If your company is in the process of laying off people, now is the time to also think of hiring excellent candidates. For every group of people your company lays off a new highly regarded job should be created when talent is available. Wait and you will regret it!
When a company lays off people they are usually laying off unproductive employees, employees nearing retirement looking to take early retirement and managerial employees who are redundant. This opens up dollars for positions that involve sales and business development, hard to fill technical positions and high level management positions to steer the company in new, lucrative directions. In other words, dead weight’s out and talent in.
This is the time that headhunters/recruiters can be most effective. Most candidates are waiting at this time for year end bonus’s to make decisions. If those bonus’s do not come the employee is unhappy to say the least. A good headhunter/recruiter can do a lot for your company with talented unhappy candidates ready to make a move by the first of the year.
Now is the time to sit down and think of your goals for the coming year 2009. What do you think your business will need to operate in a slowing economy. Is it sales or technology or new middle management skills. You should make your plans now. Create new positions or for every group of employees that are laid off replace with one or two excellent candidates.
The advantage to doing this planning early is that you will be able to envision what your company will need to stay competitive and you will be able to secure High level candidates at a discount to what they would be asking in a heated up economy.
Remember, the contrarian way of thinking usually works out very well. If everyone is going in one direction by laying off people your competitors loss will be your gain.