Job Market is like stock market – confidence driven

Anyone looking at their quarterly 401k statement? Ouch… yes the financial mess on Wall Street is a drag, and yet, we’ve been through these tough times before. Learning and growing from our collective mistakes will help us get through. On the recruiting front — the mechanisms by which the system of looking/finding a job works much the same way – as candidates and companies are optimistic about the future, they expand hiring — when the market contracts, some firms suddenly seize up. Some candidates stop looking. History is the key to making sense of challenging times – in 2001-2004 we, and our candidates/clients thrived due to focusing on the fundamentals to a succesful business — and even in the days/weeks/months after 9.11 we were making placements — yes, even in the worst job market in years.

We’re not seeing a huge fallout — yet — but make no mistake — a lack of positive psychological progress  –  a lack of confidence in the market, will precipidate a fall in hiring — but, if you’re a great candidate, a great recruiter, or a great company – this is a market opportunity — to take market share and grow while others are cutting back.