Shawn: I was born and raised in El Paso, Texas. Upon graduating from UTEP, I embarked upon an adventure to Southern California to launch a career in the fashion industry (I love clothes and LOVE to shop). Well when the economy had a downturn in the early 90’s, I decided to go to a staffing agency and look for a position that would pay me for the hours I worked and the performance I delivered. I did very well with the companies I interviewed with, however, the Recruiter that was assisting me, really liked what she did as a recruiter. I began asking her questions about her role and what she did. I thought how cool it would be to work in an environment where I am helping companies and people find one another and well…the rest is history. I’ve spent the majority of my career in the staffing industry.
People say I am a chameleon; I am adaptable in any environment. That is why I think I excel in the recruiting world as I can adopt the culture and environment of the clients’ I am representing thus delivering top talent for their open roles. I’m also technology savvy and always involved in the latest and greatest technology gadgets and new ways of finding talent. If you think you are going to capture a recent college grad by posting an ad on the internet….you are not likely to do so or get the top ranked potential candidates out there. You have to be able to source and find ALL viable talent whether they are just starting their career or been in the business for 15+ years.
Personal side, still love clothes and fashion. I’m an avid bicyclist owning up to five bicycles at a time. As I mentioned earlier, I love technology and obsessed with the latest and greatest. My goal is to be the 95 year old woman riding her bicycle and hanging with the teenagers playing on some futuristic computer gadget!
John: I am a native Phoenician. “I can tell you your parents lied to you when they said you enjoy the heat as you get older. How old do you have to be before 115 feels good?”
I’ve worn many hats throughout my working life; Grocery Clerk, Restaurant Worker, Process Server, Book Binder, Auditor. I even lived and worked on a cattle ranch in Hawaii. My Professional career began in Banking, then a several year stint working for the Federal Government before landing a career in the Insurance industry. Regardless of the industry I worked in, there was one question I seemed to always ask myself, “Why did they hire that guy?” It sort of became my mantra.
When I became an Executive in the Insurance Industry, I was constantly challenging my Managers to define the criteria they used for making hiring decisions. More times than not, they would sight “synergy” as the overall decision-making factor. Our conversations would go something like this. “Why did you hire that guy?” “Because we seemed to click.” I seemed to be the only one in our organization that saw this as a problem.
In 2005 I decided to focus my full attention on this fundamental issue and joined my wife in founding JMSO, Inc. My personal mission was to improve hiring practices within Corporate America, one candidate at a time. This has turned out to be a bigger task than I first imaged. However, I still believe we can help improve any organization by providing them with stellar candidates. Therefore dramatically minimizing the number of hiring mistakes they make.
'John Smith'