JOANNE ROSSI, CEO, JTF Recruitment Consultants and Employment Made EZ "Concierge Recruitment Sp

JOANNE ROSSI, CEO, JTF Recruitment Consultants and Employment Made EZ

Before she founded JTF Recruitment Consultants, Joanne Rossi Esq.

(JD in Law, BA in Political Science) practiced Intellectual Property law in

New York, Connecticut and Hong Kong. Later, she expanded her areas

of professional practice to include securities litigation. She even spent

several years working on the Enron litigation for one of the largest and

most well known Wall Street firms in New York - the Enron matter

involved numerous banks, Enron, and Arthur Anderson, among others

and was one of the biggest class action suits in the United States. At one point, Joanne was responsible for almost one hundred lawyers and

paralegals.

Early in her career, Joanne was head hunted. The recruiter told her that she was the ideal candidate for a new position that would deliver more money and power, require less hours and provide a better lifestyle and a faster partnership. Of course Joanne said, ‘Yes’ to what sounded like a dream job. Unfortunately, the dream quickly turned into a nightmare and the only thing the recruiter didn’t lie about was the money.

“I almost lost my sanity, my soul and my career as a lawyer just so that a

recruiter, who had never spent a day practicing law in her life, could earn a percentage of my annual salary. One of the reasons I wanted to open my own recruiting firm was to change how legal recruiting was practiced. I knew that in spite of my own devastating experience, it was possible to do this important work in a professional, ethical and transparent manner,” Joanne Rossi says.

When she relocated to Canada, Joanne finally got the opportunity to put

her thoughts into action. For more than 10 years now, Joanne and now

her company, JTF Recruitment Consultants, has placed lawyers and legal support staff in law firms and in-house legal departments throughout Canada.

Among others, her success portfolio includes placing the General

Counsel in a Kingston corporation, a commercial litigation partner with

a portable practice in a prominent West End law firm, an intellectual

property partner, litigation associate, business and franchise lawyer,

and support staff in a well-respected boutique downtown law firm, a

securities litigation associate in an Ottawa law firm, a corporate and real

estate associate in a Burlington law firm, countless support staff

throughout the GTA, and much more.

Q: What is concierge recruitment and how is it different from the

services offered by other recruiting firms?

JR: It can be very frustrating and expensive to try and cram a round peg

into a square hole. Regardless of level, it typically costs between

$30,000 and $40,000 to train a new employee. JTF is a research based

legal placement firm.

"I am always mindful of the human and economic

cost of my work on the people and on the brands with whom I work. I do everything humanly possible not to waste my clients’ time, money and emotional capital on the “lawyer shuffle.”

I attribute JTF’s success to our comprehensive due diligence process.

This includes delving into each candidate’s work history, goals,

accomplishments, litigations, publications, networking methods, and if

relevant, books of portable business. This benefits all parties –

candidates do not waste precious time and energy pursuing

opportunities that will never suit them and organizations do not waste

time and money considering, and even worse, hiring candidates that

will neither help them meet their goals or fit with their culture.

Brent Sabean, General Counsel at Pita Pit Limited agrees, “(Joanne) took the time to learn and understand what I was looking for in a new legal position…she was extremely helpful during the offer and negotiation stage and offered insightful advice to assist in determining a fair and reasonable final offer...”

Our recruitment strategy is also different. JTF does not just place ads

and hope that the right candidate will show up. Experience proves that

many of the most qualified candidates may not be engaged in a job

search, and certainly will not respond to advertisements that risk

confidentiality and their current job. My network of professionals is

unrivaled in the industry. This allows us to uncover talented

professionals that other recruitment professionals may miss. Having

been a lawyer, I appreciate the sensitivities and guarantee my clients

and candidates the highest level of confidentiality and comfort.

Also, depending on the position, agency fees can be as high as 35% of

the first year’s salary - a lawyer earning $120,000 could attract a

$42,000 fee. JTF approaches the calculation of fees differently. Some

searches are easier than others and may not justify charging a straight

percentage fee. Everything at JTF, including the search fees, is

customized. For example, depending on the requirements, with JTF,

that same lawyer may only cost you $12,000. Also the search (from

commencement to offer) is usually completed in under 4 weeks.

Chris Fountain, CEO of Pita Pit provides a compelling testimonial on the

veracity of our customized approach and experience. “My team expected the search to last up to six months due to our determination to find the perfect fit culturally. Joanne spent an inordinate amount of time

understanding us, our culture, and our needs for the position. We were

incredibly impressed when she found us the right candidate in under 30

days...”

Q: How are these services different from those offered by JTF’s

sister company, Employment MadeEZ?

JR: In today’s difficult economy and competitive job market, it is

important to avoid missteps. Every time you put in a bad application,

you close the door to future opportunities with that company. As a

recruiter I know exactly what hiring managers are looking for when

they are staffing a position. I created Employment MadeEZ to bring the

same level of targeted, concierge recruitment services to candidates that are searching for employment opportunities in other sectors.

The new company offers career counselling, resume preparation,

interview coaching, salary negotiation and other related services to

everyone, regardless of experience and employment niche. Like JTF, all

professional services are tailored to suit each client’s specific needs. For example, if a job searcher has a great resume and only needs help with interview skills, those are the only services provided. I will never

recommend a service to inflate fees – all of my packages are designed to ensure that my clients obtain employment as quickly and as cost-

effectively as possible.

Whether someone is just starting his or her career, looking to change

niches or to take the next leap forward, Employment MadeEZ will help

you put your best foot forward.

Q: What does life look like for you today?

JR: It has been 22 years since I was talked into making a move that was

not in my best interests. Today, I have an inspiring and fulfilling

recruiting career which aligns with my professional, ethical and

transparency values, I am happily married to an amazing man, and I

have an incredible stepson and two dogs that I adore. In my spare time,

I support the Toronto and Etobicoke Humane Societies, travel and am

working on my first book.

JTF Recruitment Consultants and Employment MadeEZ offer a free

thirty-minute consultation.

Suzen Fromstein is the author of Suits and Ladders, Ten Proven Ways to Keep Your Job Safe - with a few jokes thrown in. Suits and Ladders was an Amazon Best Selling Book in the Career Guides Category

Joanne Rossi

Managing Partner

JTF Recruitment Consultants

www.jtfrecruit.com

416-645- 6156

330 Bay Street, Suite 1400

Toronto, Ontario M5H 2S8