on voice mail to screen their calls or maybe they are using the same time management technique that I am using and not answering the phone when they are focusing on another task. I also like to believe that I am better at engaging people in meaningful conversations once I do get them on the phone, so my average call probably lasts longer.

In any case, it was a great experiment because I took a critical look at my work and made some adjustments. It is very empowering to give yourself a performance review and set your own goals for improvement!