Over the last year, I have seen the peaks and valleys of job demand for Contract Recruiters.  Recently, my Yahoo Group (ContractRecruiterJobs) has been deluged with postings from Contract Recruiters looking for a new Contract Recruiting opportunity.  I guess it goes without saying that the economic crunch we all are feeling is also hitting the Contract Recruiting business. 

So, as I sat the last couple of days thinking about what to blog about (sorry I have been out for a while and not doing any blogging), I wondered what I should use for a catchy title for this small entry.  Then it occurred to me early this morning that the real issue was simply finding work for Contract Recruiters, not a catchy title.  Well, with that thought in mind, I decided to write a series of blog entries over the next few weeks and months to specifically cover the topic of finding new �??Contract Recruiting�?? opportunities.

I�??m an old marketing and sales guy from the world of manufacturing and distribution.  So, when I come up against a challenge, I tend to reach back to my marketing planning days and put together a step by step action plan.  With the challenge of finding Contract Recruiting opportunities really being very similar to a job search or sales plan of sorts, I think it makes sense then to put together a written plan of action and get out there to find that next great Contract Recruiting position.

Over the next few weeks, I will cover a multi-step action plan which I have actually used to find past Contract Recruiting jobs.  I hope each of you in this great profession will add your thoughts and ideas to this fairly simply action plan:

1. Define the Goal of the Search �?? �??To Identify New Contract Recruiting Job Opportunities�?��??
2. Refine Your Marketing Materials (Resume, References, Recruiting Specialization and Examples)
3. Build and Expand Your Brand
4. Market Research
5. Networking
6. Managing Your Search �?? Tools of the Trade
7. Action Items
8. Plan Measurement Dates

Next time we will spend some time on �??Defining Your Search Goal�??.  If you know where you want to go, it�??s easier to figure out how to get there.  Good luck for great Contract Recruiting.