As we begin 2023, many companies are experiencing hiring freezes. Some hiring managers have a sense of how long the freeze will be, some don’t, but all know that it’s temporary. So, what can hiring managers do during the freeze to stay competitive in the war for talent?

Hiring is a competition, since companies are trying to attract and hire out of the same pool of talent. When you’re in a hiring freeze, some managers feel that they are out of the game and missing on highly talented people. I suggest that even if positions are frozen, your activity should never freeze. So, here are three steps hiring managers can do during a hiring freeze to stay relevant to the candidate pool.

1.   Continue to Network:

You know the headcount you are going to likely have when the freeze is over, so begin connecting with those individuals now, whether that is introductions through a recruiter or connecting with them on LinkedIn. By doing so, you are setting yourself up to easily communicate with when the downturn corrects. If you do this, you're positioning yourself to win the war for talent when conditions return to normal.

2.   Informal Conversations:

What the savvy hiring managers are doing right now is having