About

“Recruiters Are Useless”

How many times have you heard (or said) those words?  Wasted time on interviews that should never have happened, candidates that didn’t understand what they were interviewing for, and just a general feeling that this person doesn’t “get it”- whether it’s what you’re looking for as a candidate or the role you’re recruiting for as a leader.  Regardless, the impact is the same- you’re left feeling like you’re just a cog in the recruiter’s wheel, and that who you are and what you’re looking for doesn’t really matter.

Why You Should Trust Us

As former sales leaders ourselves, each member of the team knows what its like to hire people.  The pressure of open territories, the impact of good (and bad) hires, and all the work that goes into making the hire: onboarding, training, and finally getting to productivity.  The team will use all of that experience and hard-won skills to help you find the right people quickly.  

We’ve also had the exhilarating and sometimes anxiety-producing experience of finding a job.  Not just a job, but a role that makes sense and checks the right boxes:  company strategy/stability, the strength of leadership, and ability to earn.  Finding a “job” in today’s market is easy.  Finding a role that actually fits is hard, and that’s where we come in.

How Do We Do It?

We start by listening and by asking questions- lots of them.  This process uncovers the “DNA” of the search and guides everything moving forward.  This initial deep dive ensures we’re matching the right people with the right opportunities from the start.  From there, we’ll course correct as needed in order to zero in on the ideal candidate/organization profile.  

This isn’t about parsing resumes using technology.  It’s about uncovering the root of “what good looks like” on both sides, then having thoughtful, intelligent conversations with each side before making introductions.  That’s what we do and that’s the value we bring to our clients.

Jason Jovanis

For over 20 years I’ve been fortunate to hold senior leadership roles in the SaaS / HR Tech space with organizations as small a 6 employees and as large as 75,000 with average deal sizes as small as $2,000/year and as high as $1M.  Over my career, I’ve interviewed thousands of people resulting in many good hires (and my share of misses as well).  This real-world hiring experience has given me the tactics needed to quickly identify talented individuals then make sure those individuals are put into the right roles.  

On a personal note, I’m definitely Type A so I practice yoga, run, and meditate regularly (thanks Headspace!) in order to keep things in balance and not drive my wife crazy.  For you MBTI nerds out there, I’m an ENTJ and love using assessments to help understand what makes people tick.  I live in Southeast Michigan with my amazingly supportive wife and two fantastic kids (19 and 7).

Jen Jovanis

Like Janice and Jason, I spent time at Paychex in both sales and sales leadership and is where my passion for coaching really began. Here I learned first hand the importance of finding the right person to compliment the opportunity in the right company.  From there I moved into the enterprise Benefits Administration world. The combination of experiences expanded my insight on how different the small/mid size organization buys from that of an enterprise company. Needing to leverage different strengths and resources to make sure all of the stakeholders win in the process. 

At home you’ll find me “hanging” (finding ways to entertain) our 7year old son.  Or balancing my different hats with a mental health break involving something to do with Peloton. 😀 

Janice Bell

Like Jason and Jen, I spent 30 happy years with Paychex as one of their pre IPO sales reps.  I grew quickly up through middle and then senior leadership to Vice President of Sales.  I was a founding member of their Human Resource Division.  Creating products, pricing, training and marketing every product beyond payroll.  During my career I had the pleasure of teaching how to find top talent and match those individuals to a variety of roles in both sales and service.  At the end of my Paychex career I was managing approximately 600 staff in 100 offices in the United States.

Working with the Jovanis Group brings me back to the reward of matching individual skill sets and goals to a company’s vision and products.  I love to dig deep into what makes Jovanis Group clients best in breed in their various segments, then search those very specific skill sets to swift success for both parties.

Beyond work, you’ll find me at the beach or traveling through Europe with my husband Stephen.