How To Recruit in a Down Market

The time is now!

Recruiting is a challenge in any market, but it can be especially difficult when the economy is down. In this situation, many companies are not hiring new employees and aren’t even considering the idea of increasing their staffs. However, even if your company isn't currently looking for additional hires, there are still lots of ways to find great candidates who will become successful employees once you do bring them on board.

Recruiting is a long game

Recruitment marketing is a long-term process, not something you can do in the short term and then forget about. This means that don’t wait to post your job to start advertising immediately, build a following and keep your employer brand top of mind with people who may be interested down the road. Use referrals as often as possible yet be sure not to neglect other candidates who may become available later this year or next year.

The best time to start increasing efforts at finding new talent is now! Get your employer brand in order now so you are ready for the better talent when it becomes available again. Looking to the future, you can take steps now to reach a wider audience and build your employer brand. In addition to continuing to advertise your job openings and make them available through career sites like Indeed, Zip Recruiter, and LinkedIn Recruiter, be sure that you have a presence on social media.

You should have a Facebook page and/or Instagram account, as well as a Twitter feed. If you do not, I would strongly suggest creating them now so that when you start marketing your employer brand and posting your jobs again, people can easily find them. You may also want to consider creating a blog or website where you can post information about what it is like to work at your company.

Go back to old candidates and market your employer brand

If you’re not using a recruiting software to organize your candidates, then it can be difficult to stay in touch with them. But if you do have one and are using it properly, then this is an easy way to keep in touch with candidates and get a feel for how they are doing. If they haven’t updated their status or sent a message through the platform recently, reach out via email or LinkedIn and ask them if they are still interested in the job. You should also ask candidates who aren't currently active on the platform if they would be interested in working with your company again in the future. This simple gesture can help show that you care about each person's experience interacting with your company (and maybe even encourage more job seekers to sign up).

It's important not just because it helps keep your pipeline filled, but also because networking is essential for any sales organization that wants visibility into its industry ecosystem."

The last thing you want is to lose good candidates because they get frustrated with your company. If you don’t stay in touch with them and make sure they are happy, then they may end up taking another job offer elsewhere. You can do this by sending a quick email or LinkedIn message every once in awhile to ask how things are going and if there is anything else you can provide them. This will keep them active on your platform and ensure that you have their contact information if something opens up at a later date."

Use recruitment marketing to attract candidates

• ​Use social media to attract candidates. Social media is an effective way to reach potential candidates and allow them to see your company's culture, benefits, and career opportunities.

• Use LinkedIn advertising to attract candidates. LinkedIn advertising allows you to target your ideal job seekers by geography, industry or job title so that you can reach the right people at the right time with a custom message in their industry-specific newsfeeds.

• Use your website as a means of attracting candidates through content marketing tactics such as blogging, guest posting on relevant sites and sharing thought leadership articles via email newsletters or social media platforms like Twitter or LinkedIn Group Discussions (LGs).

• Use your company's blog to share information about your business and industry news, as well as provide tips for job seekers. Make sure to include contact information so that those interested in learning more can easily reach out to you.

Don't waste the opportunity

As we discussed earlier, there are many ways that you can find talent to fill your company’s needs. We hope this post has given you some ideas on how to recruit in a down market—but remember, it’s not just about finding new hires; it’s also about finding the right ones! The key is to keep up your efforts now so when things get better again (and they will), you’ll be ready with a strong team in place.