Over the past few months, and truthfully over the past few years, I have been involved in conversations and have read numerous articles inciting fear of the impending "War on Talent." People cite things like job growth, the baby boomers retiring, etc, as a basis for their fear. I disagree with the concept.

With many companies downsizing, consumer spending down, job growth stagnant, and unemployment on the rise, I do not see the call to arms others in the industry are feeling. I contend that there is a war, but it is not the war on talent we have been hearing about. I see the war being one that is tailored to a war on "good" talent. With so many factors influencing the economy, and consequently influencing the job market, the battle is fierce for the truly talented.

With a contraction of the economy, this War for Talent will be complicated by the influx of unqualified or under qualified candidates who will submit applications indiscriminately in the hopes of simply finding a job. Furthermore, so-called passive candidates who are currently employed will not be as apt to look or even consider another opportunity for fear of the insecurity such a move might create.

As recruiters, there are really three types of responses to this type of recruiting environment. The first is gratitude. Recruiters who have struggled filling positions in the past will view a recession as an opportunity to increase their candidate pool and create more successful recruiting. I would term this recruiter as, quite simply, lazy. This recruiter is excited about the number of candidates they are receiving, but is ill prepared to accurately assess and swiftly maneuver through the stack of resumes. This will cause a delay or bottleneck in delivering candidates to their hiring manager.

The second response comes from recruiters who still believe there is a traditional war on talent. They believe the job market is tightening, the baby boomers are leaving, and they are turning a blind eye to the reality of a recession. This type of recruiter will be marginally successful; they will be great sourcers, but are in no way ready to handle and process the high number of applicants they will receive. They will also miss out on any qualified candidate that may apply as the result of a layoff because they are not able to accurately search through the quantity of resumes they will receive.

The third group is the realists, and in my opinion, this should be the group to we should all strive join. The realist will take an overall look at the state of the economy, the job market, and accurately prepare for the pending circumstances. In order to properly prepare, however, you need to consider the following:

1. Assess your recruiters’ sourcing and cold calling abilities. These abilities will be key in a recessional market. Recruiters will need to identify the exact talent needed to fill voids, and be extremely adept at convincing them to make a move. In a recession security is key. In fact many analysts are advising people to hold on to any job they have. There are no guarantees, and the candidates you do touch need to feel a sense of security with your company or the company you represent. You will also need the ability to provide market data to the candidate on their current company.

The old definition of a recruiter is someone who calls someone who is happy, shows them why they are unhappy, and then makes them happy again. In a recessional marketplace you will have to illustrate the risks of staying with their current employer, the risks of moving to a new employer, and show them how your employment opportunity is more secure than their current role. Increased levels of candidate care are crucial. If at any point during the candidate's experience they feel mislead, or insecure, you will lose them.

2. Can your recruiters accurately assess candidate abilities? In a job market where there are more candidates than jobs, it is crucial to seize the moment and get the best talent. The best talent is not the person who can do the job effectively, but who can be promoted quickly. Identify if the candidate is truly able to meet all of the needs and wants of the hiring manager.

With a recessional market there is some freedom in the fact that you get to pick from a wider slate of candidates. However, with that freedom comes increased pressure to make the absolute best decision. As a recruiter, you will need to spend more time on each candidate assessing why they are or are not a better fit than another candidate. You will need to spend more time with your hiring community identifying the “nice to haves,” and how to distinguish one qualified candidate from another. I know this sounds elementary, but with the increased number of resumes received it will be difficult to find this time.

3. Is your applicant tracking system set up to handle the up-tick in candidate applications? When lay-offs occur, the market is flooded with candidates looking for jobs. Is your ATS set up not only to receive the candidates, but also sort and search quickly so the recruiters can effectively assess candidates and still have time to direct source? You will need to take a strong look at adding in true filters. In addition, you will need to actually turn on the prescreening function of the ATS that asks candidates to answer questions identifying their competency level – thus letting the ATS do some of the selection work for you.

4. Are your hiring managers able to quickly assess talent? This is your opportunity to seize the best talent. Are your hiring managers able to identify if a person can take the position to the next level? Just because a person is a vice president doesn't mean they are the best for a vice president. We are coming out of a job market that promoted people quickly and in many times this was to quickly fill a void. The person promoted may not have been the best equipped to handle the position. Managers need to be able to go well beyond surface level to identify top talent.

I know these points sound basic; however we have been in a job market where we have had to fight fiercely for any talent for so long that we have to make a mind shift from any talent to true talent. If we do not have a proper way of processing candidates, many recruiters will drown in the sheer volume. This can destroy the candidate experience, and once the economy picks up again the candidate that you worked so hard to get will leave. Hopefully, the economy will gain momentum soon. However, in the interim make sure you and your recruiting staff are prepared to handle a recessional period. This is probably the best opportunity to get the absolute best talent for your positions, seize the opportunity.