If you look at the roots for the business terms company and corporation, you find a common theme. “Company” shares its root with the word for companion, while “corporation” essentially means to unify in one body. At its simplest, the message that these words intend to convey is one of coming together. What complicates things is the purpose for which the members come together. For example, in most cases it’s a lot easier to come together for a party than it is to come together for something like jury duty. Now let’s apply this idea to interviewing.

When most people find themselves in the job market, their first thought is to get another job as soon as possible. They’ll think about what it means to be a part of the company later. Little do they know that this mentality is actually doing them a lot more harm than good. Without intending to, they could be sending out a message to recruiters and their potential employers that more or less says, “You are just an obstacle between me and my money.” As recruiters, it’s in our best interest to help candidates put their best foot forward and remind them of what companies are looking for.

What they are forgetting is the fact that the company has needs too. That’s why they hired recruiters. This is important to remind candidates whenever they are brought in for an interview, and especially so in this economy. Companies are not sitting around saying, “Wow! What are we going to do with all this money? Let’s find someone who needs it and give it to them for eight hours of their time a day.” And this takes us to the second word clue — the word hire.

To hire means, “to engage the services of one or more individuals in exchange for compensation.” This means that the hiring company, while conscious that candidates have certain salary requirements for their services, puts the actual service part first. That means that recruiters and candidates should too. When interviewing, one should always keep in mind that the company is speaking with people because they believe that they could offer a potential solution to their challenges.

This understanding is the platform upon which the relationship with a company begins and is sustained. And ultimately, it is the cardinal rule for interview success.

Articles about how to navigate through an interview are in no short supply, but without following this first rule candidates are reducing their chances for success.

The following tips, when combined with the above understanding, will enhance the interview experience for candidates and ideally reduce the interval between interviews and making a placement. Advise candidates to:

1. Study the website and job description and write down any questions that arise.
2. During the interview, listen for the needs of the company and be ready to discuss how they can offer a solution.
3. Ask the question, “What has been your greatest difficulty filling this position?”
4. Ask for a business card(s) from the person/people interviewing them and try to agree on an appropriate timeframe for following up.
5. Offer to open their network to the organization.

Helping our candidates to cultivate these habits benefits all parties involved. Recruiters are relationship managers and solutions brokers by trade. So doesn’t it make sense to get potential employees and employers on the same page?

Q: Why are we letting so many people go?
A: The Economy

Q: Why is there a hiring freeze?
A: The Economy

Q: Why was it 60 degrees in December?
A: The Economy

Of course, not being able to afford to make a purchase is always a good reason to reduce spending, but there are always those necessities that no matter how tight our belt gets, we will find some way to get them. For the human body, food would be such a necessity. And for companies, it is good, hardworking people who keep the organization moving forward.

When times are slow, the typical company’s knee-jerk reaction is to slow down on all processes. Expenditures are categorized as either necessary or unnecessary and then prioritized. Finally, once every process seems contained and controlled, they wait to see what the rest of the world is going to do.

Now to some degree, prioritizing makes perfect sense. The challenge is to make sure you set the right priorities. But once you do, the key is not to wait and see, but to take action.

Where reactive companies only see threats and danger, forward-thinking companies perceive exciting challenges and opportunities. Rather than sit by and wait for the walls to fall, they take advantage of the situation in order to gain momentum so that they can experience a breakthrough. They know that the marketplace is like a seesaw and that when one side is going down something else is coming up. Furthermore they understand that The Economy is not a cause, but rather an effect.

If companies keep this in mind, they may very well find themselves in a position to make significant gains during this time. For hiring managers and recruiters this could mean finding a stellar candidate who may have otherwise been unavailable.

Below are five powerful reasons why companies that want to come out on top will continue to develop their candidate pipeline.

1. Pipeline development is part of their growth strategy. You don’t wait until it snows to gather firewood, and these companies don’t wait until they need a hire to start identifying candidates who are equipped to be a part of their company’s success.
2. They know that long-term hiring success requires a process. It is a lot easier to keep a fire going than it is to start one, so these companies will start an ongoing dialogue with candidates with the intention of making an offer when the time is right.
3. A developed candidate pipeline removes major competition from the equation. When the time to hire arrives, these companies either have their offer prepared or they are at the top of the candidate’s mind. This reduces the chances of a salary war.
4. Having qualified candidates on hand minimize delays in production. Sometimes unforeseen events can cause the ball to be dropped. A developed and managed candidate pipeline allows these companies to rebound quickly and efficiently.
5. A company that is actively recruiting is considered a strong company. By continuing to engage prospective candidates, these companies strengthen their own company brand among others in their industry and remain aware of other trends within their market segment.

I’m sure that these five reasons are not all encompassing. Just think of them as food for thought the next time you hear “The Economy” being thrown at you as the catch-all answer for why people are not moving forward.