Profiles
by Eric Lewis
STU Alum Says Recruitment Firm
is Matchmaking for Professionals Submitted photo
T
hree years into his teaching career, Guillaume Miszczak missed the competitive edge he enjoyed during his hockey days with the St. Thomas University Tommies. A three-time Canadian Interuniversity Sport Academic AllCanadian, Miszczak graduated from STU with a Bachelor of Arts (2010) and Education (2011) and began teaching around the region, at Fredericton High School, Leo Hayes High School, and Nashwaaksis Middle School. “But the more I was teaching, the more I realized it was not satisfying my competitive edge,” he says. A friend convinced Miszczak to move to Toronto for an entry-level job at a corporate recruiting firm. Through sales and recruitment, Miszczak found his competitive spark again and quickly moved up the ranks, taking on a portfolio of national clients including Fortune 500 companies. After five years, the natural next step in his career came in early 2021 when Miszczak and his colleague Stacy Towers decided to leave the firm and launch MT Talent Solutions, a recruitment agency “with a focus on a consultative and holistic approach” with candidates and clients across Canada. “It’s matchmaking for professionals,” Miszczak says. The business partners launched MT Talent Solutions in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, when hiring was not a priority for many corporations. Whether working for his previous employer or launching a new business, Miszczak knew rebuilding was in his future. “I felt that if I had to do that, I’d rather do it on my own,” he says with a laugh. “Worst case scenario, I fail and I can go work somewhere else. We both had a high level of confidence in our abilities even though the market was not the best. We felt our knowledge on industry trends and insights on hiring practices would prevail.” Through a strong network built over time on platforms like LinkedIn and with many client referrals, the new business was able to grow quickly, hitting over $1 million in revenue and hiring 10 people in its first eight months. Miszczak was named Canada’s #1 Agency Recruiter for 2021 by Top Recruiter Awards, an organization that recognizes and elevates the best recruiters in over 30 industries and 50+ cities across
North America. “We’re very compassionate people,” Miszczak says about his company’s approach. “We have integrity and empathy with people we hire. We are always looking for people who are curious in nature and are passionate about helping people secure their dream career. “In the current job market, it’s necessary to learn more about you, the job seeker, and find the best way possible to place you in a position that would work best for your skill set. We’re also focusing on the soft skills that you have that might be transferable to different companies. When a company hires us to recruit for them, we do a lot of research to find out about the company and the people within the team and then we find the people that match.” MT Talent Solutions has plans to grow to 25 employees this year with a long-term plan of launching branches around the country. Miszczak looks back fondly on his STU days, both in the classroom and on the ice. He credits his professors for teaching him life skills, critical thinking, and relationship building and his hockey teammates for team-building skills.
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Summer 2022
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