Staffing Firm Focuses on ‘Art’ of Recruiting

It's all about finding people work when they are desperately hoping to find a job—and for Spearhead Staffing, in Bridgewater, this is the quest everyday.

“There is no better feeling than to be able to call someone who has been out of work and tell them they will be able to collect a pay check again,” said Doug Bryson, co-owner and president of the company. “I enjoy the staffing business because I like to help people find employment and do my small part to help to improve our economy.”

Bryson, who has 17 years experience in the information technology (IT) industry, established the company in 2010. Spearhead Staffing is a privately owned IT recruiting firm, and is a spin-off of USAS Technologies that specializes in IT employment solutions.   

Bryson runs the business with co-owner Phil Privitere, who has 20 years of experience himself in managing and developing executive level talent in both sales and operations.

“We work with clients who are looking to fill temporary, right-to-hire or full-time employee positions in a wide range of technical areas,” Bryson said. 

Most of the current open positions, Bryson said, are in the areas of application development, infrastructure support, application support, project management, business analyst, quality assurance, and technical writing.

Bryson said he has seen an upswing in his business since December 2010.

“According to market experts, companies that have been holding off on normally scheduled hardware and software upgrades can no longer ignore the need,” he said.

This need has created a growing temporary staffing market, Bryson said. And because clients sometimes underestimate their needs, the employees that he places tend to have longer engagements than initially thought.

Bryson, a graduate of Seton Hall University's Stillman School of Business, spent most of his early career working as a hands-on consultant and technical project manager. His six-year management experience overseeing IT support organizations helped him develop a unique perspective and understanding of the needs of the customer as well as the staffing provider.

From this vantage point, Bryson said, he is able to manage Spearhead Staffing in a very different way.  

“Spearhead Staffing is a company built on integrity and a focus on the needs of our customers,” he said. 

“Because staffing is a ‘broker business’ I think staffing companies tend to get put into a bucket where their employees will say anything to get a deal done," he added. "That is not how we operate. We focus on the art of recruiting."

The art of recruiting, according to Bryson, involves looking beyond the words on resumes and job descriptions. What is most important, he said, is making sure that the personalities of the candidates and the clients really match.

“We also want to ensure that the candidate will fit the companies’ culture, and that their potential new bosses and the candidates have similar beliefs, goals and values," he said. "This is where a true recruiter, not a head hunter, demonstrates his value."

Spearhead Staffing utilizes a process called the RightHire recruiting process.

“This is an iterative process that creates an emphasis on continuous client feedback," Bryson said. "Our process uses a combination of understanding the client’s requirements, culture and environment, coupled with thorough candidate due diligence."

Bryson said the process helps the company identify the best candidate through a combination of double-check reviews, Internet identity checks, technical and personality testing and other methods.

“Our greatest challenge today is the overall uncertainty related to our macro-economy," Bryson said. "And although we are fortunate that IT is an area that is growing and hiring this year, until we have more job creation and more positive GDP, it will be a difficult climate for all staffing companies for the near future." 

“I think most Americans are hopeful that the economy and hiring will pickup," he added. "My belief is that the housing market is the last piece of the puzzle. Although the market reacted poorly to the debt ceiling, we have a Dow Industrial Index that is well over 11,000."

Bryson said unemployment is down almost a full percent since its low, inflation is still under control and borrowing money is cheap.

“Once some of the housing inventory gets worked through, I think we will see consumer confidence increase and spending increase, and that will fuel job creation,” he said.

Despite the challenges, Bryson said, he believes Spearhead Staffing is not only in a great position in the industry, but also geographically.

“Bridgewater is a perfect place to do business because of its proximity to a number of highways, mass transit to New York City and mostly because of the number of great businesses in the Somerset county area,” he said. “Bridgewater has really become a great business hub over the last decade.”

For more information, visit the company's website.