OK, so all day and night I have been flipping channels trying to get away from the election results and the bad economic forecasts, bummer!  But it got me to thinking about the Contract Recruiter world and how Contract Recruiters may be impacted if 2008 continues to be doom and gloom?

If you look at some of the opportunities out there for Contract Recruiting positions, it appears that in some ways the professional Contract Recruiter is insulated from huge economic swings up or down?  When times are good, companies and recruiting agencies are in a position to add Contract Recruiters to quickly bolster their capabilities to meet hiring manager’s needs.  Then, on the other side of the coin, when the economy slows, Contract Recruiters are brought on to fill gaps in the recruitment department without having a long term commitment by hiring direct employees.  All in all, Contract Recruiters are the perfect solution in either economic situation!

Then why do Contract Recruiters fear the unknown of these economic swings?  I think it’s because of the lack of planning and proper market position.  In other words, we need to do a better job of planning for the upswings and falloffs too.  So how do we do that you say?  Well, I think we need to have a plan for our “careers”.  We shouldn’t just hop from contract assignment to contract assignment and never reinvest in our futures.  Here are a few thoughts on the things we can do to bolster our long term success and insulate ourselves from these economic gremlins:

Ø      Create a marketing plan for our Contract Recruiting career.  Include the proper materials like business cards, portfolio with past experiences, and a great resume. 

Ø      Challenge ourselves to find new contacts and opportunities “before” we are in need.

Ø      Stay current in technology and training for recruiters.

Ø      Establish ourselves as an expert by function, market, or some other differentiator.

I’m sure there are many other ways to improve our Contract Recruiting careers.  I’d love to hear from you and also whether you think that Contract Recruiters can stay insulated from the economic swings of 2008?