Did the boom economy of the late 1990s produce a generation of recruiters so dependent on plentiful, ready-made placements that they would starve if the silver spoon were removed? Based on my experience from the early 1990s recession, I would think not.

Despite cycles of fitful economic conditions, there’s always business out there—if you know how to find and cultivate it. While others are struggling (or leaving the recruiting world altogether), here are some recessionary survival tips to remember:

• Adjust your attitude. Recruiting is a noble profession, not an entitlement to make zillions of dollars. If you work hard, provide valuable services and do good things for other people, the money will come.
  
  
• Don’t rely on freebies. The days of getting paid recruiter wages for performing clerical work are over. So you’ll need to provide a greater level of value to your clients than mass e-mailing resumes you found on Monster—or posting jobs and calling it “recruiting.”
  
  
• Get your hands dirty. I know dozens of boom-market recruiters who’ve never made a cold call. Well, times have changed, and in order to stay in business, you may need to bloody your nose with a few marketing and recruiting calls to prospects you’ve never met.
  
  
• Consider your strategic options. The underlying foundation that no longer supports your business may need to be replaced. For example, candidates that were hard to find a year or two ago (and made you rich) may now be unemployable; or the start-up companies that financed your vacation home may have evaporated, leaving you without a herd of cash cows.

One of the changes I made during the recession of the early 1990s was to switch from mid-level candidates to managerial candidates. Although it was painful to leave behind the people who helped build my career, it was pointless to try to place candidates for whom there was no demand.

Radical surgery on your business should be approached with caution, of course. But if your ship is sinking, taking a leap into uncharted waters may look a lot more attractive than a fate that’s utterly predictable. If you take a hard look at all each of the recruiting basics—from your desk specialty to your client base to your method of marketing—you’ll discover that you have lots of room to maneuver.

Over the last few years, we all made hay while the sun shone, but that doesn’t mean we have to panic at the first sight of rain. By strengthening our core skills and adjusting our strategies, we’ll hang on to the clients we deserve and position ourselves for the next job market boom.
d