How Do I Become a Contract Recruiter?

To become a contract recruiter, you will typically need some experience in human resources and recruiting as well as the ability to market yourself and your services. In many cases, you can prepare for your career as a contract recruiter by working for an employment agency or within a company's personnel or human resources department. As you gain experience in identifying and hiring candidates, you'll be better equipped to serve other companies after you become a contract recruiter. It is typically to your advantage to have at least a bachelor's degree in a business or communications related field, and having a postgraduate degree may increase your credibility. You will also need to either work with an employment agency that can manage the business aspect of your recruitment business or develop strong self-employment skills.

A contract recruiter is a third-party recruiter who identifies and screens job candidates on behalf of other businesses. While many businesses employ in-house recruiters, others prefer to work with a contractor to save money. Smaller companies, for example, may have no need for a full-time employee who specializes in recruiting. After you become a contract recruiter, you may need to work hard to develop relationships with many of these small-to-medium sized companies so that they will hire you when they need recruiting services.

If you are currently in school and want to eventually become a contract recruiter, you may wish to gear your studies and career plans toward human resources and personnel administration. Business, marketing and communication courses can be very useful to you. Pursue an internship in a staffing or recruiting firm, or the human resources department of a business, so as to get some real world experience in employee hiring and management.

In some cases, you may be able to get an entry-level job at a recruiting or staffing firm. This can be an excellent opportunity to focus on learning the business of recruiting new employees. Otherwise, working in a human resources department at a business can help you understand the needs of the business that you will eventually serve after you become a contract recruiter.

Once you have several years of experience under your belt, you may decide to begin your own business. You may still be able to work with the staffing agency as an independent contractor. A significant advantage to working with the staffing agency is that the agency can match you with companies and handle issues like billing for you. In time, however, you may develop your reputation and business skills so that you no longer need the services of an employment agency and can handle all aspects of your business on your own.