You Can Afford to Interview

As job seekers have been told for months, the job market is a lagging indicator of a return to economic stability. For businesses looking toward 2010 optimistically, a there’s a catch-22 developing. They can’t afford to hire, but they need to hire to grow. 

First off, I would argue they can afford to hire – just not in the same way they have in the past.

Consider reorganization of responsibilities to maximize do-ers and minimize redundant managers. Additionally, even if there just doesn’t currently exist a budget to hire, there is a budget to build a stable of qualified job applicants. That way, when the time and budget are right, you can pull the trigger while your competition is still placing expensive ads on job boards.

Building this stable of qualified job applicants isn’t expensive or particularly complicated. The process involves developing an online Careers Section, application qualification, and developing new hiring practices.

When developing an online Careers Section, consider incorporating the following.

• The Story and Vision of your business
• Employee Testimonials
• Hiring Policies
• Corporate Organization
• Opportunities for Advancement
• Current Team Profiles

If your business is in a similar HR catch-22, consider that even if you can’t afford to hire—you certainly can’t afford not to try.