You want your new recruiters ready to go right out the gate, but what can you do to make it happen? Especially if you’re one of the many agencies operating without a central office.
You’re not alone in tackling these new sets of circumstances. The rise of remote working is changing the playing field in recruitment and beyond – and is even an effective way of boosting morale, according to 80% of employees in a PGI survey.
That said, it brings some new challenges, including the need for new ways to keep motivation levels high.
What are the major motivational drains for recruiters?
Recruitment agencies have a lot to deal with right now. The aftershocks and continuing challenges around Covid-19, the technological advances shaking things up across the board, and a skill shortage creating a very competitive atmosphere.
According to the Federation of Small Businesses, 80% of small firms face difficulties recruiting applicants with suitable skills. It’s little wonder that with all this on their plates, recruiters may find it hard to stay positive and motivated.
That said, many other things can drain motivation, such as problems like lack of communication, micromanagement, distrust and a lack of appreciation.
How to help your new recruiters find their motivation
Not having an office doesn’t have to be a roadblock to enhancing employee motivation. You just need a few tools to clear the path ahead.
Create a feeling of belonging
Recruitment is a competitive field, and the skills that make someone an excellent recruiter can sometimes make it hard for them to settle into an agency. You need to ensure they feel like they are part of something bigger.
Encourage this with the help of frequent check-ins and some good collaboration tools. From regular Slack chats to weekly Zoom tea breaks, building a feeling of community online, even when you don’t have an office space, is possible.
Show you’re committed to growth
Encouraging a growth mindset is good for individual recruiters and your agency. You want new recruiters to start on the right foot, and that means showing them how much potential they have to shape and grow their roles.
This will help improve feelings of investment and motivation from the outset and will pay dividends for career development further down the line. According to Harvard Business Review, 34% of employees are more likely to feel a strong sense of ownership and commitment to a company if it demonstrates a strong growth mindset.
Make communication a priority
One of the biggest challenges recruiters face is connecting with candidates. Top talent tends to attract much attention, and your new recruiters may need help to stand out and be heard in the competition. And the last thing you want is for them to fight to be heard in their teams.
Open and maintain strong channels of communication to offer support and advice when it’s needed and you’ll be able to help your employees have a confident voice when it comes to reaching out to candidates.
Put your trust in your recruiters
This can be tricky, especially when you’re welcoming someone new into a remote team. But without trust, you’ll never be able to build the high-performing team you’ve dreamed of.
You must set your recruiters up with well-defined goals and responsibilities before you leave them to self-manage. After all, you can’t expect them to be on the same page as you if you don’t share what that page is. But once that has been communicated, resist the urge to micromanage and place your trust in your team.
Focus on accomplishments
The thing about working remotely is that you communicate digitally more often than not, which can sometimes lead to a false idea of what is being communicated. We all know how hard it can be to get the tone across in a quick text or email. And we also know that the human brain tends to be wired to watch out for danger or criticism!
To combat this, be generous with your attention when it comes to accomplishments and make it clear that you’d like them to be shared and celebrated. An employee engagement platform like ours makes it easy for everyone to shine a spotlight on achievements.
Be free with your feedback
Of course, there are times when you need to address an actual issue or area for potential improvement. When that’s the case, don’t put it off. Genuine feedback is incredibly valuable and can offer recruiters a way to develop and hone their skills.
Take a deep breath and embark on a tough conversation when the time is right. You might be surprised by how much it pays off. Frequent feedback can help to create an atmosphere of openness and trust too, which means your recruiters are more likely to come to you with a small problem – giving you a chance to stop it from growing into a big one.
Recognise and reward individual efforts
Recognition is one of the biggest motivators, and by making sure you’re recognising and rewarding the effort your recruiters put in, you’ll be helping them stay engaged and driven from the very start.
Not every week is a great week. Sometimes recruiters may put their heart and soul into making a connection, only to find that a candidate goes elsewhere.
Hitting targets is important, but so is staying positive and working to develop personal skills. Celebrate those little wins too, and generate feelings of accomplishment that will drive bigger ones in the future.
Transform your culture with Mo
- Improve employee engagement scores
- Reduce employee churn
- Build a collaborative culture
Mo is an employee recognition and engagement platform that can help leaders improve collaboration and morale, reduce employee churn and drive change.
Our platform creates a vibrant culture by developing team habits, encouraging people to celebrate success, recognise results and appreciate colleagues.
Your complete toolkit for connecting and motivating teams in the new world of work. Book a demo with our team today!
