Most agencies run searches the same way. Post a req. Wait for resumes. Send the first warm bodies. Pray. We don't. Here's exactly what you can expect when you put us on a search, and why our numbers look the way they do.
Cannonball's process is built on the playbook Brett used to build a $100M+ skilled trades division. Sourcing maps. Time-to-fill metrics. Trust-based relationships with candidates we've placed before. And one core sourcing strategy: go directly to your competitors and recruit from them. The mechanics are professional. The execution is boutique. The result is what our numbers show.
Every Cannonball search runs through the same five phases. The work happens fast, but it doesn't skip steps.
A thirty-minute conversation. We get crystal clear on what's open, what's been tried, what hasn't worked, and what the must-haves are versus the nice-to-haves. Roles, locations, shifts, equipment, certifications, technical specs, shop culture. We diagnose before we prescribe. If we're not the right firm for the search, we say so on this call.
We build a sourcing map of competing shops in your geography, the operations running similar equipment, with similar roles, with the candidates who already know the work. We pull from those competitors directly. We also pull from our existing bench of candidates we've placed or worked with before. Job boards are a fallback channel, not a strategy.
Every candidate gets screened by a recruiter who knows the equipment. We ask the questions only an industry insider would think to ask. What machines have you run, what controls, what tolerances, what certifications, what materials. We verify references. We check fit for shift culture and shop culture, not just skill. The shortlist that reaches you is tight, qualified, and serious.
You get three to five qualified candidates we'd stake our reputation on, not forty resumes to sort. We coordinate interviews, manage candidate communication, handle counter-offers, and run the offer process to close. For contract-to-hire, the candidate starts on Cannonball's payroll within two to three business days for general roles, slightly longer for specialty positions.
The agency typically disappears after the start date. We don't. Weekly check-ins during the contract-to-hire window. Performance conversations with the candidate and the supervisor. Proactive replacement if someone gives notice. The 87% conversion rate isn't a coincidence, it's what happens when the staffing partner is still in the relationship after week one.
Thirty minutes. We diagnose what's open, what's been tried, and whether Cannonball is the right fit. Even if we don't end up working together, you'll walk away with a clearer picture of your talent market.
