How Successful Recruiters Work Fewer Hours
Ever feel like you're drowning in a sea of CVs whilst simultaneously chasing candidates who've gone radio silent? Welcome to recruitment in 2025.
Between demanding clients, ghosting candidates, and that monthly target looming over your head, finding time to actually think strategically feels about as likely as finding a developer who'll accept your first salary offer.
But here's the thing, some recruitment leaders seem to have cracked the code. They're hitting targets, their teams aren't burnt out, and they might even make it to the pub on Friday. We've had a proper dig into what they're doing differently, and it's not magic (unfortunately).
The 10-Minute Morning (This Actually Works)
The 5am club might be a reach for many but the 10 minute club will change your life in ways you can’t imagine.
Before you dive into your day, take 10 minutes to reflect on what you want to achieve today. What tasks you want to focus on, any candidates you need to follow , any challenging clients you need to reassure?
You catch problems before they become disasters.
It’s like having a stand up meeting by yourself, it might feel weird for about three days, then becomes the best part of your daily routine. Keep it realistic and don’t try to cram too much into one day
Stop Doing Everything Yourself (Seriously)
Look, we get it. You've been in recruitment long enough to know that if you want something done properly, you do it yourself. But here's the uncomfortable truth, you're probably the bottleneck in your own team.
Manually qualifying cold candidates, payroll or timesheet follow-ups, chasing interview confirmations, writing up meeting notes or checking booking details for shift roles - they need doing, but not by you or your 10+ years of recruitment experience.
These tasks matter but they’re admin. Train up your team or plug in tech to handle them, and suddenly you’ve got hours back each week to build relationships, negotiate offers, or coach your juniors.
AI Tools That Don't Replace Recruiters
Right, let's address the elephant in the room. AI isn't coming for your job, but recruiters using AI might have an advantage over those who aren't and this is true across many industries.
We're not talking about robot recruiters here. We're talking about using AI to handle the tedious bits so you can focus on the human stuff, you know, actually talking to people.
Practical examples include:
Transcribing your client calls so you can focus on the conversation, not note-taking
Writing the first draft of job adverts from your brief
Sorting through initial applications to find the obvious no-gos
Use AI to free up time for relationship building, not to replace relationship building.
Actually Learning from What Goes Wrong
Every recruiter has war stories. The candidate who accepted then didn't show up on day one. The client who changed the brief three times mid-process. The perfect match that fell apart at the offer stage.
Instead of just adding these to your collection of pub stories, what if you actually used them to improve your process?
After any placement (successful or not), spend five minutes asking: What worked well? What would we do differently? Is there a pattern here we should address?
Your team's probably making similar mistakes. A quick debrief could save everyone time and stress.
You don’t need to work 12-hour days to be a high-performing recruiter, you just need to work smarter. Small changes like quick daily reflections, delegating properly, and using the right tech can make a huge difference.
The best recruiters aren’t superhuman, they’re just better at choosing where to spend their energy.
Want to see how Talisman can help you do more in less time (without losing your edge)? Book a demo to find out how we can support your smarter, leaner way of working.
Let’s make recruitment work for you.