Michael J. Testa, CEO/President

Why is IT recruiting so complex?

In this crazy world of automated recruiting, do you ever wonder how anyone ever wades through this electronic maze to identify a quality candidate?  I often think of that myself.  When everyone is lumped into an electronic pile how do you extract true talent?

Why would a high value candidate want to be lost within the masses of that pile?  In days past when resumes were on paper, candidates would find odd color paper and paper that was thicker so they would stand out.  This is where working with an experienced expert to find unique candidates will make your life easier.

The numbers recruiting game does not often yield the candidates you want.  Not to say that it doesn’t happen, however, in most cases the gems I find are often passive candidates.  They are the ones that light up my senses in the first few seconds of speaking with them.  I often find them through referrals from colleagues of mine that I highly trust and respect.

How is it that I know the industry so well?

I spent the first 11 years of my career working in the trenches developing and managing large and small software projects and 19 years in IT sales and recruiting, I have learned how to recognize and identify talented IT professionals.  I also keep myself up-to-date in the industry by participating on the board of the directors with the TechServe Alliance .  I have been a member of TechServe since 1998.

How do I make it easier to hire the gems?

I work closely with IT Hiring Managers to understand and plan a process to find the right person for their IT role.  “Finding the Right Geek!”

There is no such thing as a “cookie cutter” IT professional and each and every search I do contains both the technical needs analysis and the need to match the customer’s culture with the candidates’ personality.  Being involved on both sides has made this somewhat intuitive process second nature to me.

How do I recruit the gems?

1. Network recruiting.  What that means is that I get on the phone and reach out to my network and look for candidates that have worked with former colleagues, current and past employees that I highly respect and will share with me the names of those people.
2. Candidates through our network will submit their resumes to me through several different portals and I make sure the candidates in our pipeline have been carefully screened.
3. Colleague recruiting.  With the extensive relationship with IT staffing firms through the TechServe Alliance, I am able to reach out to member firms that share my values and understanding of the industry to cast the net wider.  This works well for both local and national candidates.

Why would you as an IT Professional want to work for my firm?

The clients we chose to work with are firms that I would work for myself, and some I have.  These are firms that treat our consultants well and respect the experience they bring to the table.  Our consultants have been with us an average of 8 years.  We offer a flexible means of employment, hourly or salary.  For salaried employees I offer a comprehensive benefit plan and PTO.

I love this work!

My passion for this work has given me a deep level of understanding for very well matched candidates and hiring environments.   I don’t throw big numbers of bodies your way because lasting success is more than just a commoditized numbers game.

I do listen to you deeply so we both really get what’s essentially important with each of your openings.

Over the years I’ve developed a sixth sense that is uncannily accurate when it comes to presenting the ideal candidate for you opening.

I place IT Professionals in the following areas:

• CIO’s
• IT Directors
• Project Managers
• Software Developers
• Network Administrators

Call me today at (412) 837-9086 for a complimentary consultation so we may begin to solve your hiring problems.

We are LGBT friendly.