Depending on whom you listen to, which news sources you read, and what market(s) you are in, the economy is:

• In a recession, or
• Entering a recession soon, or
• No recession is on the horizon.

Whatever the state of the economy in your industry or geography, this is an excellent time to evaluate your recruiting program, including its successes and shortcomings. In fact, given the current recruiting challenges, there may not be a better time.

Historically, as a slowdown in the economy or a recession unfolds, layoffs occur, and many companies put recruiting and hiring activities on hold. Uncertainties in the economy cause management to adopt a conservative, wait-and-see approach to hiring. This hesitancy to move forward may reduce internal recruiting resources and lower activity levels with outside recruiting resources.

The challenges come when conditions stabilize or improve and business resumes at a positive level. The frequent reaction is, "OMG! We need people!" Owners, hiring managers, team leaders, and others rush to hire, replace laid-off internal recruiting resources, renew or repair relationships with external recruiting sources, and scramble to meet new business goals.

Will This Time be Different?

Many organizations have learned their lesson to not overreact to business slowdowns or recessions when it comes to recruiting. Of course, other organizations have not learned from their experiences in the economy's swings, or they have not been through a down cycle.

Given the lack of consensus regarding the economy's status and considering the very challenging recruiting environment that companies currently face, this time may be different. Many companies continue to hire because they are behind in their recruiting targets and because employees continue to leave. However, layoffs are also happening in other organizations.

Whatever your view of the economy, there are two ways to proceed with recruiting that will benefit your organization in the near- and long-term.

In the near term, continue recruiting for the positions critical to your ongoing success. Take a close look at which functions are most vital, where reassignments or replacements should occur, and where new roles may be most beneficial to the company.

In the near and longer term, you may want to look closely at initiating or expanding your recruitment marketing efforts. An economic slowdown provides the perfect opportunity to develop a recruitment marketing program that will serve you well for years. In addition, each step you take in developing this program will have an immediate positive impact on your organization. And you can closely monitor and adjust the costs of creating or expanding this program in terms of time, effort, and money based on your specific circumstances.

Continue to Recruit

During the recession of 2008-09, I worked with a client that decided to make some critical hires for replacement and expansion purposes. The company could not make new hires throughout its organization, but management agreed on the value of additional sales or business development people.

The Vice President of Sales wanted to reassign two salespeople to new opportunities, and she wanted to expand the sales group geographically. Thus, we identified and attracted five new business development professionals during a 12-to-18-month period.

The leader of the sales team was delighted with the new people. There was general agreement that the company saw more attractive candidates because the recruiting intensity for the top candidates was less during this time. In addition, these new people had more time to learn about the business, the company, and the competition.

When the economy stabilized, and business picked up, these new salespeople had a distinct advantage. They were able to hit the ground running. Furthermore, the company made a powerful impression on existing and prospective clients with its aggressive mindset during this difficult time.

The company's sales and profits rose substantially when most companies tried to restart their business. This unique recruiting approach contributed to the company's U.S. leadership position in their industry.

Establish or Expand Your Recruitment Marketing Program

Recruitment Marketing is an employer's actions that promote identifying and attracting the right individuals to join your organization.

Just as your commercial marketing team works to inform and attract new customers, recruitment marketing seeks to inform and attract new employees.

Your traditional marketing strategy includes a definition of your ideal customer, a description of why a customer should purchase your products or services, and how you will communicate with your target customers. Similarly, your recruitment marketing strategy will identify why you are the best place to work, who your ideal candidates are, and how you will communicate with these individuals.

If you agree the quality of people working in your organization will determine your success, recruitment marketing can be instrumental in developing that success. All aspects of your business will improve and grow by continually adding the right people to your organization.

Your recruiting process will:

• Target more passive candidates rather than scramble for the limited number of available candidates at the time of your open position.
• Flow more smoothly and efficiently when an open position occurs because some communication and relationships exist with potential candidates.
• Cost less money to operate.
• Enable your recruiters to make better use of their time by focusing on developing stronger candidates and less on administration and miscellaneous duties.
• Provide a better experience for all candidates.
• In addition, your current employees will bond more with your organization as you seek their recruiting and work environment input. And your customers, vendors, and the communities you serve will benefit from your positive visibility in the marketplace and the general improvement in your operations.

Buck the Trend – Keep a Serious Focus on Recruiting During the Economic Slowdown

Even if you must stop or reduce the number of hires during this recession, look closely at your recruiting program and determine what needs to be changed. What key hires can you make that will significantly impact your business when the economy recovers? If your industry or region stops or slows its recruiting efforts, this can be the perfect time to identify and attract outstanding candidates for these positions.

Whatever you do, create or expand your recruitment marketing efforts. Developing why your company is a great place to work, identifying your ideal candidates, and developing how you will communicate with these people will provide short- and long-term benefits. Since saving money is a high priority during a recession, these low-cost initiatives offer excellent value.

Furthermore, you can complement these efforts with additional low-cost procedures.

• Assess synergies from your marketing and recruiting departments' content preparation and presentation collaboration.
• Document the steps and processes required to facilitate a strong candidate referral program.
• Evaluate all elements of recruiting to determine those most effectively conducted in-house and those which need outside expertise. This study will generate efficiency in your recruiting program and reduce unnecessary reliance on outside contractors.

Any of these efforts will positively impact your business and your recruiting program when the economic cycle improves and well into the future.