Yesterday marked the beginning of a new year, and subsequently, a fresh start on all things related to your life and your business. Go ahead and look out your window. It’s 2014 and anything is possible.

January 1 is more than just a day on the calendar. It is a time to reflect on the past year, and more importantly, focus on the one ahead. How can you become a better recruiter? How can you become a better you?

And while it’s true that New Year’s resolutions fizzle out quicker than fireworks across a New Year’s Eve night sky, creating a list of goals and new recruiting techniques for 2014 can significantly increase your success as a recruiter, if you put them to practice!

Statistically, sales teams and businesses that make the fewest hiring errors are the most successful. Why? Because they have the best employees who were a perfect fit for the job from day one, and therefore, didn’t waste time with other candidates.

So, how can you improve your recruiting game in 2014? Here are a few helpful tips to get you going!

Never Stop Recruiting

Like many jobs or skills, recruiting is a never-ending process. You don’t just recruit when you need to. You recruit all the time. Round’ the clock. 24/7. In fact, the art of recruiting should constantly be your paramount focus.

Talk to people all the time. At the grocery store, in line at the bank and anywhere else you go. These are your “just in case” candidates. Ask questions about what they do for a living and whether they are happy or not. A person who is happy at their job could become dissatisfied in the future and want a change.

You can also take this mentality into going after candidates that many people feel are “untouchable.” These are candidates who say they’re happy at their job and are not only successful there, but also doing extremely well.

Do Your Homework on Resumes

If you are recruiting simply by looking at resumes, you are setting yourself up for a bad hire. That’s because resumes are full of inaccuracies.

In fact, statistics claim that an estimated 80 percent of all resumes are misleading, with 29 percent reportedly claiming fraudulent degrees and 30 percent with altered employment dates. Yes, a resume is a great starting point, but you have to do your homework if you want to get the right candidate.

By taking a little extra time to conduct background checks and actually calling his or her references, you can save yourself from bringing in the wrong candidate for an interview. And when time is of the essence, you can’t afford to waste it on candidates who aren’t who they say they are.

Along the same lines, make sure you have clearly defined the hiring requirements for a job posting and that they aren’t based on unimportant factors. Demand the best from your recruits and you will get the best.

Protect Your Biggest Asset

By now you know that recruiting is a fast-paced job day in and day out. You have to keep a fast-paced tempo all year long or you’ll soon be left behind. As a recruiter, your biggest asset is your time and you should treat it as such. You deal with distractions on a daily basis so it is important to guard your time and know where to invest your efforts.

Balance your time between a candidate and time spent on your last job placement and make sure you aren’t spending more time on a candidate than you should. Your job as a recruiter is finding, qualifying and placing a candidate at a company. You should also know when to stop chasing or helping a candidate who is a lost cause. Don’t waste your time on candidates who aren’t willing to put in the effort themselves.

By protecting your time you can significantly increase your productivity and changes of finding and placing more candidates throughout the year.

Become a Better Interviewer

This is one of the most valuable skills a recruiter can have. In fact, we’ve discussed interviewing techniques here previously. Like any skill, interviewing effectively takes practice and repetition; something many recruiters don’t get enough of throughout the year.

One way you can remedy that is by scheduling more interviews throughout the year. Set a goal to interview a set number of candidates every week or month and do your best to reach it. Practice interviewing techniques and become more comfortable talking to candidates.

By putting a few of these tips into practice over the next year, you can significantly increase your efficiency and productivity as a recruiter. So what are you waiting for? Get going and see how 2014 can be your best year yet.