The weather is lovely, kids are off school, vacations are planned, weekends are busy – it’s summer and delightful, but also negatively impacts our bank accounts. Everything seems to take longer. Getting consensus is virtually impossible. And scheduling interviews? It shouldn’t be this difficult. But it is, and it’s unavoidable.

Jason and I have watched this happen for decades, across multiple industries. Sure, hospitality grows in the summer, seasonal industries might expand, but it seems like most businesses slow down. We stopped offering classes in the summers over a decade ago. It just wasn’t worth it! When the slowdown occurs, we have two choices:

Work harder than everyone else. Make more calls. Find the decision makers with needs who will pay fees. Even while it’s nice outside.

1. Step back. Use the slowdown to your advantage strategically. Revamp your site, build a content strategy, change your ATS, write a book, talk to everyone in your database, develop a new offering.
2. Unfortunately, our bank accounts (or comfort with them) usually drive the decision. If you have a solid financial base and decent clients, you might step back. If you’re worried about the mortgage in January, you’re likely hustling.

There are two things we’d like you to do. Either hustle or step back, but whichever you decide, really do it. And be patient with your clients. They might be experiencing a similar slowdown, and recruiting becomes more strategic than tactical when revenue feels like it’s decreasing. Don’t forget – recruiting is likely a very small percentage of their overall responsibilities.