We are in hiring freeze?

I know it's recession time where layoffs are everywhere and companies are very cautious in hiring staff at the moment specailly from external recruiters. A very common answer which you will get from your client or a prospective client in today's scenario is "we are in a hiring freeze". I have been knocking doors of some of the companies marketing candidates for some of their key strategic positions which they are advertsing from quiet sometime but still not hiring from external recruiters.

What should be the strategic approach of a recruiter in 2009, its time for me to do some real brainstorming:-

Regardless of the slow down in the economy, there is still work that needs to be done.

• It has been time to re-tool their Employer programs, get to know your market better and look at your costs and redesign it.
• Whenever making a call to client, make sure every call is different and unique to that client, ask what issues they are having, be a partner rather than a recruiter,
• Special deals for more exclusive business.
• Exclusive candidates and a better marketing.

I have learned one good thing from my recruitment experience is that it's not the number of vacancies I found, it is the number of interviews I booked for candidates that counted. I realised quickly that out of 5 companies I would place 3 of them , it never failed. I guess it's the time to redesign my strategies to get those 3 interviews...so what i am doing now...Go Richa Go....I will catch up again to share how it goes....