What Tariffs Can Teach Us in Talent Acquisition

Lately, tariffs have been all over the news – new restrictions, price hikes, disrupted supply chains. But behind the headlines is a powerful lesson that applies directly to how we hire.

Tariffs hit hardest when one country controls the demand. That’s what gives them leverage. And in talent acquisition, the same thing happens when you rely too heavily on a single source,  like Indeed, to fuel your candidate pipeline.

When One Vendor Controls Your Pipeline

If Indeed is your #1 source of candidates, you're not in control – they are. And that comes with risk:

• They raise prices
• They reduce job visibility
• They change how and where your roles show up

Suddenly, your hiring slows and your costs rise, all because one external vendor controls your flow of talent. It’s the recruiting equivalent of getting hit with tariffs.

What Smart TA Teams Do Differently

The best talent acquisition teams don’t leave their pipeline in someone else’s hands.
They diversify. They build internal leverage. They invest in what they can control:

• Employee referrals
• Career site traffic and conversion
• Employer branding
• Re-engagement campaigns

These channels don’t fluctuate based on someone else’s algorithm. They’re assets that grow stronger over time and give you long-term hiring independence.

How to Strengthen What You Can Control

1. Supercharge Employee Referrals

• Make referrals dead simple, mobile-first, no login, no friction (leading organizations use solutions like Eqo) 
• Promote your program often: onboarding, team meetings, internal campaigns
• Always close the loop with employees on the status of their referrals

2. Improve Your Employer Brand

• Highlight real employee stories on social and your careers page
• Streamline your apply flow - no more logins or confusing steps
• Encourage employee-generated content to give your culture a human voice

3. Re-engage Existing Talent

• Use text/email sequences to reconnect with past applicants
• Resurface silver-medalist candidates for new roles
• Run targeted campaigns based on location, license, or previous interest

Final Thought: You Can’t Control Tariffs - But You Can Control Your Pipeline

Tariffs remind us what happens when you give up too much control to one supplier. Don’t let that be your recruiting strategy.

Build the pipeline you own. Diversify your sources.

And start hiring on your own terms.