The Art of Energy Recruitment

Joe Squires, The FootBridge Company General Manager, has come a long way from not knowing that recruiting was even a career possibility. Throughout his career in energy recruitment, he’s been involved in over a thousand contract placements of highly qualified and specialized candidates into positions ranging from nuclear power professionals to commercial construction management positions and beyond.

“I had been laid off from a co-op job after graduation,” Squires says about how he came to find about a recruiter opening at the FootBridge Company in early 2003. “Back then, the office was in an old bank in Andover, and I was sitting in a conference room waiting for my interview while watching someone on a sales call tossing a football in the air. Someone else had their feet propped up on their desk. Everyone was smiling and laughing. Knowing I could meet my financial goals AND have fun was a game-changer.”

In Energy Recruitment: Perseverance Pays

Squires self-admittedly wasn’t even qualified to recruit at the time and, hence, didn’t get the job. However, a couple of weeks later, he e-mailed the FootBridge Company executive team, stating he still wanted an opportunity and was willing to put in the work. He emailed asking for a chance and the team which included Todd Springer, the FootBridge Company’s now managing partner, brought him back in and ultimately hired him for an entry-level recruiting position.

Twenty years later, Squires’ experience has since become a model for all FootBridge recruiters, and everyone must agree on the candidate. If someone has a doubt, such as their ability to communicate, which is number one on their list of must-haves, they discuss their concerns and make a unanimous decision whether the candidate would make a good team member.

The Best Recruiters Have Something that Drives Them Toward Meeting Their Goals  

Squires spent two years as a manufacturing recruiter before helping to start the energy group. Subsequently, he went from a technical recruiter to a lead recruiter to a recruiting manager within five years before entering his role as the FootBridge Company General Manager in 2019.

Squires points out that recruiting is an excellent career opportunity because even in a highly technical field like energy, you don’t need specialized training. Nor a formal education or degree. What you do need is good communication skills. Plus, the willingness to put yourself out there and build a network with other professionals. It also helps to be self-driven and motivated.

“Just knowing I want a successful year and want to build upon that goal is appealing to me,” says Squires.

Recruitment as a Lucrative Career

Squires recently hired a recruiter who, like him when he started, didn’t know recruiting was a career possibility until a friend introduced him to the FootBridge Company. He’d been working in furniture sales, and when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, business slowed, but he did what he had to, to keep a job. Which at the time was driving the delivery truck and unloading furniture.

“That’s the kind of grit and ambition we look for in our recruiters,” says Squires, whose advice for anyone looking to get into technical recruiting is to not only work hard but smart. “Call volume is extremely important, but you reach a limit at some point. You have to learn to spend time on the phone with the right candidates and minimize interactions with people who will ultimately waste your time and effort.”

Want to get in touch with the FootBridge Company or Joe Squires? Contact us or e-mail Jsquires@FootbridgeCompany.com directly!