The American economy is teetering on the edge of the fiscal cliff, but that doesn't mean your job orders have to go over with it.

If Congress can't come to an agreement by December 31, across the board tax increases and government funding cuts will automatically go into effect. Many experts are predicting that if something isn't done by December 31, the United States could go into another recession.  With that threat looming, many employers are taking a wait-and-see-approach…

When adding contract staffing services to your existing direct-hire recruiting business, you must first decide if you are going to handle the back-office tasks (payroll, benefits administration, employment paperwork, invoicing, etc.) in-house or if you are going to outsource them.

Many small firms or "one-man shows" choose the latter. After all, it can take the average recruiter one to six months to get set up to handle contract staffing issues in-house.  Not only…

Even as the economy is starting to brighten up, client companies are still watching their budgets closely. So it's no surprise that many of them are balking at the recruiting fees that come with direct placements.  As a result, some recruiters may be losing placements from client companies that are just not prepared for the large initial payout.

Other recruiters have found a creative way around this.  They
 offer to place candidates on a contract-to-direct hire basis…

A common question we often hear from recruiters is "How do I determine a markup for my contract placement?" Mark-ups are also referred to as multipliers.  For those of you who are not familiar with this term, a multiplier is the result of dividing the bill rate by the sum of the pay rate and…

(This series focuses on the most common reasons we've heard for why recruiters don't want to offer contract staffing.  These reasons are based on common misconceptions about contract staffing and prevent recruiters from reaping the benefits of offering contractors to their clients.)

Reason #4: I don't have time to deal with the hassles of contract staffing

Many recruiters believe that having contractors is going to cost…

Everyone wants to make more money, and recruiters are no exception. One of easiest and most reliable ways for recruiters to make more money is to add contract staffing to their business models.

Contract staffing can help recruiters generate more income by:

1. Providing a steady stream of income - When you make a direct placement, it's a one-time fee and you're done.  With contract staffing, you continue to make money over the course of the whole contract.…

What is your retirement plan? If you own your own recruiting firm, you don't have an employer contributing to a pension plan or 401(k), so all you have is Social Security, your own retirement savings, and your business.

But if you are strictly a direct-hire firm, you may find that your business is not all that sellable when it comes time to retire. After all, direct-hire firms do not have a steady stream of revenueto attract buyers.  At best, you may have a client…