Most people panic when they hear or see the phrase: hiring freeze. It can feel negative and as if the future is so unknown that our entire companies have to pause.

But, there's good news. Hiring freezes don't simply mean our businesses are crashing and burning. They allow companies a chance to re-strategize their hiring goals, closely monitor the market, pivot if they have to, and invest in retaining their current employees before they look outward.

So, what do recruiters do during this time period since their role is to...recruit and hire?

First tip: don't completely stall all of your recruitment advertising plans. Taking your time to prepare for the new hiring wave, with the right recruitment strategy, can help your overall hiring process in the long run.

Recruiters, here's what you can do if your company enters a hiring freeze:

Pivot towards improving employer branding.

Talent Works found that 59% of candidates use social media to research companies they are interested in. Employer branding includes the value prop to employees, the market’s perception of the company, and insight into the work culture and vision.   

When employer branding resonates with candidates, this can compel them to feel they can exchange their skills, talents, and work experience with your company by hitting apply. Learning more about your company brand can be done by performing internal and external research on previous applicant feedback surveys, reviews from career pages, internal employee interviews, and feedback.  

Improve your brand strategy to enhance the candidate experience.

A few reminders to remember as you're refining your brand strategy:

• Create company career pages on job sites and keep your audience engaged by posting company updates

• Continue to be clear and concise in your employer’s mission statement to make it easier for candidates to understand and connect with you

• If you have diversity, inclusivity, and equality initiatives, ensure this is included in your mission statement to appeal to candidates from all backgrounds and cultures

Revamp the hiring process for future hiring.

Rethink the hiring process.

A candidate spends an average of 5 minutes completing a job application. Walk through the hiring process as a job seeker applying to your role. Is there a part of the process you would like to change? The process should be seamless and easy to apply to. If even you are getting stuck, bored, or annoyed, now's the time to work on changing it.

Side note: JobTarget's Easy Apply feature can make the application process easier and more attractive for job seekers to apply for your role on any job site. 

Research industry data and hiring trends to stay ahead of the curve.

To predict the best time to hire, you may have to monitor macroeconomic trends to spot the ideal time to start hiring again and bring this up to the key decision-makers involved in hiring.  

• You can start researching hiring trends by signing up for HR expert advice from human resource associations such as the Society of Human Resources Management.  

• Set up Google Alerts and create alerts for your industry type to receive current job market and industry updates sent straight to your inbox, so you never miss a beat.

Staying ahead in these key areas will not only help give you a sense of future hiring direction, but will also help you efficiently recruit to save time and ad dollars when the "unfreezing" happens.

Want to stay in the know in the recruitment advertising world? Learn more about what JobTarget can do for you, even during a hiring freeze.