Summer is here and the Contract Recruiting business is HOT!  Not only is the weather pretty warm, but the job market continues to be hot, hot, hot as well!  Every day, I see more and more new companies posting Contract Recruiter opportunities on the web job sites as well as on various Yahoo recruiter sites.  It?s not scientific, but my observation is there are even more ?virtual? Contract Recruiter opportunities being posted as well.

So what is it about summer that heats up the recruiting business and requires more companies to fill their recruiting resource needs with Contract Recruiters?  I think it?s the simple fact that many jobs open up in companies ?mid-year? due to sales and budget  cycles.  When you add that significant surge in recruiting demand to many agencies or corporations with stretched recruiting resources due to vacations and such; you end up with a panic need for supplemental recruiting staff.

One might ask as a Contract Recruiter whether these ?summer jobs? are really worth taking?  I read a recent job posting for a Contract Recruiter with the length of contract listed as 3-4 weeks!  I laughed as I was thinking it would take me 3-4 weeks just to get settled in on a recruiting effort!  Another position said contract length ?to be determined?, and still another said contact length based on ?vacation requirements of the internal staff?.  So in other words, if everyone decides to take their vacation at the same time, you?ll be the only recruiter, but if most decide to take a winter vacation instead, you?ll only be here a few weeks, ha.

Summer jobs used to be those part-time jobs you looked forward to as a teenager where you made some extra gas money or school clothes money.  Of course now with the price of gas, you have to work full time as a teenager just to have some extra ?cruising? money.  But why do employers of today in the recruiting business think that a good answer to one of the most important functions they control in building their company, is to at the last minute call in a few Contract Recruiters for a short period of time?  I?d say penny wise and pound foolish to those companies.  You can?t seriously bring in a Contract Recruiter and expect them to make a positive difference in 3-4 weeks!

So this summer, when the days are long and the weather is hot, maybe those ?summer jobs? are tempting, but don?t plan on making too much of them as a Contract Recruiter.  Earn some fun money and also take the time to plan for the Fall when companies hopefully will have a longer term attitude and be looking for a Professional Contract Recruiter for an extended period of time who can really help their recruiting needs!  Stay cool and keep on Contract Recruiting!