Kit McCormick makes a living playing matchmaker. As president of Salon Staffing Services in Tempe, Ariz., she fixes up nail technicians, stylists, estheticians, and massage therapists with the salon owners who need them. McCormick also provides confidentiality — both to salons that don’t want to advertise open positions or expansion plans and to professionals who don’t want their current employers to know about their plans for the future. Since starting her agency just a year and a half ago, McCormick has built an impressive list of clients including Jose Eber Salons and the Marriott Camelback Spa in Phoenix.

Not surprisingly, McCormick’s biggest challenge is finding enough good candidates to meet client demand, despite recruitment efforts by direct mail, newspaper ad
vertisements, referrals, and even the Internet.”Most of my salon clients have more than one spot to fill,” she says. “The market is definitely there.” In addition to mak­ing permanent placements, the company offers “On- Call” services to local salons, providing qualified individuals who can quickly step in when staff members require time off. 

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