As the economy has caused instances of hiring-volume decline among a variety of organizations, some recruiting teams have seen the slowing of requisitions as a golden opportunity. During times of vigorous hiring, many recruiters have the challenge of merely keeping up with demand. During times of lower volume, however, many of the skill sets used to manage multiple job openings become less pressing. Some recruiting organizations are realizing that this is a golden opportunity for recruiters to enhance skill sets outside of the general recruiting cycle, or alternatively, to give more attention to crucial recruiting skills that may not get as much attention when recruiters are merely trying to keep their heads above water.
What have we seen recruiting organizations do to upskill during this downturn?
- Focus on skills related to “needs definition,” or the upfront cycle of the recruiting process, which may not get the attention they deserve during “triage” periods of hiring. Thus, periods of slower volume can be ideal to focus on skills that may be neglected in other environments.
- Give recruiters opportunities to enhance or broaden their skills toward areas such as candidate relationship management, which will be increasingly important over time. This not only deepens the arsenal of recruiting skills available to a recruiter, but also helps the function prepare for any future uptick in hiring.
- Use the opportunity to focus on strategic or wider business skills sets, taking advantage of cross-functional teams or new project work (e.g., workforce planning, technology strategy, or consultative partnerships). In some instances, recruiters are even working in other HR or business areas to widen their overall functional or business-related experience.
Written by: John Davenport
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