How do 3rd party agency recruiters find niche recruiting areas?

I'm aware that within the 3rd party recruiting business (as with all other businesses), finding niche/emerging markets to recruit for is extremely important. Otherwise, if you're recruiting for a commonly-recruited-for field, you'll find the area inundated with competition.

How do recruiters and recruiting firms find niche fields in which to recruit?

Thanks!

▶ Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Nicholas Meyler on February 1, 2015 at 9:28pm

I will share my answer to this one because you asked nicely.

Frankly, in my experience, the best way to break into a "niche" market is to simply do a great job of recruiting on all the searches you can, until you start to build name-recognition and a track-record in a specific market... everything is done by stepping-stones, and no search is inconsequential in building the path to that "golden niche".

One other try is to target specific markets and contact everyone in that market, finally getting a viable search or two to work, and then performing so well at the search that you beat all the competition. Then, you get bragging rights for that particular niche.

So, there's really two ways I would recommend: work like hell until you find a niche you like (best) or work like hell until you dominate a specific niche (second-best). I would always recommend recruiting in a specialty field which is related to your passions, because then you can relate better to the candidates.

I my experience, the best niches I ever found found me first, and then I recognized them as great opportunities. The niches I tried to break into myself caused a lot more pain and suffering, but they can work out, too.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Krishan Arya on February 1, 2015 at 9:42pm

Thanks!

Follow-up question: Is there anyway to determine the level of market-saturation of recruiting services within a given industry/niche, relative to the size of that industry/niche?

Thanks again!

Nicholas Meyler said:

I will share my answer to this one because you asked nicely.

Frankly, in my experience, the best way to break into a "niche" market is to simply do a great job of recruiting on all the searches you can, until you start to build name-recognition and a track-record in a specific market... everything is done by stepping-stones, and no search is inconsequential in building the path to that "golden niche".

One other try is to target specific markets and contact everyone in that market, finally getting a viable search or two to work, and then performing so well at the search that you beat all the competition. Then, you get bragging rights for that particular niche.

So, there's really two ways I would recommend: work like hell until you find a niche you like (best) or work like hell until you dominate a specific niche (second-best). I would always recommend recruiting in a specialty field which is related to your passions, because then you can relate better to the candidates.

I my experience, the best niches I ever found found me first, and then I recognized them as great opportunities. The niches I tried to break into myself caused a lot more pain and suffering, but they can work out, too.