Fairfield Citizen-News

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Making the Right Job Connection

By RITA PAPAZIAN

Article Launched: 01/18/2008 11:06:48 AM EST

With 22 years in the staffing and recruiting business, Hamilton Connections Inc. opened its sixth location at 1100 Kings Highway East to tap into the growth potential of Fairfield County, according to John Brickel, district sales manager.

Located in a suite of offices on the third floor of the office building where Black Rock Turnpike meets Kings Highway, staffers are busy at work doing what they do best: partnering with industries, corporations and businesses to fill their staffing needs while recruiting the best candidates to fill positions.

"Strategically, Fairfield County has one of the largest labor markets in the state," said Brickel. With an office in Fairfield, the company is ready to tap into the southeast corridor from Bridgeport to Stamford and Greenwich. The company's other Connecticut locations are in Milford, Hamden, Meriden and East Hartford. It also has an office in Springfield, Mass. From its Milford offices, Hamilton Connections had begun to develop relationships with clients in Fairfield County and saw the opportunity for growth, Brickel said.

Hamilton Connections is a full-service staffing agency assisting clients with temporary, temporary-to-direct hire, contract and direct placement staffing and recruiting.

Hamilton's Fairfield staff which, in addition to Brickel, includes Scott Erickson, the branch manager, and Joe Glenn, the account manager is welcoming the challenge in assisting area firms and employee candidates find the right match.

Brickel acknowledges the staffing and recruiting business is competitive and that is why he said Hamilton Connections “has to be proactive in responding to the needs" in the business community. "We try to understand the needs and try to respond in a timely manner," said Brickel, noting the unemployment rate from Bridgeport to Stamford is "extremely low" at 3.9, according to the state Department of Labor's September report.

"There are a lot of jobs for people with the right skills sets," said Brickel, including positions for machinists and warehouse distribution, and engineers.

Erickson said employers are looking for candidates with medium- to high-skill levels. There's a demand for people with three to five years of experience in the skilled trades. Also, there are a lot of management positions available in the manufacturing and service industries.

Hamilton Connections, which maintains a pre-qualified data base of 10,000 candidates, provides staffing and recruiting in the following areas: assembly mechanical, electrical, electronic, wire harness; clerical/accounting administrative assistant, customer service, reception, accounts payable/receivable; data entry; information technology programming, help desk, hardware support; professional management, engineering, planning, purchasing; skilled trades CNC and manual machine operation, tool-making, welding, inspection and maintenance mechanics; and warehouse order selectors, certified forklift operators, shipping and receiving and inventory.

Brickel noted when doing a placement it's important not only to find the right person to do the job but also to find the right person with "the right fit." For example, he cited a recent placement of a technical engineer with a Wilton firm that required the applicant to have the right skills along with being a good communicator.

In finding job candidates, Hamilton Connections applies a variety of recruiting approaches that include college and job fairs, visiting trade schools, advertising and the Internet. In addition, Brickel said it is important to maintain contact with the businesses and corporations even after the positions are filled.

"We're like a family," he said.

Robert Hamilton founded Hamilton Connections in 1986 as a direct hire technical recruiting firm with the belief that it is important that staffing be based on maintaining outstanding customer service for both the clients it represented as well as the candidates it developed for placement. The result is long lasting professional relationships, loyal clients and a dependable pool of qualified candidates.

In the early 1990s, the company expanded into light industrial area for recruiting and job placement in order to fill clients' needs. Today, the company has more than 200 active clients and currently employees over 1,000 people at a variety of companies throughout Connecticut and western Massachusetts.

With its newest location, Brickel noted in a statement that "Fairfield, specifically and all of Fairfield County, offers an outstanding opportunity for Hamilton Connections to continue to support our base clients in the manufacturing, light industrial and distribution industries and at the same time opens the door to build on our success in the service, clerical, technical and professional industries.

"We have found the labor and employment market in Connecticut to be extremely resilient. Both employees and companies have shown the ability to adapt and adjust to external variables. We envision that trend to continue.

"We believe we will witness steady job growth in 2008. Manufacturing should remain consistent especially for skilled and semi-skilled trades. We also sense opportunities will continue to increase in distribution, service and professional employment.

"The staffing industry as a whole and specifically companies like Hamilton Connections helps to maintain stability and keep unemployment low because we offer clients and candidate’s flexibility and options."

Brickel added, "We help to keep qualified dedicated employees working even if some companies make cuts. We offer clients flexibility and allow them to hire when needed to meet productivity and proficiency goals.

"It's a win-win for everyone involved," he said.

For information, call 333-3200 or www.hamiltonconnection.com.