[ about us - our philosophy ]

We believe that building relationships is at the center of everything we do, and that these relationships are essential to our success.  

Eric S. Hensley
Principal and Founder
Technology Search Group

Main story (2003) T-Sector Magazine
Anyone who knows Eric will know that if they see him talking to himself, he is not necessarily crazy, but rather simply running through his minds-eye some obscure Shakespearean monologue The Bard put to paper some 400 years ago. The truth is, Eric made a choice 10 years ago to set aside Shakespeare in the Park for the time being to start a career in Los Angeles in the burgeoning Technical Staffing Industry.
Since then, the recruiting world has changed. But where the industry has come from deserves some focus. Recruiters have always lived with the reputation (or is it stigma?) of being "Headhunters." But Eric got into the business for truly altruistic reasons: He was going to help people find jobs. He wanted to bring a more caring approach to the business - one in which a recruiter could hold his head high at a mixer or technology event and say, "Yes, I am a recruiter. What do you do?"

So, in the summer of 1998 Eric started his own recruiting firm and has not looked back since. After working for a large international staffing firm and a couple of staffing startups, he knew he had the ability to run his business the way he thought it should be run. He could put back into the business what was missing in the process:
Good old-fashioned relationship-building.

"That was then; this is now." This expression is a fitting tagline when one thinks of how dramatically the staffing industry has changed in recent months.
Pick any staffing firm - large global organizations, national firms or local companies - and they will all indicate that in one sector or another, their business has dropped sharply. With the current GDP news and rise in unemployment, many companies have suspended hiring and are adopting a wait-and-see approach.
Fortunately, this is not the case for all sectors. There are companies out there that are still hiring, and that is both good and bad news for some local recruiters.

Good News: The companies that are actively hiring are now making decisions on which recruiting firm to use based on two factors: personal relationships and quantitative performance factors. With regard to relationships, they're asking: Is the relationship with their recruiter built on principles of ethical business practices and trust, and does the recruiter go above and beyond what is required to help the company be successful? Regarding quantitative factors, they're asking: Are the resumes passive candidates that have not posted their resume to every job board in town? Do they receive the same resume from five different agencies? And most importantly, have they been subject to pricing that reflects an interest in recruiter profit over long-term relationships?

Bad News: The bad news is the good news. At least, that's how Eric Hensley, principal and founder of Technology Search Group (TSG), sees it. "I think that this downturn is not necessarily bad news for our industry. The way I see it, there is a general filtering out of some of the recruiting firms in town that did not belong in the market because they were interested in short-term gains, rather than building long-term relationships."

Eric started TSG with the idea that simple relationship building had to be at the core of his business. "I was always frustrated with the corporate recruiting world that regularly said that 'You were only as good as your last operating statement.' I just fundamentally disagreed with that stance because it put profit over people."

Eric believes that success in business is directly related to how you treat people. "I truly believe the only reason we have been so successful this year is because of the relationships we have built with our customers and candidates in both good times and bad," he said.

Penny Handscomb, VP of HR and Training at Proflowers Inc., would agree: "When it comes to recruiting technical talent, Technology Search Group is a tough team to match. They truly go beyond the call of duty and ensure client and candidate satisfaction," she said. "I always ask candidates about their experiences working with Technology Search Group, and Eric has always received glowing reports. TSG knows how to find great people and they know how to treat them well."

Eric started in the technology recruiting world 10 years ago in Los Angeles and has built long-term relationships with global companies like Sony, Panasonic and Sun Micosystems. He also has been successful with other great San Diego companies, like Proflowers.com and Illumina Inc.
"I have known Eric for several years and I continue to use his company over other firms, primarily due to their personalized customer service," said Suzanne Krinsky of Illumina Inc. "When I get a resume from Eric, I know the candidate is not only the right fit, but they also are knowledgeable and excited about Illumina. TSG's personalized service and integrity is what sets them apart."
According to Eric, "I think our customers truly see the difference in the effort we put into the process, and they see that we care about what we are doing. We don't just send them the latest resume posted on the Internet. We screen our professional network of technologists to see what the street is saying."
Michael Sexton, a contract recruiter with a local wireless company, has seen the benefits of those efforts. "Unlike many other agencies who just surf the job boards and place ads in the newspapers, TSG does actual cold-call searches and targets candidates who are not actively looking for jobs. Since working with them over the past year, I have never received one of their candidates from another agency."