Category Focus: Talent Scouts
BY LORRAINE DePASQUE
Published in the May 2012 issue
Baseball, football and basketball are surely not images that come to mind when thinking about outsourced employment services. But, in reality, recruitment firms exclusive to the fine jewelry business are very much like talent scouts for professional sports. Like their peers in athletics circles, such industry-specific professional placement firms search the globe for the best talent, they evaluate candidates before they send them to you, and they’re skilled at understanding those who might best fit in with your store’s “team.” Many help with additional aspects of the hiring process, says Suzanne DeVries of Diamond Staffing Solutions. “We can help you with things like developing a job description for a specific position, providing up-to-date information on the newest laws in the hiring process and creating an offer letter.”
PREMIER PLACEMENTS INC.:
The company launched a jobs posting page, which lists a small selection of opportunities in the jewelry industry, encouraging candidates to phone and discuss their employment needs.
DIAMOND STAFFING SOLUTIONS:
The company makes a press packet available to clients to help explain the various services their staffing firm provides, including a job opportunities page that indicates the many different job types and titles available in the jewelry industry.
POINTS TO CONSIDER
>> “Ask for references. Make sure the agency you’re considering has done the job for them.” DEVRIES
>> “Discuss how the recruitment firm will source and screen candidates before you interview them. By the time I tell a client to see someone. I’ve checked references and I’ve done a write-up on the candidate as well, which might explain why I think this person is good for the job.” — TONY ANGELO, PREMIER PLACEMENTS
>> “Find out if the firm has profile forms for job candidates. For every applicant we send to the client, we have that applicant fill out one of these. Profile forms include things that aren’t on the resume, like credit checks, background checks and driver’s license checks.” — SUZANNE DEVRIES, DIAMOND STAFFING SOLUTIONS
>> “Know about contracts, agreements, fees and retainers because recruitment agencies don’t all work the same way. For example, some work on retainer, but we don’t. With us, there’s a simple agreement, stating we charge a flat fee: 15 percent of the new employee’s annual salary, which is paid within the first 10 days of employment.” — ANGELO
>> “Be clear in telling the agency if you want only someone who’s worked in jewelry. If any kind of retail or any kind of luxury is OK, too, then tell them.” — DEVRIES
>> “Talk about your hiring timeframe expectations. Companies like ours who specialize in jewelry have a huge database of potential employees as well as lots of industry contacts. Still, realistically, timing is everything, so sometimes the perfect candidate may not be available till the first of the year, the summer, things like that.” — ANGELO
>> “Inquire about the placement agency’s access to drug testing. We encourage our clients to do this with every potential employee, no matter what the position.” — DEVRIES
RETAILER TAKE
DAVID HARRIS
Day’s Jewelers, Waterville, ME
“BE OPEN-MINDED, even if an agency suggests you see someone you think won’t be right. Finding the right person is what they do every day and they have good instincts about it.”
“As small as the jewelry industry is, there are still thousands of people you haven’t met yet. And because these companies have contacts all over, they can really lead you right to them.”
“These companies save you time by doing a lot of advance research for you.”
“You can use multiple placement services if you want but, most often, one typically surfaces to the top.”
VENDORS
CODY CONSULTANTS
(770) 929-3707
www.codyconsultants.com
DIAMOND STAFFING SOLUTIONS
(603) 437-2629; (877) 396-6377
www.diamondstaffing.com
DJP EXECUTIVE SERVICES
(757) 430-9500
www.executivesearch.com
HENRIKSEN ENTERPRISES
(775) 626-5301; (800) 934-7162
www.jewelryand watchjobs.com
JOBS4GEMS.COM
(816) 413-8700
www.jobs4gems.com
PREMIER PLACEMENTS
(800) 474-8047
www.jewelryjobs.com
