We know how tough it can be hiring in the current economy. It can get even tougher if you have to do so on a tighter budget! However, you still might need to advocate for headcount and fill essential roles to keep your team and business running moving smoothly and effectively.
Let’s explore ways you can advocate for headcount and convince leadership to hire the right people right now (and to continue doing so in more flexible hiring times).

How to Advocate for Headcount With Budgetary Constraints
Many businesses and individuals are holding steady in the hiring market, trying to manage a slow and unpredictable economy and a potential recession. Whether your company is directly impacted by these issues or is trying to batten down the hatches, it is easy for decision-makers to reduce or freeze hiring at a time like this.
Fortunately, there are some things you can do to advocate for the headcount your company needs to thrive.
1) Determine Exactly What You Need for the Role
Before reaching out to your company’s decision-makers, determine precisely what the role you’re advocating for requires. You can work with your team—and general market research—to determine this.
It could be helpful to spell out what the job requisition, job description, and job posting will eventually look like. This will give leadership a clear understanding of the role and how they fit into the company from an HR perspective.
2) Highlight Your Current Pain Points & Skills Gaps
Your company’s leadership will need to know why it’s vital to add headcount, so showcase the pain points your team faces without filling a position.
As mentioned in the last section, this can tie back to not hitting key metrics the business needs to hit to thrive. Your team may have a skills gap that can be filled with hiring a person with the exact skill set needed to be the bridge between struggle and success.
A pain point can also reveal itself in team attrition. One of the primary causes of attrition happens when current employees are asked to take on extra duties without proper compensation and with neglect for work/life balance. In this case, show decision-makers how valuable each current employee is, showcasing how each of them is at their max capacity of performance without risking overwork. This, paired with a significant case for ROI with a new employee, will set you on the right track with advocating for a higher headcount on your team.
What Our Hiring Experts Say
Looking for more expert advice? Insight Global hosted a webinar with hiring experts Matthew Coats and Rebecca Farno. In this excerpt, they explain how to evaluate the need for new head count.
Want to watch the full webinar? Expert Talent Sourcing and Retention Strategies is available on demand. Sign up now!
3) Show the ROI the Employee Will Have on Your Business
It is important to continue focusing on forward momentum, even while contending with budgetary constraints. The right employees in key positions can help your company accomplish its goals, maintaining or increasing morale, productivity, and profits. The cost of avoiding recruiting and hiring could be far greater than the bottom line your company might save in leaving a position open.
Because of this, you need to show leaders the return on investment (ROI) your hire will have on the company. Perhaps there are core-to-business metrics you absolutely won’t hit without an employee in that position. Maybe the business is holding steady, but there’s an opportunity to grow the company even more with an additional employee or two in certain roles. Demonstrate to leadership in clear, actionable terms what that return will look like.

4) Have a Plan for Hiring
After you know what the role looks like within the scope of your team, you’ll also want to show leadership how you’ll find that employee. This hiring plan can include:
- Where you’re going to advertise the job opening
- How you will source resumes and candidates
- A full-scale social media plan, primarily including LinkedIn
- An interview strategy to get more information out of candidates
- Any pre-employment tests needed to help identify the right candidate
Employees can participate in the plan, too. They can be part of your social media push, and, if you have a employee referral program, remind them of the incentives of participating.
There’s a chance the employee works within the organization already, too, so make sure your hiring process will include scouring internal resources.
5) Commit to a Timeline and a Budget In Advance
Within your pitch to leadership, you’ll need to offer a timeline and budget (salary, bonuses, etc.) for hiring the employee. Research the salary for each position to ensure your company can and will offer a competitive salary, and develop a strategy to find the right person while adhering to your pre-determined timeline and budget.
6) Partner with a Staffing Agency
The right staffing firm can streamline your hiring efforts, offering you access to a wealth of resources, candidates, and experience. Recruiting professionals can easily tap into a database of qualified candidates they have already interviewed and vetted, ensuring they are a good fit and fast-tracking the process.

We Can Help You Fill Crucial Roles & Stay on Budget
Our team at Insight Global understands the struggle to locate and hire the right talent on a budget. We want to empower your business and talented job seekers and bring you together to do great things! We can help you and your decision-makers feel confident about hiring, regardless of your budget, by finding the top talent for each role.
Contact us to learn more about hiring on a budget and all that we can do to help!
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Let us know your hiring needs below, and we'll work within your budget to find you the best candidates. And you don't pay until your new hire starts. Questions? Call us toll-free: 855-485-8853