The staffing industry has its longtime veterans who have seen one change after another as technology causes the industry to evolve.

When Phil Freeman joined the staffing industry in August 1966, the minimum wage was a $1.25 per hour. A Coke cost 10 cents.

“Different times. I sometimes will tell people stories about the ’60s and what it was like, but I feel like I have to be careful,” he tells me. “I don’t want to sound like their great grandfather talking about how when he was in school, he walked uphill in a snowstorm to get to school.”

Today, Freeman is senior VP at Dawson in Columbus, Ohio. The majority of his work is in direct hire, something he has done throughout his career.

Freeman came across the staffing industry when he was being discharged from the Army and a person recommended he call an employment agency. He was stationed in Cleveland at the time, so he picked up the Yellow Pages and chose a firm at random. Joseph DeCapua brought him onboard, and Freeman continued to work for him when he bought Dawson in 1966.

“I like what I do. I really enjoy working with candidates and getting their story and passing it on to employers,” Freeman says.

He usually starts by asking people about their high school and what they’ve done since and why. For older workers, he goes back 10 to 15 years instead. Every story is unique and a learning experience.

He’s also seen technology change, of course.

“When I first started, we had manual typewriters,” Freeman recalls. “And then, I remember when we got the first electric typewriter for candidates to test on — and that was like Star Wars.”

Today, it seems everybody does everything on their phones.

“The interesting thing that I found is what has not changed at all is a candidate’s attitude towards an interview,” Freeman notes. “I haven’t talked to a candidate yet that doesn’t rank interviewing up there with a root canal.”

“They don’t know what to say. They don’t know how to present themselves,” he continues. “So, basically, what I do with my candidate is I teach them how to have a good interview. And there’s nothing better than to get that phone call from a candidate who’s really excited and says, ‘I found the job. I’m so happy. Thank you so very much.’”

Candidates may need coaching on résumés as well. One candidate listed five jobs in a short period of time — which might have caused some employers to peg the person as a job hopper. However, a discussion with the candidate found those jobs were actually college internships.

Candidates may also need information on the job market.

“I had a candidate that I was interviewing her, and I said, ‘OK, starting salary in a new job can never be too high. What’s too low?’” Freeman recalls. “She was straight out of college, and she says $62,400, which is kind of an odd number. I asked her, ‘Where did that come from?’ And she went on to tell me how her professor told her that if she got a degree in this, that she could get $62,400.”

His advice to the candidate: A salary of $62,400 for a new grad in Columbus isn’t realistic. Call the professor and remind them of what they said. Then ask them the name of a company paying that salary and go apply.

Freeman also offers advice for those just starting in staffing: Don’t make judgments off of résumés. Pick up the phone and call the candidate.

“Give them an opportunity to talk about who they are and what they’re looking for,” he says. “Even though they may not fit the position you have at the moment, they might fit something that’s going to come in tomorrow or the next day or the next day or the next day.”

Does Freeman have any plans to retire? The answer is no.

“It’s a really fun career if you enjoy talking with people, hearing their story and learning about them and then helping them get from A to B and to get hired,” he said. “That’s one of the reasons why I keep doing this.”