Signs of life in the labor market? Maybe. After months of nothing but gloom and doom, I finally read two different reports forecasting an uptick in hiring in the coming months. Now, please don’t ask me for the specific sources…because I deleted the emails, and when I looked for them to write this article, no luck. Ugh!!! But I promise, there were some signs of optimism! Assuming the tides are turning, are you ready to capitalize? Most companies are not. As we’ve learned from past downturns, the companies that do more—before things get better—are the ones that recover the earliest and recover the strongest (we’re talking 2x the rate of average growth in staffing!) So, what should you be doing, right now, to prepare? 1) Strengthen your market position If you want to win when the surge hits, you need to clarify where you're playing and how you win. Double down on your niche. Focus your marketing and sales on the sectors you serve best—whether that’s logistics, healthcare, skilled trades, or other skill disciplines. Refine your value prop. Why should an employer switch from their current staffing partner to you? Clarify your unique differentiators in speed, quality, service, and results. Or maybe focus on the problems you can solve better than anyone else. Stay top of mind. Increase visibility through LinkedIn, email newsletters, blog content, and direct outreach. Be the voice they’re hearing before they’re ready to buy. 2) Prepare your sales pipeline Don’t wait for job orders to start building relationships. Your sales team should already be planting seeds. Identify top prospects. Use job board data, local news, and market reports to build a watchlist of 50 to 100 target companies (per sales rep). Start conversations. Reach out, but not to sell staffing. Talk about workforce planning, upcoming projects, and contingency needs. Talk about the issues that matter to those companies right now. This is where you want persona driven content marketing! Re-engage past clients. The ones who ghosted you last year? Call them now. Chances are they’re planning for 2026…and may be looking for new staffing suppliers for upcoming projects. Launch nurture sequences. Monthly emails. LinkedIn drips. Value-rich updates on labor trends, wage data, and hiring best practices. Be a source of knowledge. 3) Ramp up recruiting capacity We’ve always been contrarians in this regard. When the market is short for job orders—recruit more! Why? Because when orders arrive, you want to be first to fill. And an empty bench won’t help you win new business. Reawaken your database. Text, email, and call past candidates. Offer incentives for reactivating profiles. Upgrade your candidate experience. Is your application process painful? Too many communication “black holes?” Now's the time to streamline and automate. Boost referrals. Relaunch referral campaigns—even $25 gift cards can move the needle. Pre-train talent. Offer micro-certifications or refresher courses to ensure candidates are work-ready when job orders start to flow. Recruit strategically. Ask your clients about the roles they are going to need and the skills they find hardest to source…then start recruiting the talent pool they’ll need. 4) Optimize your marketing and brand presence Visibility creates familiarity. Familiarity creates trust. Trust = job orders! Audit your website and career portal. Make sure your messaging is on point, verify your site is mobile-friendly, fast, and every page is designed to convert. Showcase your wins. Post case studies, testimonials, and success stats. Use your website to prove your value. And proactively solicit more 5-star reviews! Educate, don’t sell. Blog about hiring trends. Post tips for workforce planning. Position yourself as the expert, not just a vendor. Implement an SEO/AIO strategy. Want to be found when employers start to search for staffing providers? You need to be working on your strategy for search engines and AI overviews now. Use paid ads wisely. Start warming up employer audiences on LinkedIn and Google Display. If nothing else, implement retargeting ads to keep your company top-of-mind. 5) Protect and grow existing accounts The competition is going to be (already is?) coming after your clients. It’s time to defend your turf and identify opportunities to provide more value. Schedule Q4 reviews. Talk to your top clients now about their 2026 plans and hiring strategies. Deepen relationships. Expand your network of contacts inside each client organization—get to know the decision makers and decision influencers. Consider new service options. How else can you add value for your clients? EOR solutions? RPO? Providing customized onboarding or safety training? Find ways to may your services “stickier.” Create VIP programs. Offer your best clients premium perks they can’t get elsewhere. This might include: priority access to new talent, dedicated staffing managers, preferred pricing programs, or specialized training and coaching for their hiring managers. 6) Align sales, recruiting and marketing Get your teams working together to maximize results. Create shared goals. Align KPIs—like sales targets, client meetings booked, job orders filled, or time-to-fill—across functions to create joint accountability.
Centralize data. Use your ATS or CRM tools to track prospect feedback, talent shortages, and hiring timelines in one spot. Hold weekly “same page” meetings. Treat sales, recruiting, and marketing like one go-to-market team. Share updates on hot prospects, candidate pipelines, and campaign results. 7) Think like a futurist The best staffing firms don’t just react. They anticipate. Use AI to forecast. Analyze seasonal trends and historical data to predict where demand will hit. Use AI to accelerate. Invest in AI-powered technologies to support sales and recruiting. From automated skill marketing to recruiting assistants, AI can supercharge your team’s capabilities and allow you to sell more and close placements faster. |
