As the marketplace and economy continue at their snail's pace, it's a challenge to engage in "income-producing activities" (my favorite work term). Playing "catcher" to candidates and selectively choosing job orders is not the way the game's going to be played out right now. And therefore, it's time for this old dog to learn some new tricks.

Searching... I will continue to hone my internet search string capabilities and run searches for candidates whom we particularly place, even if there is nothing going on in that realm right now. WHEN the market picks back up, and it will, the relationships that I build with people now will benefit us all in the future.

Social Networks... Really dig into the meat and potatoes of social networking, researching the search functionality and determining which are worth investing time/effort into and which are going to end up being time-consuming endeavors with no ROI (and time is money/investment).

Communication techniques... Speak to people on the phone, email them or text, according to their preference. Deliberately set out plan to stay in contact with my loyal companies and candidates, as well as companies/candidates who may not always be the first to leap into my mind. I need to remain diligent about promptly returning every phone call and replying to every email.

Furlough... Although not on a full furlough from my company, I am not working the hours I used to. Therefore, the time that I do have at work must be ordered and used to its best advantage. Positioning the business for success when things turn around is my priority - we've been around for almost 20 years and we will be around at least another 20 more!

This time of re-invention is really stressful, but can be extremely valuable as well. This old dog is ready to learn some new tricks. Have any tips/tricks you'd like to share with me? Comment below and let me know!