Hiring Freeze: Tips for Recruiters to Tackle it Like a Pro

The recruitment industry faces constant challenges, such as the growth of the gig economy, high turnover rates, and layoffs. However, the most unwelcome of these recruiting challenges is a hiring freeze, when clients put a hold on hiring new talent. This can be a significant obstacle for the recruitment industry.

What is a Hiring Freeze?

A hiring freeze is when a company temporarily halts hiring new employees or creating new job positions. This is often a cost-saving measure for companies during financial difficulties or economic instability. Instead of laying off existing staff, companies may choose to implement a hiring freeze to reduce operating costs. Other reasons for a hiring freeze include changes in market conditions or economic uncertainty like a recession.

Why do companies implement a hiring freeze?

In times of economic uncertainty, businesses often have to make tough decisions to ensure long-term financial stability. A hiring freeze is one such measure that may be implemented in response to several reasons, including:

Market instability: When market conditions become unpredictable, companies may pause hiring to minimize the impact on their revenue and profitability.

Global events: Major events such as the COVID-19 pandemic affected businesses worldwide, leading companies to implement a hiring freeze to weather the storm.

Liquidity concerns: Companies may delay recruitment when faced with declining liquid assets, instead opting to allocate funds from their payroll budget to maintain liquidity.

Financial shortfalls: If a company anticipates hiring will result in a budget deficit, it may delay new hires until its financial situation improves.

How long does a hiring freeze last?

The duration of a hiring freeze is subject to change. Typically, a hiring freeze lasts for a period of three to six months. After this, the company will reassess the situation and determine whether to continue the freeze or resume hiring.

Best practices for recruiters during a hiring freeze

Surviving a hiring freeze is crucial for recruiters, as it is a test of their resilience and ability to adapt. To stay valuable to your business during such a time, it is important to continuously assess and improve yourself. Here are some ways to navigate through a hiring freeze:

1. Nurture Relationships with Clients

Surviving a hiring freeze in the recruitment industry requires being a step ahead of the competition. Take advantage of your expertise and stay on top of emerging patterns and trends that may impact your clients. Share these insights with your clients, so you can keep your nose to the grindstone and be at the forefront of their minds. Use past experiences and knowledge to make informed predictions about post-freeze results and show your value to clients. 

Shine a light on relevant data from previous hiring freezes to help clients see the bigger picture and understand the timeline for restarting their recruitment process. Stay on the same page with clients by providing forecasts on the potential impact that top candidates could bring to the process after a prolonged hiatus. Continuously keep clients in the loop on any challenges they may face in the hiring process and be there to lend a helping hand.

2. Keep your talent pipeline warm

Keeping the fire burning with your existing job applicants is essential, especially during a hiring freeze. Nurturing strong relationships with candidates is the key to keeping a steady flow of talent, even during tough times.

Here are some tips to help you stay on top of the game

• Tap into the power of LinkedIn to stay ahead of the curve and expand your network of candidates, even during a hiring freeze.
• Keep in touch with candidates you had previously considered for client companies that have hit the pause button on hiring.
• Stand out from the crowd by reaching out to job seekers and painting a picture of what makes your recruitment agency unique, even during a hiring freeze. Show them the benefits of working with your clients and how the job opportunity can boost their careers.
• Stay one step ahead of the competition by fortifying your talent retention strategies, even during a hiring freeze. This will prevent them from poaching your top talent.
• Consider playing your cards right by re-deploying talent during a hiring freeze. Match candidates with open roles within your client companies to keep layoffs at bay, even during tough times.

Keeping these tips in mind allows you to stay connected and in demand even during a hiring freeze and keep the talent pipeline flowing.

3. Polish up your brand

A hiring freeze can be a blessing in disguise for your recruitment firm. While the hiring process may slow down, you can focus more on your company’s image and reputation.

By putting your best foot forward on social media, such as giving a shout-out to your rockstar recruiters and giving a behind-the-scenes look at your workspace, you can paint a picture of thriving and desirable workplace culture. Encouraging your employees to sing your praises on social media is like adding icing on the cake, solidifying your employer brand as one to be reckoned with.

Additionally, by tailoring your content to the right audience, you can show potential candidates that your company is the cream of the crop and that you’re dedicated to attracting and retaining top talent.

