How do I follow up with clients whose hiring paused, so I'm first when it restarts?
When hiring freezes, most agencies disappear. When it restarts, clients call whoever stayed in touch.
- Our clients froze hiring.
- How often should we check in?
- What do we say when there's no role?
Record why hiring paused and when the client expects to review it. Set check-in dates in your CRM, send a useful update monthly, such as salary trends or candidates on the market in their area, and watch for restart signals like new funding, contracts or job postings. Keep the tone helpful, not pushy.
A paused-client cadence
| When | What |
|---|---|
| Pause confirmed | Record reason and review date |
| Monthly | Short market update |
| Review date | Check-in call |
| Signal appears | Same-day outreach with candidates |
How we look at it at ShoutEx
We set up paused-client stages, reminders and update emails in your ATS or CRM.
- Disappearing during freezes.
- Pushy check-ins.
- No reason recorded.
- No restart alerts.
- Reason and review date.
- Useful monthly updates.
- Signal alerts.
- Fast restart outreach.
What recruiters and regulators say
Here is what recruiters say.
Recruiters discuss hiring freezes and staying in touch with clients.
Browse the threads →HR teams describe how agencies should behave during freezes.
Browse the threads →Existing business relationships affect consent for emails.
Read the CRTC FAQ →Community summaries describe recurring themes in public threads, not individual posts. Vendor pages describe vendor claims, so test them on your own calls.
Read next
Go deeper in the ShoutEx guides, or check the sources behind this answer.
We'll set up paused stages and reminders.
Book a call →Follow-up questions
Should we pitch contractors during freezes?
Sometimes. Contract roles often continue.
What if the contact leaves?
Find the new one fast.
Can AI write the updates?
It can draft them. A recruiter checks facts.