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on-site recruiting
a case study—by visio corporation

"In the high-tech industry, it's not unusual to experience last minute hiring 'bulges' (i.e. you need to hire between 15 and 50 people at a moment's notice). It's reassuring to know I can pick up the phone and, within days, get the in-house support I need from a recruiting expert who is familiar with Visio and understands the needs of our hiring managers," said Susan Slaton, Director of Human Resources at Visio.

Thriving software companies succeed based on more than just amazing technology. It takes amazing people. Visio Corporation, developers of the de facto standard for business and technical drawing on the Windows desktop, recognizes the value of its employees and places a high degree of importance on the people who make their company a success. Since 1993, they have continued to offer a stimulating work environment to their employees while managing the company's growth from a staff of 28 to now over 300.

Making the Decision to Use On-Site Recruiting

In 1993, Visio (then, known as Shapeware) found themselves in a high growth phase and in need of hiring 30 employees within 90 days. As with most high-tech start-ups, they weren't large enough to add another member to the HR department, and Susan Slaton soon realized she was dreading going through the frantic process of placing ads, screening resumes, setting up interviews and hiring thirty qualified candidates in less than three months in addition to her normal workload. At the time, she felt her options were limited - either pay a 20% to 30% fee to an outside recruiter for each new hire (an expense that was not included in the budget), or work non-stop, 24 hours a day for the next 90 days. Neither prospect seemed to be the answer.

Soon afterward, a business associate at an HR roundtable meeting recommended Devon James Associates (DJA) as a firm who might be able to help solve Visio's dilemma. Immediately recognizing their budgetary issues and magnitude of the project, DJA moved away from recommending a traditional target recruiting fee model and proposed a more economical alternative whereby, both parties would participate in the hiring process and manage it from Visio's on-site location. "It was refreshing for me to find a recruiter who was willing to work with us and place our long term needs ahead of making a quick buck," said Slaton, enthusiastic about the prospect of staying within her budget, meeting the company's deadline, and having an expert to lean on.

The Benefits of On-Site Recruiting

Within days, Visio discovered they had found more than just a recruiter. DJA provided the services of a well-connected confidant, third-party company ambassador, and savvy business partner all rolled into one. Together, DJA and Slaton filled the thirty positions, and Visio continues to call on DJA for on-site projects to this day.

"We periodically hire temporary recruiting help to do parts of the process, but we didn't fully appreciate the benefits of on-site recruiting until DJA came in-house and started working with us," said Slaton. "It was important for me to see somebody on a day-to-day basis actually go through the process of placing ads, sending follow-up postcards, tracking and responding to candidates, sifting through stacks of resumes, pre-screening them, and coordinating interviews, and being a general Visio ambassador to the candidates." And although DJA is not the least expensive hourly fee in town, Slaton feels they are hard-pressed to find anyone who works as quickly and thoroughly, and who leaves them with an organized trail to pick up at the completion of each contract. "Today, we continue to use DJA's on-site service because it fills the gap between hiring an extra person in HR and paying an outside recruiter 20% for every new hire. Most importantly, they are in sync with our needs as a company and are a powerhouse at recruiting and identifying qualified candidates," said Slaton.

To ensure that Visio's hiring managers had the interviewing skills they needed, DJA offered the value-added service of instructing them on the nuances of interviewing, providing tips and techniques, and making sure they were kept abreast of general "90's" liability issues. Being a part of the Visio team also made DJA imminently aware of the management style and corporate culture, an aspect of the relationship Visio continues to leverage today with DJA's other division - the traditional fee-based Target Recruiting side of the business.

As the years passed and the company grew, Visio decided to triple the size of its human resource department from two to six in-house staff. "Trust is an important factor for us, and when I went to hire an assistant to help me with the day-to-day HR operations, I called upon DJA to interview the final candidate because I believe in their instincts," said Slaton.

"At the time, it seemed strange that I was being interviewed by a recruiter I was presumably replacing. Having worked with them now for a few years, I can understand why that was done and, now I’ve grown to trust the quality and reliability of DJA," said Jill Domanico, Recruiting Manager at Visio.