Attracting and Retaining Top Talent with Gus Cawley

Small Business Matters

In the early 90s, Gus Cawley moved to Atlanta with lofty goals and a degree in accounting from Le Moyne College. He paid his dues working on accounts payables during the day and selling subscriptions for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution door to door at night. Gus diligently combed the Sunday classifieds and faxed resumes until he landed a job as a CPA. Years later, Gus would put his job-hunting skills to work for others, leaving a successful position at Ernst & Young to begin a career in the recruiting industry. Within three months, Gus was ranked as one of the top three financial services recruiters in the world. He eventually founded a recruiting business of his own, sold it, and started another, then another. Today, Gus is the chief executive officer of three recruiting firms including Staff Financial Group, which places top-tier accounting and finance professionals in Atlanta, Charlotte, Raleigh, Dallas, Houston, Chicago, Tennessee, and various locations throughout the Country. Gus is also the creator of ZipApply, a productivity tool for job seekers designed to help people get hired faster, a 2020 Vistage Impact Award Winner, and a contributing writer for the Forbes Business Council in Atlanta. Show Notes: In this episode, Gus Cawley joins Tim and Taylor to talk about finding and retaining workforce talent. An expert in attracting high-level talent, Gus shares insights into today’s talent shortage, what top candidates are looking for, the importance of speed in the hiring process, how to maximize LinkedIn groups, and the importance of peer mentoring. In this Episode: • What Matters to Small Business [0:02:35] • Journey from New York to Georgia [0:05:33] • Dynamics of Current Labor Market [0:09:45] • How Technology Changed the Game [0:13:08] • Active vs. Passive Job Candidates [0:14:58] • The Compensation Pie: Freedom & Flexibility [0:17:40] • The Role of CEO [0:19:12] • Candidate Testing [0:22:21] • Advantages of Peer Groups [0:23:36] • Rapid Fire [0:25:57] • Contact Info [0:31:10] • Takeaways [0:31:36] • SBM Announcements [0:34:27]