Case Study Category: Professional Staffing

The Hiring Need

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Advantage Solutions experienced high turnover throughout its accounting department. As Senior Director of Accounting, Scott Vahle was under pressure and constantly hiring for over a year. He needed to fill roles from junior staff accountant up to the controller level, including accounting supervisors, managers, senior staff accountants, and staff accountants.

Hiring was difficult across industries during COVID-19 but incredibly challenging in accounting. Advantage Solutions was also cost-conscious during this period since the pandemic had wiped out in-store sampling, which represented a section of their business.

Vahle was familiar with Century Group. It had placed him in a great job before he found his permanent position with Advantage Solutions. Over the decades, he had seen accounting recruiting businesses come and go, but Century Group was stable. He reached out to Nathalie Hollants and Barnaby Wang at the Costa Mesa office.

The Solution

Vahle worked with Nathalie to fill most positions and Barnaby to fill senior management-level candidates like controller. He was extremely impressed with their responsiveness and how quickly they worked.

“Century Group helps us find very professional people. Nathalie is wonderful to talk to and works very fast. She would send me five resumes in one day, and we would set up back-to-back interviews. What I really appreciate is her ability to zero in on specific things we’re looking for to bring me the right person at the right value point.”

Vahle oversees a global accounting team with unique requirements that make positions even more challenging to fill. Nathalie helped him zero in on skilled accounting candidates with required language abilities, including Spanish, Korean, and Japanese.

“Nathalie has been able to find those needle-in-a-haystack candidates — very impressive!”

The Result

Vahle’s accounting department is more stable than during the pandemic, but he continues to work with Century Group to meet his hiring needs. He knows he can rely on them for top-notch service.

“Century Group has a big pool of candidates they are sourcing from. They’ve been around a long time and have worked with people for years, so they can bring in the right people and make decisions quickly.”

The Hiring Need

In the hands of a new CEO, COO and Senior HR Manager, Mancini’s SleepWorld entered a phase of rapid expansion. It grew from 42 to 49 stores in less than two years while revamping its branding and marketing strategy.

They needed quality team members quickly to keep up with the growth. As the new head of HR, Roger Zamora had experience working with recruiters and knew he needed the support of a motivated team. He connected with Frankie Ruiz of Century Group, originally intending to hire an HR generalist.

The Solution

That first hiring experience solidified the relationship between Mancini’s SleepWorld and Century Group. The initial candidate was qualified but not a good cultural fit. Century Group checked in with Zamora regularly and listened to his feedback carefully. The next candidate was an outstanding match for the position and the company and became an essential part of the team.

Zamora says, “Frankie made it seamless, proving her commitment and that what she said was real.” That first experience built trust.

Zamora and his HR team have continued to work with Century Group to fill several finance roles, including the position of Controller, who Zamora says “turned out to be amazing.”

The Result

Thanks to Century Group, Mancini’s SleepWorld has excelled during rapid growth and expansion. They have a solid team that works well together.

What Zamora values most about the relationship is trust, transparency and the ability to be open and honest. As a result, he enjoys working with Century Group.

He says, “Frankie is a gem. She’s a go-getter. I’ve never heard a negative thing from her. She is always problem-solving and upbeat.”