Thursday, December 18, 2008

Recruiting and the Recession: Opportunity Abounds!

Recruiters, there's no need to panic just because the 'Experts' are talking gloom and doom recession chat. Yes, many people have lost their jobs in the past year. I think the estimate is about 2,000,000 jobs lost. Yes, the economy is shifting and adjusting. It's happened before and will happen again. This could be the best time to increase the number of clients you have and the number of candidates in your pool.

Whenever there are more people applying for the same job the truth is it becomes harder for employers to sift through their stacks of resumes for the best people. This is a great opportunity to expand your services! Maybe the times call for you adjust your fees or do a BOGO half price! Be creative. Talk with your customers. What's happening with them? Good employees are still the key to their survival.

Plant some ideas. If they are swamped with resumes and need three key people, negotiate your fee in a semi-contract-recruiter manner. Tell your client you'll come to them, sort through resumes, screen, and conduct the initial interviews providing them with quality candidates they need only interview and hire!
Maybe the fee for one to two weeks and 3 – 4 hires is $2,000. a week ($50. per hour) plus a bonus of $500. for each hire. You get cashflow and they get a fantastic value.

You've already proven your value to existing clients and by recognizing their 'cash crunch' issues or whatever their issue is, they still get valuable services their company desperately needs and you plow through the recession ready to emerge stronger and better.

It's okay to be creative and think in terms of helping your customers stay in business. They'll appreciate your flexibility and ability to still solve their problems.

Explore other industries and small businesses that are growing. You already know the process, all you need are the key words used in that industry to expand your business base. This is one of the things that makes recruiting such a great industry.

Use this time to tap into hundreds, maybe thousands of new candidates. Exceptional candidates are always bankable. Stock up on contacts and be sure to get two to five names of others from your new contacts.

Keep active. Analysis/paralysis is always an income killer. Turn off the news and stay on the phone. Don't join in any doom and gloom talk. Keep offering your services. It's human nature that the weak attitudes and weak thinkers in the recruiting profession will likely do themselves in by their own inactivity and, “what's the use?” mentality. Again, this is good news for you!

Day by day, week by week, keep putting one foot in front of the other doing all your regular recruiting duties and ask yourself everyday, “What can I offer my clients that will help them today?” Stay open and flexible and the money will continue to flow. When the “Experts” declare the recession is over, odds are you'll have to start thinking of hiring a buch of new recruiters yourself to keep up with your new business!

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