When I think about JobLine turning 30, my first thought is: how did time go by so fast. Then again, with everything we have done over the years, it makes me smile. We’ve achieved a lot, from pioneering the Candidate Profile, which gives employers a “first interview” and candidates a true representation of their value and capabilities, to the Component Systems Institute (CSI), the first Truss Designer Training Center where any employer could send promising students. The 4-week course covered basic design skills, complex math skills, load path development, blueprint reading, and hands-on computer experience using MiTek, Alpine, or Truswal Software. Students came in with little or no truss design experience and left with the ability to design basic truss packages. The math and design properties learned at CSI prepared students to advance, with reduced errors and greater confidence. Geordie Secord did an outstanding job leading that effort, and now he is back to run our Canadian recruiting office.
Along with CSI, JobLine created the National Truss Design Skills Evaluation, a truss design skills-focused evaluation that measured truss designers in 9 critical areas. The report compares these 9 areas with other designers we have tested over the years. I say compares in the present tense, because the evaluation is in its 8th version, and the comparison is against the thousands of designers we have tested since its inception. I know that “the test,” as it is now called, has helped many employers have greater confidence in a candidate’s abilities and has helped candidates show their value using a recognized industry standard. It is available if you need a solid benchmark to test a designer’s skills.
I have enjoyed traveling and seeing how our clients produce the products our candidates help make possible. Seeing manufacturing operations not only helped me better understand the environment candidates would be working in, but it also gave me a chance to let my manufacturing animal out a little. Prior to starting JobLine, I was a multi-plant General Manager, Plant Manager, Design Manager, Designer, Estimator, and on down the line to a kid who cleaned out the saws. That experience helps me better understand what both candidates and employers are looking for. Just ask our employers, who go through the same detailed process as candidates do to understand their needs and what they have to offer. It’s like having a Recruiter Down the Hall to help make the best professional matches.
It may surprise you to know that I don’t solicit like other recruiters do and never have. I didn’t like being on the other side of that when I was a GM, so I don’t do it either. Sure, it means that fewer candidates cross my desk, but the ones who do and the ones who will work with me using the JobLine system are less likely to be tire kickers or job hoppers, and are more likely to be hired. JobLine candidates take the time needed to create a detailed profile, and that gives us the information needed to present a detailed application. For the employer, it’s almost like having a first interview. Employers and candidates can come to me knowing I will do my best for them, remain Strictly Confidential, and hopefully make matches that last. And, our retention record seems to agree!
It’s been a great ride, even with a slight hiccup back in the late ‘00’s. We are still here and have no intention of going away anytime soon. I am just as excited about where we are now, and the new projects JobLine has on the horizon, as I was when JobLine started in November of 1992.
Congratulations Thom and The JobLine for celebrating 30 years in business! As I have worked with you and your company over those 30 years, I have never considered you a recruiter and that has always been important to me. I have considered you a partner in my business who, when I call, will work hard to find the right person for the job I need to fill. I have also respected the fact that you have never called me or any of my employees to encourage them to move to another company, and your integrity in this area has always impressed me very much. You have always been pro industry, pro company, and pro employee, which is very difficult to do but you balance it well. You have built a great company and I wish you all the best in your future endeavors. — Don G., Caldwell, TX
Happy 30th anniversary to The JobLine! Having been both a client and customer of The JobLine, I have been able to experience both sides of the table with the services they provide. Originally in my years as a truss plant GM, I utilized the search and placement services to locate and hire qualified talent for roles from truss designers to plant management. Being in unique locations at times can be a bit challenging when it comes to attracting applicants, but the knowledge and contacts Thom has in the industry have provided very qualified staff selections for our business units many times over the years. Later on, as I decided to relocate across the country, Thom was able to match my capabilities with an employer that I have been more than happy with for almost 10 years now and counting. Thom and The JobLine are truly experts in their field and an asset to the industry. Congratulations on the years of success you have earned – I am confident this will continue for many years going forward. — Steve G., Dallas, TX
Thom and the entire JobLine staff have always conducted themselves very professionally and have been great to work with as an employer. Their attention to detail in trying to match the right candidate with the correct employer has always been a plus when searching for experienced employees. Congratulations on 30 years, my friend! — Danny B., Shelbyville, KY