Opti Staffing Group continues to win accolades for the quality of its services from job candidates and the businesses that employ them.
Since it was founded 14 years ago by a small group of individuals seeking a better way to provide recruiting and staffing services, the Anchorage-based employment services firm has grown rapidly, expanding its network of offices to Washington State, Oregon and Chicago while continuing to grow in Alaska.
Today, Opti Staffing President Avonly Lokan and her partners Ron Hansen, vice president, operations, and Michael J. Houston vice president, marketing, oversee a network of six offices in Seattle, Tacoma, Chicago, Portland and Lake Oswego, Ore.
Serving a wide array of industries and a diverse pool of talent, Opti Staffing prides itself on developing long term employment solutions that prove satisfying and mutually beneficial for each party.
During the past year, the company has continued to grow at its existing locations, with staffing levels climbing 15 to 20 percent in each office.
Opti Staffing’s corporate motto, “Our Success is Determined by Your Success,” sums up its approach recruiting and staffing.
The company attributes its continued growth to its approach, which is uncommonly effective for nearly every job candidate and busy employer who walks through its doors.
The results are getting noticed. Opti Staffing was voted Best in Alaska for 2013 by readers of the Anchorage Daily News in the newspaper’s annual survey. The firm was the runner-up twice in previous surveys.
Glowing praise
Another measure of the firm’s extraordinary abilities is evident in the growing list of compliments that its staff receives.
“Opti Staffing Group is by far the best staffing agency that I have every applied to in all my years of living in the Northwest. They do not test you, give you hope and then you never hear from them again, like most staffing agencies. They tormented me daily until I gave in and agreed to go to the potential employer interviews, which landed me very good positions,” wrote on successful job candidate on a jobs networking website.
Among the testimonials posted on Opti Staffing’s website: “My previous experiences with staffing agencies left me feeling like livestock, inspected for the sole purpose of collecting as many as possible to then leave to graze until the slaughter, wrote one job candidate … working with Opti Staffing has been a refreshing experience, and I speak highly of your organization to every fellow job-hunter that I meet.
An Anchorage candidate wrote, “I visited Opti Staffing after leaving a stressful job. I had no idea what I wanted to do or where I wanted to work, so I didn’t have any expectations. … “They shed objective light on your resume and work history to find exactly what you are looking for.”
Businesses also praise the company’s efforts.
“We have been recently using Opti Staffing to fill accounting needs at our corporate facility. … We are so satisfied; both individuals will be hired on as permanent staff members,” enthused a Tacoma client.
Another client wrote, “My Opti Staffing skilled trades recruiter is remarkable! He is the best I have worked with and has exceeded our expectations in providing immediate response to our staffing needs. … 99 percent of the temporary staff sent to us by OPTI has been hired on as permanent staff. OPTI is definitely one of our strong business partners!!”
The enthusiasm expressed by job candidates and employers reflects Opti’s uncommon approach, said Houston.
“The reason we get so many compliments is that people feel like they were treated like a person,” Houston said. “The No. 1 thing that sets us apart is we’re long-term focused. We’re not just putting people to work or finding warm bodies.”
On candidate side, Houston said Opti places a lot of emphasis not just on job duties but also on corporate culture. Opti’s staffers coax the candidates to discuss long-term career goals, what their goals mean to them and what is important to them besides the “ABCs of employment such as salary, title, location,” Houston said.
Opti specializes in helping job candidates discern what they actually mean when they say, for example, that they want to grow with a company.
“What does ‘growth’ mean to them? Is it quickly climbing the corporate ladder, or is it more personal development? We focus on digging a little deeper, getting down to what makes someone successful and determining where they want to go in their career,” Houston explained.
“Sometimes though, we tell people we are not their best option. We don’t make placements to put a Band-Aid on something. We work for a truly good fit.”
