"It's unwise to assume there is an unlimited talent pool in this market," says Rob Romaine, president of MRINetwork. "The best talent is most likely already working, particularly in fields such as healthcare, science, and technology. While the first challenge is finding qualified candidates, the bigger challenge is closing the deal and hiring them. Why? Because they have options."

This is especially true for college-educated professionals. "The unemployment rate for those with a four-year degree is down to just over 4, nearly half the national average. Over the last decade, total U.S. employment has grown by a meager 1.5 percent. Over the same time, however, employment for those with a four-year degree has grown by more than 20 percent," points out Romaine.

"As companies accelerate hiring, they are almost entirely hiring for positions which require four-year degrees or better. If they are looking at high unemployment rates and expecting they'll be able to easily find high-quality candidates, they are going to be surprised when the best candidates aren't beating a path to their door," he continues.

Romaine believes that candidates are vetting prospective employers just as carefully as the employers are vetting them. "In today's job market, an employer must realize that a highly qualified candidate will not tolerate an inefficient interview process," he says. "In fact, top performers use the interview process to size up the organization. Delays and indecision signal weakness in the organization and the best candidates tend to move on."

Just because a candidate has agreed to an interview doesn't mean they will stay committed to an opportunity. "All it means is that they may be ready to take the job if it is the best opportunity at the time for them and their career," says Romaine. "If the candidate is greeted by interviewers who are late, unprepared, or not fully engaged, only the weakest candidates - with the least amount of options - will remain interested in the role.

Once candidates know that they are attractive to other organizations, there is a very short period of time to make the hire. "If there is a delay, candidates who were initially excited about a job can easily become enamored with an opportunity that presents itself in the meantime," cautions Romaine. "In our experience, the longer the interview process gets dragged out, the more likely a hire won't occur."

If this scenario is happening repeatedly, Romaine advises companies to reexamine their hiring process. "This isn't a short-term situation that companies can 'wait out.' We are in a perpetually advanced economy that requires an increasing number of workers with advanced skills in order to grow," says Romaine. "When key positions are waiting to be filled, a sense of urgency may be the key to ensuring that the company is able to meet its goals."

About MRINetwork:
Management Recruiters International, Inc., branded as MRINetwork (www.mrinetwork.com), is one of the largest executive search and recruitment organizations in the world. A subsidiary of CDI Corp. (NYSE:CDI), a global provider of engineering & information technology outsourcing solutions and professional staffing, theMRINetwork has 850 franchised offices in 35 countries.

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"Stephanie began as a contractor at Frito-Lay® in 2003 and was converted to a permanent position, where she worked for three years," says Maul. "She came back to us in 2006 and we placed her on a long-term contract at Panera Bread®, which lasted ten months." Following that stint, Stephanie found a permanent position on her own, but when she was downsized, she returned to Westport One and was placed on a contract at TALX/Equifax®. After six months, she was hired as a permanent employee, a position she still holds."

"Taking the contractor route was the best thing that could have happened to my career," Stephanie believes. "I accepted a contract assignment because I was out of work and I didn't have any other options, but the benefits to me personally and professionally have been enormous. I increased my earning power, and I was able to go back to school and get my BA in communications."

"Most contract employees have very positive views of their contract work experiences," says Tim Ozier, director of contract staffing at MRINetwork. "Their temporary assignments can give them exposure to an array of responsibilities and companies, often while earning more competitive starting salaries than they would in permanent positions. The growing demand for contract employees has also led to improvements in contract-employment terms. Most professional assignments now range from three months to two years, and many staffing companies give contractors access to benefits, including healthcare and retirement plans, once thought to be out of reach to contract workers."

These improvements have made it possible for some people to choose contract work on a permanent basis for lifestyle reasons. "Although bridging to a permanent job is often the goal of many contractors, others are attracted by flexible work time, choice of assignments and having more time for family," observes Maul. "Those who fall into this group are known to turn down an offer of permanent employment in favor of contracting."

Bob is one such employee. "I backed into contract employment after I was downsized," he says. "The recruiter I was working with suggested that I take a temporary assignment. I didn't have to move, the work was challenging, and the pay and benefits were equal to what I had in my previous job. That was three years ago, and I am now on my fourth contract assignment. I don't think I would convert to permanent now even if it was offered to me."

Contracting is ideal for people who are reentering the workforce, seeking flexibility, or, for whatever reason, don't want to make a long-term commitment to an employer, Ozier points out.

Regardless of their reasons for working as temporary or contract employees, most contractors agree that their experience makes them more employable. "I developed new skills on the job and strengthened my resume," says Stephanie. "I also gained self-confidence with the awareness that I had a lot to offer my employer."

About MRINetwork:
Management Recruiters International, Inc., branded as MRINetwork (www.mrinetwork.com), is one of the largest executive search and recruitment organizations in the world. A subsidiary of CDI Corp. (NYSE:CDI), a global provider of engineering & information technology outsourcing solutions and professional staffing, the MRINetwork has 800 franchised offices in more than 40 countries.

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"Employers gained some valuable insights during the recession," says Tim Ozier, director of contract staffing at MRINetwork. "They learned to refocus on their core business, incorporate automation to increase operational efficiency, and eliminate non-essential services and staff," he says. "They realized that a smaller core workforce that was well trained and technologically astute was more effective and nimble than their pre-recession staff."

Those companies that successfully survived the recession will not be reverting back to the old model, Ozier believes. Laid-off workers are not being brought back to fill the same roles. Those jobs are gone, and new positions essential to the core business are being added. As firms emerge from the recession they are, of course, beginning to hire full time workers but they are also seeing a larger role for highly skilled contract workers who are engaged on an as-needed basis.

"Both companies and workers benefit," says Ozier. "Companies increase efficiency and productivity because they can hire quickly to meet production needs and down-size just as quickly when demand drops," he says. "Workers enjoy the benefits of a workplace characterized by project-based assignments, flexible hours, career mobility, and often higher rates of pay. But this nomadic work force signals a new reality that will forever change the way people view their work, their careers, and their relationship with their employer."

"For some time, information technology has employed the greatest number of contract workers," says Ozier, "followed by engineering and finance/accounting. Now we're seeing increases in the legal and clinical scientific arenas. We also expect to see more reliance on contract professionals for other positions that are outside of the company's core functions - marketing, advertising, payroll and human resources, for example."

Few people realize how large the contract staffing industry has grown. "The entire staffing industry in 2011 is projected at $113 billion," says Ozier. "Contract staffing is responsible for $88 billion of that total. And yet only 1.5 percent of all employees in the U.S. are contract or contingent workers. That number is higher in many European countries - near 5 percent - and is trending upward here."

Ozier has seen a decided change in attitudes toward contract employees in his nearly twenty years in the industry, particularly over the past five years. "The skeptical - or even negative - view of contract employees has nearly evaporated," he says. "Being branded a 'job hopper' in many fields used to mean your resume went to the bottom of the pile. Today, it hardly raises a flag, and the resulting range of experience and skill sets can sometimes even be seen as a strength."

The U.S. economy is still facing serious challenges, and the value of supplementing an existing workforce with skilled contingent workers cannot be ignored. "The economics work," says Ozier. "With a flexible and talented workforce that can quickly expand and contract depending on production demands, companies can compete more effectively than they have in the past."

About MRINetwork:
Management Recruiters International, Inc., branded as MRINetwork (www.mrinetwork.com), is one of the largest executive search and recruitment organizations in the world. A subsidiary of CDI Corp. (NYSE:CDI), a global provider of engineering & information technology outsourcing solutions and professional staffing, the MRINetwork has 850 franchised offices in more than 35 countries.

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