Leveraging The Hiring Slowdown

As we navigate uncertainty and adapt to rapid changes in the economy, many companies are making critical pivots to their business strategies. Within the world of Talent Acquisition, this may mean your hiring plan has changed dramatically within a short period of time.

Often in the fast-paced environment of tech recruiting, the opportunity to reflect on processes and reevaluate is rare. A hiring slowdown can be an incredible opportunity for your team to refocus your priorities internally and plan for the future.

There’s no better place to start than by forming pools of top talent that you can tap into later down the line and doubling down on building relationships with potential hires. By building a pool of pre-vetted, qualified talent, you can fill your pipeline ahead of time, so you always have a starting point when a new role opens up.

Here are a few ways you can start creating an effective talent pool.


Your Talent Pool Could Include:

Bronze & silver medallists

You can only hire one person for each role, but that doesn’t mean all of the time you spent recruiting and assessing other candidates has to go to waste. And just because they weren’t quite right for one role doesn’t mean they wouldn’t make a good addition to your company in the future.

Past employees

People who have worked for you in the past can be a great addition to your talent pool, provided they left on good terms. Ambitious employees will likely have gained new skills since they left you, and their knowledge of the company means they’ll be able to get up to speed more quickly than other new hires if they decide to return.

Past freelancers & contractors

People who have freelanced or contracted for you in the past could be a good source of potential talent. Like past employees, they already understand your brand and how you work.

Event attendees

When you host or attend events like job fairs, conferences and trade fairs, you’ll meet a wide range of people working in your industry — some of whom might be interested in working with you down the line. They’re also more likely to respond to your outreach if they remember a positive experience with your brand at an event.

Employee referees

Employee referral schemes are a great way to find candidates who would fit in well at your organization, since no one knows what it’s really like to work for you better than them. While the right job won’t always be available when someone is referred, it’s worth hanging onto their details in case something comes up.

Passive candidates

You can also add passive candidates that you’ve already spoken with to your talent pool, particularly when they’ve responded positively to your outreach in the past. Sometimes the timing just isn’t right when you reach out, but that doesn’t mean you should forget about them altogether.

Find Out How We Can Help Your Business

Whether you’re in need of specialist tech knowledge, looking to improve your DE&I recruitment strategies or building headcount forecasts and successful processes for the long-term, Talentful provides a unique blend of tactical recruitment delivery, strategic process building and long-term planning. 


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