Hiring staffing and recruiting agencies is an excellent way to save company time, energy and ultimately revenue, by outsourcing the often-difficult hiring process to those who specialize in it.

Recruiting agencies (like Crystal McKinsey’s all-inclusive recruiting and talent acquisition firm CMRG) handle every detail of the process. They screen applications but also conduct background checks and work personally with candidates to get a better impression of their soft skills and personal qualities than any hiring software would be able to obtain.

Crystal McKinsey says, “Artificial intelligence is extraordinary for narrowing a talent pipeline, or matching a required skill set list with a resume, but it does not identify grit, pluck, resilience, drive, or other character attributes that ultimately make the difference between an average and exceptional candidate.”

The typical hiring process doesn’t account for personal qualities that aren’t translatable into objective data points; it’s also an all-too-common occurrence for candidates to exaggerate these skills during their applications in order to improve their chances at obtaining a job. On typical job recruiting sites, there might be hundreds or even thousands of applications for open positions, and candidates know they have to differentiate themselves.

CMRG works for both the hiring company and the candidate, establishing the company’s value and effectively communicating its story, while also helping applicants present the best version of themselves for consideration.

In order to operate successfully, a recruiting agency must be able to foster connections between people and companies. They must also be extremely familiar with the current job market and state of the economy in general. Between 2020 and 2021, CMRG grew over 200%– despite experiencing the effects of the pandemic like everyone else.

The reason for this was Crystal McKinsey’s ability to withstand those business challenges. She recounts, “There was one month in the midst of the pandemic when more than half of the companies we work with entered simultaneous hiring freezes. We pivoted immediately to offering contract and temporary support placements for these clients as they navigated the pandemic.”

This insight led to a happy outcome for CMRG’s clients: “Fortunately, we’ve seen the businesses we work with bounce back in extraordinary ways.” 

CEO Crystal McKinsey founded CMRG five years ago– as she says, “With the vision of taking traditional integrated marketing communications methodologies and pairing them with recruiting, to attract and engage passive candidates.”

As a result of these methods, the CMRG team positions their clients as desirable employers at the top of their respective industries. These clients include companies like GoPuff, Vita Coco, 1-800 Contacts, Erno Laszlo, and many other top brands.

Running a successful recruiting agency means that Crystal McKinsey and her team have to utilize their own hiring skills– CMRG requires an exemplary staff in order to help others build their own, and their current employees make up a great team who maintain a positive work environment by frequently taking the opportunity to spend time outside of work together. 

CMRG sponsors an annual cabaret in New York City, where team members participate and perform. They also meet up to see musicals, play golf, ski, and go to karaoke together. CMRG is proof positive that great work relationships and camaraderie create a better office environment.

It helps that CEO McKinsey hasn’t forgotten her roots as an entrepreneur. For up-and-coming entrepreneurs, she recommends starting each day writing down three seemingly impossible goals and then completing three small tasks that help you work toward each goal. She says, “A business is built one action at a time, and the little steps you take each day to enforce the foundation really matter.”

As CEO of a recruiting agency that effectively utilizes technology to find great workers for top companies, McKinsey’s career is proof that taking little steps toward an ultimate goal really does work. In her own words, “Success is moving your business forward in some small way, every day.”