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The recruitment world has changed—and whether your team is hybrid, remote-first, or fully virtual, one thing hasn’t: performance still matters. But without the buzz of an office, the whiteboards, and the shoulder taps, the Mars Bar incentives, how do you keep productivity high without becoming a recruitment micromanager?
With so much tech and data, it's easy for procrastination and "admin-first" mentality to sneak in - and phone and face time with candidates and client suffers - and pipelines are not robust enough.
But as a leader of a recruitment team or firm, I bet you're still waiting for the memo on how to manage your teams to max productivity...
Here are some thoughts on recruitment leaders can set up their remote / hybrid teams for success—with clarity, connection, and commercial focus.
1. Shift the Focus to Outcomes, Not Hours
The most productive recruiters aren’t always the ones who log on early or appear busy all day—they’re the ones who deliver results. Set expectations around outcomes: interviews booked, candidates submitted, jobs filled. Productivity isn’t about presenteeism; it’s about performance.
You can call these KPIs, or simply "brilliant basics" - call them what you need to but, be clear on your goals and expectations.
2. Run Daily Huddles to Set the Pace
A short 10–15 minute morning huddle can align the team around daily goals, hot jobs, and potential roadblocks. It keeps activity visible and creates a sense of shared momentum, even across screens. Don't scrimp on these kick offs / cool downs - they are vital to help your team (and you) stay connected.
3. Use Dashboards to Drive Conversations
Live dashboards in your CRM (like Bullhorn) are powerful tools—but only if used constructively. Track key KPIs / Analytics / deliverables like CVs sent, interviews scheduled, and pipeline activity. Ensure that your tech can easily track these goals to ensure that your CRM/ATS is a single source of truth.
4. Coach in the Moment
Feedback shouldn't wait for end-of-week reviews. If a recruiter is struggling with outreach, sourcing, or conversion—jump on a quick call or screen-share. Remote doesn’t have to mean distant.
5. Over-Communicate (Yes, Really)
In an office, information travels quickly. Remotely, you need to be intentional. Encourage regular Slack / MS Teams / Zoom etc... updates, team chats, even voice notes. It’s not about overloading people—it’s about keeping everyone in the loop and engaged.
6. Structure the Day for Success
Help recruiters design their day with clear time blocks: sourcing, BD, admin, follow-up. Get these diarised and transparent. Without the natural rhythm of an office, distractions creep in. Time-blocking restores focus.
7. Celebrate the Small Wins
That candidate who finally returned the call? The new job lead from an old client? Shout it out! Wins matter more than ever when working remotely—recognition drives motivation and retention.
We recommend, for example, an MS Teams channel devoted to team / people successes. And ensure that the team feel empowered to shout out each other's successes.
8. Check In (Not Just Check On)
Don’t just ask for numbers. It's too easy, when managing people remotely, to focus on the work outputs - as a leader you need to be better / different. Ask how they’re doing. Engage in what makes them tick. Remote work can feel isolating, for both you an them, especially in high-pressure sales environments. Regular check-ins help uncover hidden blockers—and show that you care.
9. Give Them the Right Tools (and Training)
Make sure your recruiters and resourcers have access to the tools they need—video calling platforms, up-to-date CRM access, and workflow automation. Then layer in continuous training so they can use the tools confidently and commercially. This is especially important if you have AI / Automation tools. Training on the why, as well as the how, can be empowering and drive change quicker. Simply turning them on with minimal training risks "buy-out".
10. Keep the Culture Alive
From monthly leaderboards to virtual quizzes and Friday wrap-ups, make space for team bonding. How about a weekly quiz, using Kahoot or MS Teams, and each week a different team member runs it?
High-performing teams thrive on connection—don’t let geography erode your culture.
Final Thought: Set the Standard, Then Drive It
Remote recruitment teams thrive when there’s clarity and consistency.
Create a simple “how we work” playbook—when check-ins happen, how KPIs are tracked, what good looks like.
Then empower your recruiters to own their day, backed by your coaching and tools.
The market won’t wait—and neither should your recruitment team. Productivity is a habit, and with the right leadership, remote recruiters can be a super-powerful asset.
Want help building a remote recruitment process or smarter Bullhorn workflows? Let’s talk. I offer free consultations to help leaders like you unlock better performance—wherever your team logs in from.
BOOK YOUR FREE CONSULTATION
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Lisa Jones
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Stop Losing Placements: Your 3-Step Plan to Pre-empt the Counter Offer or Drop Out
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And the reasons your candidate wanted to leave in the first place are still there.1️⃣2️⃣3️⃣ Your 3-Step Counter Offer Prevention PlanThe key to preventing dropouts is to pre-empt the counter offer during the initial screening process. You must be proactive and get the candidate to process the scenario before they resign.🙈Step 1: Gather Intel on Company CultureMake it standard practice to gather intelligence on the candidate’s current company during the screening call. This isn't just about their skill set; it's about their employer's retention strategy.Key Questions to Ask:"Is there a known counter offer culture within your business?""What is the typical reaction when people resign from your organisation?""Are you aware of the firm's reputation for dealing with departing employees?"This research not only gives you crucial intelligence but also starts the candidate thinking critically about their current employer’s motivations.🙊Step 2: Get Them to Acknowledge the LikelihoodThe next step is to get the candidate to acknowledge and vocalise the likely sequence of events."Let’s be realistic: based on what you’ve told me, you will probably be counter-offered when you hand in your notice.""I need you to tell me now, what is likely to happen when you resign? What will your manager say to try and keep you?"By making the candidate admit what’s likely to happen, you remove the element of shock and flattering surprise when the counter offer is actually made. You own the narrative!🙉Step 3: Arm Them with the Facts (The Regret Factor)Now, you connect your intelligence gathering with the hard data. This is the final, crucial step: educate the candidate so they can manage the emotional moment of resignation.Tell them:It’s Not About Them: Their employer is only offering them more money because it’s easier and cheaper than replacing them right now. The trust is likely broken, and they are now a known flight risk who will probably be overlooked for future opportunities.The Core Problems Remain: The original reasons for their resignation—lack of progression, management issues, or company culture—are still there. A simple pay rise won’t fix the broken relationship or the fundamental job dissatisfaction.They Will Regret It: Remind them of the statistics: 9 out of 10 people who accept a counter offer are gone within a year. They’ll be looking for a new role again within six months, only this time, they’ve burnt a bridge with your client.💡By using data to manage the candidate experience and ensuring you have an open, honest discussion about the realities of a counter offer, you can manage this part of the candidate lifecycle and prevent the heartache and protect your pipeline. 👀Keep your eyes peeled! We'll be following this blog with ideas on how automation can help you make light work of preventing and managing drops outs and counter offers.Automation Buddy / Bullhorn RoIWe are Automation Buddies set on helping ambitious recruitment businesses who want to increase speed and sales.We coach to inspire, and build your automations so you can recruit and sell!Plus, through our Bullhorn Vision service we help generate serious ROI from your Bullhorn, data, and people.READ MORE ABOUT OUR BULLHORN VISION SERVICEREAD ABOUT OUR AUTOMATION BUDDY SERVICEBOOK YOUR FREE CONSULTATION
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Rose Megson
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Bullhorn Tip - Place More Jobs
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