By: Deborah Johnson Wood
Despite rising unemployment and companies divesting themselves of executives and middle managers, WilliamCharles Search Group last year placed nearly 100 executives and mid-level management professionals in permanent jobs. They did the same in 2007. And some 80 percent of those placements took place in West Michigan companies.
“People come to us to make a career change or are referred to us,” says Chuck Smeester, a partner in the business with Bill Benson. “We do proactive searches and research to be constantly on the lookout for candidates for positions we may be filling in the future or who fit a current search. A lot of our candidates come through networking. There’s no one magical source.”
The company, located at 5550 Cascade Rd. in Grand Rapids, focuses primarily on recruiting CEO-level professionals and mid- and senior-level personnel for permanent jobs in accounting, finance, human resources, sales, marketing, supply chain and operations positions.
“There are still opportunities for executives and middle managers out there,” Smeester notes. “Companies that are streamlining and reorganizing will increase the pool (of candidates) for the time being, and that will cause people to look at their own skill sets and decide how they can redeploy themselves.”
The 12-person firm recently streamlined its own operations by integrating its Financial Edge Executive Resources division with WilliamCharles.
“We’re focusing on one brand and strengthening it,” Smeester says. “As we’re going into challenging economic times we continue to look for additional ways to help our clients and strengthen our position in the marketplace.”
Source: Chuck Smeester, WilliamCharles Search Group; Angela M. Butterfield, MINDshare Media, Inc.
Deborah Johnson Wood is development news editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at [email protected].
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