Published August 2004

NorthWest Staffing Solutions:
Connecting jobs with people

Snohomish County Business Journal/KIMBERLY HILDEN At NorthWest Staffing Solutions, Employment Manager Donna Marshall scans through the dozens of resumes sent via e-mail.

By Kimberly Hilden
SCBJ Assistant Editor

Outside the office of NorthWest Staffing Solutions Inc. in Everett is a sign proclaiming “now hiring.” Inside, a staff of six is doing just that, plus writing employee reviews, creating employee handbooks, handling payroll issues and putting together workplace safety training programs.

And it is all done for employees who work off-site, at companies that hire the 15-year-old firm to act as an extension of their human resources department, said Donna Marshall, employment manager for NorthWest Staffing Solutions.

“Each one of the people in the office is responsible for 15 to 20 accounts apiece — that’s all they can handle because duties for accounts include an array of human resources responsibilities,” said Marshall, whose company serves companies in Snohomish and Skagit counties.

Those duties often begin with recruiting the right employees to meet a client’s needs.

“Our screening procedure comes into place based on the company we’re hiring for” and often includes math testing and a motivational questionnaire, Marshall said. “Motivation is key in placing the right person with the right job,” she said.

Making that connection is what NorthWest Staffing Solutions is all about, she added, noting that unlike some staffing agencies, her company doesn’t have a pool of temporary workers.

“Companies are really using us to hire on a probationary period, not temporary hiring,” she said. “... Once we decide we’re hiring you, we assign you to the company and expect not to see you for another job. Paychecks are delivered to the companies, in most cases, because we want the employee to start building a relationship with the company.”

For those they hire, NorthWest Staffing Solutions offers employee benefits including medical and dental insurance as well as holiday pay. The company also has a $75 bonus for employees who don’t miss a day of work during their probationary period, Marshall said.

For clients who decide to staff their companies through a firm such as NorthWest Staffing Solutions, the benefits can be seen on the bottom line in decreased recruiting and workers’ compensation costs, not to mention fewer unemployment claims, Marshall said.

And companies have continued to use NorthWest Staffing Solutions, even during the recent down economy, Marshall said.

“We specialize in manufacturing positions at the entry level, $8 to $12 an hour” — positions that weren’t affected as drastically as the higher-wage positions at Boeing or in the high-tech field, she said.

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