A hiring freeze gives you a chance to focus on strengthening your employer brand. And by doing so, you can set the stage for attracting top talent when the hiring freeze is lifted.

4. Great time to update the tech

Are you feeling the pinch of outdated recruitment software holding you back during a hiring freeze? The old adage “time is money” rings especially true in recruitment. That’s why it’s crucial to evaluate your technology and ensure it’s equipped to handle the demands of a constantly evolving job market.

Don’t let a hiring freeze be a roadblock to the success of your recruitment agency. Instead, see it as a golden opportunity to upgrade your software for a recruitment agency. 

Recruiterflow – is a complete operating system your agency needs. Our platform is packed with features like ATS, CRM, Automation, and Data Analytics, designed to streamline your recruitment process and keep your agency ahead of the game.

Our powerful Chrome sourcing extension, resume parser, and robust data analytics will give your recruiters the upper hand in candidate sourcing and client relationship management. And, when it comes to support, we’ve got you covered. Recruiterflow offers 24/7 customer support.

Don’t let your recruitment process suffer because of outdated software. Instead, upgrade to Recruiterflow – your one-stop solution for all your hiring needs. Give your agency the boost it needs to succeed, even during a hiring freeze.

5. Create candidate and client-focused content

In today’s job market, content marketing is a game changer for attracting top talent. With the job market on ice, creating and sharing content that hits the bullseye for job seekers is more important than ever. From email templates that are a breeze to use to job advertisements that pack a punch, there are many ways to make a real difference in a candidate’s job search journey.

Given that content marketing is all the rage these days, it’s no longer enough to be a bystander. Sit down with your team and brainstorm together about your content strategy. Craft whitepapers, case studies, ebooks, and other downloadable PDFs that are the cherry on top for job seekers. These resources can help show the world that your company is the crème de la crème and provide job seekers with the inside scoop on what it’s like to work for you.

Effective content marketing can increase brand awareness and loyalty, which can be a huge plus for you to attract top talent.

Don’t sell yourself short – even the smallest content creation efforts can make a significant impact. So, take your time, and create content that speaks volumes. Share it with job seekers to help them navigate the job market and find their next big break.

Check out how 7 Eagle Group used a content-driven recruitment strategy to attract candidates

6. Re-innovate your hiring process

During a hiring freeze, it’s the perfect opportunity to spruce up your recruitment process and iron out any wrinkles. Take a deep dive into your recruitment metrics. Use your recruitment software’s data and analytics dashboard to pinpoint where you’re coming up short.

Look at key recruitment metrics such as; cost per hire, hiring time, job offers acceptance rates, and source of hire to get a clear picture of what needs improvement.

Once you’ve identified the problem areas, it’s time to roll up your sleeves and get to work. Appoint the right people to tackle each issue. Focus on creating a bespoke hiring process that sets you apart from the competition. From finding your company’s unique brand voice to offering an unparalleled candidate and client experience and quick response times, there’s plenty you can do to streamline your process and make it a standout in the crowded job market.

7. Invest in reskilling, upskilling, and cross-training

Invest in self-education during this downtime. It’s the perfect opportunity to learn new tricks of the trade and brush up on your recruitment skills. So get in the driver’s seat and steer yourself towards success by-

• Reading recruitment blogs.
• Tuning in to educational recruitment podcasts
• Catching up on relevant YouTube videos
• Subscribing to news-packed newsletters and more.

As a leader, lead by example and take your team along by incorporating comprehensive training sessions. Whether it’s reworking your job descriptions, optimizing your content using SEO techniques for better visibility, or mastering the art of cold calling and emailing, there’s no limit to what you can achieve with a little extra effort.

You can also go the extra mile to earn a master’s degree from a reputable institution. For example, you could explore a master’s degree in psychology, which fits in well irrespective of the industry you are in and can help you handle people better. 

Also Read: Recruiting Certifications and Training Programs You Need

8. Prepare for a post-hiring-freeze world

Use this time to your advantage to turn lemons into lemonade during the hiring freeze. Stay in the loop with your hiring managers. Map out which job openings will need to be filled first when the hiring ban is lifted. Putting in the extra effort will pay off in spades when it’s time to hit the ground running. Use the hiring freeze as an opportunity to fine-tune your services. Develop creative solutions for clients who have put a hold on hiring. Finally, put your best foot forward and continue to provide top-notch service to your current clients. Remember, a stitch in time saves nine.