Liana Presti is a Recruiter at JSG’s Charleston, SC office. She’s been with JSG for six months now and specializes in direct hire placements. We had the opportunity to sit down with her and get to know here a little better. Here’s what she had to say.

Tell us a little about yourself.

I’m originally from the Tampa, Florida area and moved to Tennessee for college, where I attended East Tennessee State University. I graduated in 2016 and received a bachelor’s degree in Psychology. After I graduated, I started working for the Pasco County Sheriff office and was working as a Child Protective Specialist. After a little over a year, I relocated to Charleston. Miranda Jones reached out to me on LinkedIn about joining the Charleston team as a recruiter. I was on the fence about the position, but after talking to one of my close friends back home who transitioned from child services to recruiting, I decided to accept the position. I have now been a recruiter for direct hire roles for about six months.

This is your first recruiting role. How are you enjoying it so far? What are the biggest challenges of a young recruiter in this tight labor market?

I really enjoy my co-workers at JSG. We have a great team in Charleston and we’re really close with each other. I enjoy talking to different people every day and meeting some really interesting people. Probably the most difficult part about recruiting is the tight market we’re experiencing. At times, it can be difficult to find qualified candidates, and the candidates we do find are sometimes entertaining multiple job opportunities and have several interviews lined up. Employers must move quickly to ensure they are not missing out on great candidates!

How has your role as a Child Protective Specialist helped with your transition into the Staffing industry?

Honing my communication skills as a Child Protective Specialist has definitely helped me with my new role as a recruiter. I had to interview people frequently which has helped me develop a good judge of character and be able to see if a candidate is a good fit for a role or not. However, my job at JSG is definitely less emotional than working for the Sheriffs Office. There can be a lot of high and lows in the staffing world, but my role in child protective services has helped me brush off the lows and move onto the next role.

What type of roles do you specialize in?

Overall, my favorite roles to recruit on are engineering positions, specifically continuous improvement and management roles. These candidates are really interesting and super fascinating to talk to. At JSG, I have had the opportunity to recruit on many different roles in various industries, which has helped me develop a solid background in a bunch of different markets.

What do you like to do for fun outside of work?

Outside of work, I enjoy hanging out with my dog. Recently, I have been getting into yoga with Taylor Graves, one of my co-workers in Charleston.

Tamara Harries works for JSG Professional Services ULC, Johnson Services Group’s Canadian entity. Tamara is our Canadian Administrator and has worked for JSG for almost four years. We had the opportunity to sit down with Tamara and learn more about her impressive career as a payroll professional. Here is what she had to say.

Tell us a little about your career and how you ended up working for JSG.

I started working for CDI Professional Services in January 1998 as a Payroll Administrator. Our office was in Oakville, Ontario, very close to where our office is now. At CDI, I worked with many people who now work for JSG Professional Services, including Greg Thullner who was the VP of the Montreal office. At CDI, I was responsible for payroll and billing activities for all of our offices in Canada. When I was at CDI, we provided staffing services primarily in aerospace, oil & gas, and engineering.

When Greg and the rest of the team formed the Canadian division of Johnson Service Group, I joined the team in July 2015 as the Canadian Administrator. I am responsible for payroll services, as well as other back office duties. When JSG Professional Services was first formed, I worked closely with our corporate office as sort of a liaison between them and our operations in Canada. The rules here in Canada are different than the States, and rules and regulations can even differ between provinces.

You’ve worked in the Staffing Industry for over twenty years. What has changed over the years?

One thing that I have noticed throughout the years is the popularity of staffing services. More and more staffing firms are popping up and more employers are relying on contractors to fill their positions. Technology has also revolutionized how we work. Back when I first started working, we used to fax over payroll to another office for processing, all of which was done manually. Now we have different systems and software that have really streamlined our payroll and recruiting processes. We have much better tools for recruiting and tracking and everything is more user-friendly. All of the web-based applications we have at our disposal has definitely made our industry more efficient.

What’s your favorite part about your job here at JSG?

My favorite part about working for JSG is the people. I have had the opportunity to build great internal and external relationships. Like I said before, I’ve been working with some of the great people like Greg Thullner, Jason Landa, Kim Getty, Juan Buitrago, and Amanda Monaco for years. All five of us worked together at CDI and we now have the opportunity to work together here at JSG. We are like a big family!

I also enjoy working closely with our contractors. I have had the privilege to work with some of the same contracts for over a decade. We have developed close connections with many of our contractors and they feel more like friendships than working relationships. To me, this isn’t just a job that I clock in and out of every day. At JSG, I have become invested in my job. I want to see the business grow as well as see our contractors grow into their new positions.

What do you like to do for fun outside of work?

Outside of work, I enjoy reading, hiking, and traveling. I try and travel down to Disney World once or twice a year.

James Roberts is the Recruiting Manager for our Atlanta, GA office. He’s been with JSG for 13 years and has nearly 20 years of experience in the Staffing Industry. We had the opportunity to sit down with him and ask him about his impressive career. Here is what he had to say.

Tell us a little bit about your career in the Staffing Industry and your 13 years with JSG.

I started working in the Staffing industry in 1997 where I was working for Tek Systems. When I first started, I was working as an IT Recruiter. I was at Tek Systems for nearly seven years and then moved to a smaller firm called Recruiters at Work. There, I was doing both sales and recruiting and I stayed there until 2006. I then made the move from Connecticut to Atlanta and started working for Johnson Service Group.

When I first started at JSG, I went back to recruiting for IT roles. However, after a few months, I transitioned to Aviation recruiting. I then relocated to our Charleston office where I held the position of Branch Operations Manager. I worked in Charleston for about four years and then relocated back to Atlanta where I returned to a recruiting role as well as account management. Two years later, I was promoted to Recruiting Manager where I oversee an awesome team of recruiters.

What changes have you seen in the Staffing Industry throughout your career? What changes do you expect in the near future?

Throughout my career, I have seen the market go up and down. When I first started in the industry, the unemployment rate was low. Several years later, the unemployment rate increased, and it became easier to find good candidates to fill our client’s roles. But now that the market is competitive and we are witnessing an unemployment rate of 3.8 percent, it’s becoming more difficult to find great candidates; the best workers out there are the ones still employed.

Technology has also drastically changed how we communicate with our clients and candidates. With so many different ways to communicate with people, like texting and emailing, it’s become more challenging to build strong relationships. We seem to be getting away from the phones and I see this issue only getting worse in the future. With social media, job boards, and other technologies, it eliminates the personal touch and makes it harder to build relationships.

Tell us about your team in Atlanta. What are your team’s goals for the rest of the year?

I have a great team of recruiters. Most of our team is in Atlanta, but we have two recruiters in Oklahoma City and another in Jacksonville, FL. The goal for our team is to be the top Aviation provider for all of our customers and demonstrate excellent customer service throughout the entire hiring process.

When you’re not busy at work, what do you like to do in your free time?

I am a huge sports fanatic. I love both football and basketball. On the weekends, I enjoy officiating basketball. I also do some one-on-one basketball training with some local youth in Atlanta.