SITE Staffing Recruiter Profile Series
Maurice Pendergast, Sourcing Manager / Professional Recruiter.
Maurice will be managing the new SITE Staffing office that is opening in West Allis. He has been in the industry for many years and has been with SITE for just over four months. Get to know Maurice in our recruiter profile series!
SITE: What’s a typical “day in the life” for you as a recruiter?
Maurice: A rollercoaster. Putting out fires, juggling a million different things, only to find out a client’s best employee just put in their two week’s notice and it’s up to you to fix it. Basically, you’re constantly bouncing between the needs of the client and those of the employees you’re trying to place.
For example, a new client of ours has an employee who’s been in place for sixteen years who doesn’t seem to be doing everything they need to – small things, but the kind that can add up over time and make or break a business. They’re looking to replace this employee and have a wish list of ten things they want, but that’s not always realistic. If we can find someone with 8 or 9 of those abilities and manage the employer’s expectations – perhaps get the candidate training for what they’re missing – it’ll be better in the long run for both parties.
SITE: How did you get into this field/what appeals to you about it?
Maurice: I started as an IT consultant, and a lot of businesses just want to put a band-aid on IT problems – short-term solutions as opposed to fixing things long term. No one wants to back up data or invest in infrastructure; IT is always on the backburner and real solutions take years. It can be really frustrating.
But in the recruiter world, real solutions work much more quickly, employers can be paired with great candidates in a matter of days, and while it’s not a position meant for everyone, if you enjoy a fast pace and helping people, it might be the role for you.
I’m not a doctor or a teacher, but I do have the ability to change people’s lives for the better. Great employees who’ve worked the same industry for 8 years lose their contracts every day, and all of a sudden they don’t know where to start because they haven’t had to write a resume or interview in all that time. Which is where we can help.
SITE: What do you love about working for SITE in particular?
Maurice: The people. Everyone comes together as a team and knows what needs to be done. There’s a lot of experience here, but it’s not just about getting the job done but how, the cultural aspect.
Is it a family run business with everyone swearing at each other? Is it a multimillion dollar corporation where everything is caught up in bureaucracy? SITE is neither, it strikes a balance between the community of a local business and the professionalism of a larger company.
We take the time upfront to get to know our candidates and clients alike, to follow up with them and build a long-term relationship, so that if your first placement isn’t ideal, the next will be closer, and so on, working towards the perfect fit for both employer and employee.
SITE: Do you have any tips for those job hunting, such as for resumes or interviews?
Maurice: Networking. It’s always the best bet for finding the right opportunities. Employers can read about you on paper, but putting a face to the name will help immensely. A lot of executives will actually try to pull new employees from other companies in the same industry since they know they have references, history, and experience. So reputation and networking are the best.
Also, if you can specialize and gain expertise in a given field, that can make you more valuable and recognizable. Even if people aren’t hiring for that given skill set, specialization shows commitment and is often applicable to similar fields where there are more opportunities.
SITE: What do you do in your free time – Hobbies? Family?
Maurice: I have three boys that pretty much are my life. We’re members of the Wisconsin Athletic Club, so every weekend, sometimes even during the week, we go swimming and play racquetball and basketball.
I’m also the Cub Master for Pack 586 in West Allis, so we do a lot of volunteerism, such as the food drive we do every year. I can’t tell you just how many pounds and boxes of canned goods we collect, but it’s amazing to see it all come in truck after truck to the fire station. The three boys and a full-time job keep me pretty busy.
Interested in meeting with a SITE Staffing recruiter? You can tell us a bit about yourself here!