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| Every Monday morning some people dread going to work—but not Rachel Little. “It’s a joy to come to work every day,” she says. “I do not dread coming to work on Monday, which I have never been able to say about any jobs I have had in the past.” Rachel has liked going to work since she found PorticoHR. Founded in January 2005, PorticoHR provides temp-to-hire and permanent placement services for job seekers. With 25 years of experience, the PorticoHR staff helps candidates find the right job with the right company. As a certified Senior Professional in Human Resources, Katie Roth knows the direct and indirect costs that companies face when the wrong person for the job is hired. “There are training costs, lost production, and lower morale,” she says. “It is perfectly logical that this ultimately becomes a no-win situation. The employee is unhappy and may ultimately leave the job, either voluntarily or involuntarily. That leads to the costs of hiring and training another person—and the cycle starts again.” This is one of the reasons why PorticoHR carefully prescreens all of their clients. “There are all kinds of staffing agencies,” Katie comments. But at PorticoHR, time is spent with each person to learn about the job seeker, what they want, and what they don’t want. “PorticoHR prequalifies candidates before we send them to interview at companies. That’s why we have a 99% success rate with placement.” Rachel agrees. “Katie placed me in a position that was absolutely perfect. I have worked for a couple of different temp agencies, and I was placed into different jobs. However, they were not a great fit for me. I have to give credit to Katie because she understood what I was looking for and saw a perfect match for me.” All of the staff at PorticoHR is cross-trained. They do evaluations on job seekers, as well as background checks and criminal record checks. They take into consideration individual personalities, and they look for a successful placement. They may only send four to five candidates to interview for a job, but they are all thoroughly prescreened so that they know they have the necessary job skills. “Because PorticoHR is a smaller agency, we can offer more personalized service,” Katie says. “It’s a great feeling when we know that the person will have a successful career in the company because it’s not only the right job, it’s the right company for that person.” Arthur Ousley, Jr. recently used PorticoHR to fill a job opening in his company. “PorticoHR assisted my organization in finding a candidate to fill our opening. More importantly, the PorticoHR staff was very professional and on top of things. This was definitely a pleasant experience, and I wouldn’t hesitate to use PorticoHR again in the future.” Katie explains their philosophy: “You plan your work and you work your plan. We are up-front with our clients. We don’t get paid unless we place a candidate. We tell our job seekers that we are only one part of their strategy for getting a job. Each person must also answer ads and go on interviews of their own making. We tell them not to rely only on the staffing agency to find a job.” She sums it up: “You make your own luck.” As a former salesperson and the former vice president and partner at Merit Resources, Katie has “made” her own share of luck. She began by selling office equipment, and was then recruited by a job placement recruiter. She worked for Olsten for 10 years, and also managed a national staffing firm for 10 years. Katie is also active in the community, and has worked for a senator on his steering committee. When asked what advice she has for a person seeking a job and looking for a staffing agency, Katie answers, “A staffing agency isn’t a career placement agency. Career placement agencies can charge a fee to help an individual figure out what type of career to pursue. There’s never a fee to go through a staffing agency. Also, there’s no law that says a person has to use just one staffing agency to find a job.” She goes on to say that her staff tells clients that if they don’t hear from them, it might be because they don’t have a job for them. Right now unemployment is high, so companies can sometimes find their own employees. “I have to be honest. If I don’t have any jobs for a person, I let the person know right away. There are record numbers of people applying for any job opening. So there are lots of applicants and fewer jobs. But this will change.” For one thing, Baby Boomers are starting to retire. It won’t take long before the cycle will start to shift as companies are affected by those retirements. “It has a ripple effect. Losing seasoned employees means a loss of experience to the company.” It also means that companies will need to hire new employees to replace the ones leaving the company. Katie spends time with companies to learn what they are looking for in a job as well as in employees. PorticoHR places job candidates into professional occupations such as accounting, administrative, legal, marketing, and sales. They also offer placement for administrative assistants, data entry, clerical, customer service, and receptionist positions, among others. The name for the company was carefully chosen. A “portico” represents a door or entryway supported by columns. “HR” is an abbreviation of human resources. PorticoHR seeks to help job candidates enter doors of opportunity, as well as serving as pillars of support. PorticoHR does this by taking the time to get to know their clients, offering employment options, and offering feedback after each interview. PorticoHR is a certified Targeted Small Business by the state of Iowa. This provides further advantages for PorticoHR’s clients, Katie says. PorticoHR offers short-term, long-term, and full-time opportunities, and the staff can help job seekers find the right job, she adds. So whether you are looking to find a job as a vice president of sales and marketing, as an energy enterprise risk manager, as a payroll specialist, or as a front counter/salesperson, PorticoHR may have a position that is just right for you. PorticoHR is located at 2910 Westown Parkway, Suite 106 in West Des Moines. Contact them at 221-3233, or visit them on the Web at www.porticohr.com. |
A Place for Success |
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