But there are some golden rules to hiring in hard times.

Don’t compromise.

Listen up. Recruiting can be costly, so you want to do it right. In other words: find the best person for the job; not just the available one. Hold out for someone who really wants to join your ranks (rather than someone who really needs a pay check). Look for genuine enthusiasm; someone who sees you as part of their career path, rather than as a stop gap.

Know your sells.

What’s going to attract people to your business over any other? That’s the big question. What makes you so interesting? So competitive? So downright awesome to work for? Understand that and your job becomes a whole lot easier. But avoid overselling at all costs! Making big ‘ol promises that you can’t keep will leave you with a disillusioned – and totally unengaged – workforce.

Break the mould.

Okay, we’re all guilty of this. We stick to what we know. But when it comes to recruiting in tricky times, you’ve got to look beyond the tried and tested. Now’s the time to get creative. Get flexible. Get open-minded. In times of high unemployment, loads of people reassess their careers. It’s like a new lease of life. So when it comes to looking for your next hire, don’t overlook people who are new to your industry. They could be the new blood you need.

Look to the future.

You might not be in a position to expand your headcount just yet (we totally get it), but you can still use this time to your advantage. Build the right relationships now and when you’re ready and raring to recruit, you’ll be in the best position possible. Start dialogues. Connect with people on LinkedIn. Focus on building a brand that people want to work for. Put the effort in now and you’ll save yourself a heap of time and energy when you need it most.

Use our expertise.

Not to blow our own trumpet, but we know pretty much everything there is to know about recruitment – which is great news for you, because it’s like having your own hiring oracle (but with wisdom that’s based on fact and a whole heap of industry experience). We understand how to attract the people that everyone else is trying to get their mitts on and we know how to ‘sell’ the many, many merits of your company. So use us, that’s what we’re here for.

See, it’s not all bad. Recruiting in tough times can be downright savvy. But our support doesn’t end there – oh no! We’ve created a whole heap of guides for your perusal.