N.Y. Staffing Agency Goes West
New York-based placement agency 24 Seven is looking west these days.The year-old company recently opened a West Coast office in Santa Monica, Calif., to tap into Los Angeles’ cutting-edge creativity and connect the East and West Coast apparel industries.
“California is where people come to see trends develop,” said Sheilah Hogan, who along with business partner Celeste Gudas, founded 24 Seven. “California companies started calling us to see if we had anyone local. [We came here] to help through these times of growth and uncertainty, because we’re a national talent base with a presence in both [New York and Los Angeles].”
“We’re dedicated to providing both quality of life and better community for free agents,” said Hogan.
Providing “quality of life” for a 24 Seven employment candidate means paying the freelance employee weekly even if the client company pays monthly, offering health plans and maintaining a record of taxes.
“We asked the clients and the candidates what they needed,” said Hogan. “Companies have freelancers, but they don’t have a reliable source. Freelancers can get work, but we bill, collect and market for them. They need representatives and reliable resources, and with us, they can be managed by someone who can give them full service.”
The agency seeks to provide its client companies with the same level of service when preparing and placing employees on long- or short-term projects on a full- or part-time basis, explained Tammy Chatkin, senior vice president of 24 Seven. In addition to the expected screening of resumes and checking of references to pre-qualify and pre-screen employment candidates for the purpose of matching their skills to assignments, 24 Seven also provides career counseling and training for their candidates to prepare them for job assignments.
“It’s not about simply putting a warm body in a seat,” said Hogan. “They show up on Monday acclimated and ready for Tuesday.”
The company has partnered with technology companies including Gerber and Lectra to provide freelancers who are familiar with different tech companies’ products, according to Chatkin, who added that 24 Seven places people from design, production and graphics in jobs dealing with the technological side of the business.
Since opening its West Coast office in July, 24 Seven has placed a senior design director with LEI, a design manager with Speedo and an advertising manager with Charles David. —Darryl James
