Question: What are things we don’t want to see or hear about anymore?

Answer: Jon and Kate, “exclusive” Today Show interviews with Jackson family members, skinny jeans, and the recession.

Thankfully, with both Susan Boyle and the U.S. economy showing signs of recovery, we might be able to knock one of these annoyances off the list soon.  (Maybe even two…if Matt Lauer would ever read his e-mail…) 

According to the latest report from New York-based Conference Board, U.S. economic activity was higher than expected last month, marking the third straight monthly increase for the Board’s index of economic indicators.   Americans can “expect a slow recovery this autumn” if these conditions continue, Conference Board economist Ken Goldstein told the AP.

By slow, of course, he means that while the economy is certainly stabilizing and may see slight growth in Q4, employers who have had to freeze or slow down their hiring over the past several months may not find themselves in a position to hire again or create new positions until 2010. 

…Which is cool, because employers and hiring managers have plenty to keep them busy in the meantime. After all, even during a downturn, recruiters and hiring managers still need to think about recruiting and employment branding.  Or, more specifically:

• Focusing on strengthening your employment brand - The efforts organizations make now to build their brand and market themselves as employers of choice will determine their success for recruiting and retaining top talent later on.  With fewer businesses recruiting, employers enjoy greater opportunity to increase their visibility with candidates, giving them a competitive edge when they need to quickly attract talent later on.  
• Focusing on strengthening your internal employment brand – With research showing that 54 percent of employed American plan to look for a new job once the economy rebounds, you want to make sure you do everything you can to make sure you’re part of that other 46 percent, and hold on to the talent you have. Take a cue from the best companies to work for in America and work to build trust with your employees, who – let’s be honest – are ultimately the reason your organization has weathered this recession.
• Looking for opportunities to make your recruiting process more efficient - Now more than ever, the pressure is on for staffing and human resource professionals to create and maintain the most efficient recruiting strategy. You want to be sure you’re putting your recruiting dollars to the most efficient use possible to acquire talent. This means not just looking at your own metrics, but comparing your recruiting process to that of your competitors (a task you can outsource) – which will help you identify which stage of your process you need to work on in order to increase your ROI.

Recruitment will play a major part in any organization’s ability to keep up once the economy begins to recover and business picks up again.  While the U.S. economy still has a long road ahead of it on the way to full recovery, it becomes more important that companies consider their long-term strategies for growth.  Organizations will find themselves with the need to staff up quickly to meet increasing demands, and those who prepare now to recruit the best candidates in the industry will have the greatest competitive edge.