It’s true. When other people are downsizing and firing, you should be hiring.
In slumping economies, rock star employees are easier to woo. If you’re lucky, some may be less expensive right now – though you shouldn’t count on that. Most are finally available because their former employer foolishly laid them off, or they quit because out of a change of heart or growing disgust.
Methinks Facebook knows this tip and is hiring in full force. The story has even made Techmeme and the blogosphere. Smart move guys.
Back at Yahoo! (YHOO), I helped grow a new role from three people to forty, than to hundreds. This was during the last dot-bomb, when strong talent was out on the market and easy to find. We hunted for developers who specialized in advanced CSS and JavaScript development, doing what is now commonly known as AJAX. I don’t know if we could have attracted such a rock star team had it not been for the stunning availability of them in the market – though I like to think our supportive environment and industry-wide ambitions were a big factor too.
Looks like Facebook is another company who is doing that right now. I’m sure there are dozens more. If you are one of them, good luck and happy hunting!
Photo by: DrBacchus
