JCW Search

JCW Search

• Rank: 1
• Headquarters: New York
• Top staffing segment(s) served: Finance/accounting
• 2020 US staffing revenue: $42.2 million
• Compound annual growth rate: 117.7%
• Website: www.jcwresourcing.com

JCW Search ranks No. 1 on this year’s list of Fastest-Growing US Staffing Firms. The London-based firm, with its US headquarters in New York, ranked No. 1 on last year’s list as well. JCW Search CEO Jamie Woods says his company’s growth is the result of two things: culture and processes.

“You’ve got to build an organization where people wake up in the morning looking forward to going to work,” Woods says.

To foster this sentiment, JCW Search is passionate about managing workers’ well-being. There’s a buddy system so internal workers have someone they can speak with about work. They receive training in resilience. The company also makes sure workers are connected beyond just taking part in activities outside of work, focusing on how they communicate and how responsive they are internally. If people have close relationships with their co-workers, they will like their work more. If they are neutral or negative about co-workers, they are not going to be as passionate about their job - even if it might be the best job in the world.

And when it comes to processes, Woods says that for each aspect of the recruitment process, JCW Search has a best practice defined. They know what a good job looks like and what a bad job looks like. Those process are constantly evolving, but each person at the firm is focused on using them.

“Everyone is following the same process, and the process is designed to ensure that we give the client, at a minimum, a very high level of service,” Woods says. The aim is for standardization, for clients to receive great service no matter who at JCW is working with them.

Another key component of JCW Search’s process is its ability to hire someone and quickly train them.

JCW Search also faced life amid Covid-19 in 2020 as the pandemic turned the world upside down.

“During Covid, we very much focused on ensuring our businesses was operating and efficiency was at the highest levels it could be,” Chief Commercial Officer Et Halstead says.

The firm kept its headcount steady and only began adding staff once the impact of Covid began to lighten.

Halstead also mentions a focus on wellness during Covid-19. The company offered a hybrid work environment, flexibility on holidays, Zoom quizzes and more. In some cases, it had to force people to take breaks to avoid burnout.

“We’re trying to really look after our staff and incentivize them to want to stay here by making sure they are happy in the job,” he says. Looking forward, Halstead says the plan it to continue growing.

The business has almost 200 internal staff now and aims to have 500 by the end of 2025. Though JCW Search has global operations, its placement on the list of Fastest-Growing US Staffing Firms is based solely on US revenue.