Dear Barb:
I’ve been placing office support for over 20 years. My margins and fees are lower than they were five years ago and I’ve seen my niche reduce over the past five years. Law firms used to have one legal secretary for every two attorneys, and now they support five or six attorneys. I feel like I should open a new niche, but all my contacts, database and expertise is in office support. Can you suggest a niche that will grow over the next 10 years?
Marsha W.
New York, NY
Barb Responds
Dear Marsha:
I spoke at an employment conference that was attended by some of the top Fortune 500 companies from across the globe. Job growth was obviously a hot topic and most experts and economists were in agreement that 75% of job growth by the year 2015 (only two years away) would require at least one of four degrees, Science, Math, IT and Engineering.
Obviously the Internet has changed everything and future major changes will be impacted by robotics. You also don’t want to overlook the aging population which has put an emphasis on the medical niche.
Since you have an established client base, you might reach out to your current clients and ask what high level searches they are also conducting. Often your clients provide you with the searches in your niche and give higher level searches to other firms. You may determine that your current clients can provide you with higher level searches.
If you’re looking for growth areas, positions utilizing the four degrees outlined above would be a wise decision.
Barbara J. Bruno, CPC, CTS