By Barbara Brewer La Mere
As the local economy starts to show improvement,
local recruitment firms say that with
companies urgently needing staffing, particularly
in technical areas, business is good.
Jim Pabis of Saratoga Source LLC in
Saratoga Springs said that business is, “Very,
very, very good.”
Pabis has been in the recruiting business
in Saratoga for 14 years. His customer base
is “all over,” with a few local customers, and a
particular concentration of customers in the
Washington, D.C., area.
Ryan and Jill Osterhout of KCO Resource Management in Clifton Park said their business was busy enough in 2012 that they added two additional people to the staff. The company’s customer base has been been national and global, as have been its recruiting efforts. KCO serves clients in a variety of industries, many in the food and beverage business (Chobani and Alpina are notable customers). Pharmaceutical, engineering, biotech, and other technical companies are businesses that rely on KCO’s expertise and deep connections with people in those areas to find them the staffing that they need.
Pabis the advantage of a company using Saratoga Source, rather than relying on the efforts of its internal human resources department, is that his company “drills in” to find the best recruits. Not from among candidates who are actively seeking new employment, but from “passive” candidates, active in their field, but not seeking new jobs.
Scouting out, as Saratoga Source does, those to whom Pabis refers to as “A+++ players” through professional media websites and other sources and then cold-calling them to present an opportunity is what Pabis refers to as “the best talent searching out the best talent.”
The Osterhouts noted that the role they play with companies varies depending on the size of the business, the degree of recruiting expertise within their own human resources department, and the company’s particular needs at a given moment, particularly during times of substantial growth.
There are small businesses that have no human resource department who need to pursue the daily workings of the business and don’t have the time or knowledge of good recruiting techniques to find the ideal candidate.
Jill Osterhout said she particularly enjoys working with smaller businesses, “getting their feet wet” in the area of staffing growth. For larger companies, a recruiting firm may free up human resources staff to meet day-to-day needs without the department delving into recruitment efforts.
For companies with a larger human resources staff, a recruiting firm like KCO can work with the HR department to expand the client’s recruiting capacity. They add a depth of knowledge, as well as general recruiting expertise, to help to land the best candidates possible.
In such situations, said the Osterhouts, the role of a recruiting company can be an ongoing arrangement with the human resources department or an as-needed basis for a stint of intense recruiting, like an expansion, where there is a need to fill a large number of positions in a relatively short time.
Pabis said he anticipates that Saratoga Source will continue to see an increase in sales in the coming year as unemployment declines and hiring increases.
KCO plans in 2013 to add a focus on local businesses to their customer base, along with a spin-off beginning sometime in March, called KCO Connect, locating staffing in temp-to hire and contract labor contexts. Effective the beginning of this year, KCO is providing candidates they have recruited with such services as assistance in resume development and interviewing skills, including opportunities for practice interviews.
For companies both large and small companies, a recruiting firm can provide knowledge of typical salary range for a given position and job descriptions based both on what is industry typical and client-specific.
Ryan Osterhout points to his company’s experience in conducting interviews, and in being able to spot red flags that become evident in resumes or interviews to help companies steer clear of less-than-ideal candidates. Phone, Skype, and in-person visits may all be part of the recruiting process. KCO hopes that its recent move to a more visible local location will make it be seen as more friendly to local clients.
Saratoga Source, LLC, can be found online at www.thesaratogasource.com. Its office is at 444 Broadway. The phone number is 583-4500. KCO Resource Management can be reached at 348-7800. Its website is kcoresource.com