GEOFF GERSHON, MBA

915 Mapleton Avenue

Oak Park, IL 60302
M 773-882-0372. H 708-445-1142
gg83e0c0@westpost.net
PROFILE
Results-driven leader for recruitment/talent acquisition with strong interperson
al, analytical and strategic planning skills. Over ten years of progressive exp
erience in human resources and marketing, with expertise in recruitment at every
stage of the process, from both an internal and external capacity. Subject mat
ter expert on various aspects of recruitment and finding the right talent.
CORE COMPETENCIES
- Creation and execution of innovative new cost effective methods for seeking ou
t the best candidate
- Training and mentoring other recruiters on the most effective methods for recr
uitment within their given market and the most effective communication strategie
s with their internal customers
- Building extended relationships with potential candidates that result in key h
ires
- Thorough approach towards market intelligence on key staffing needs collectin
g information from competitors and strategic recruitment of key players from tho
se competitors
- Utilizing web-based recruitment beyond more common passive approach ensuring
that postings attract attention from candidates and are always at the top of the
job boards
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Physiotherapy Associates. Chicago, IL Talent Acquisition Manager Midwest, Wes
t. 2008 to Present
Oversees all recruitment activities for allied health professionals and managers
for the Midwest and various markets throughout the country, including Texas, Ge
orgia, and Colorado over 250 facilities focusing on talent acquisition for faci
lities focusing on sports therapy, orthopedics, industrial rehab, pediatrics, Wo
mens Health, and vestibular. Lead recruitment function in territories from bein
g transaction and reactive towards more of a pipeline more relationship-based a
nd proactive. Manages a team of three recruiters in different markets with focu
s on relationship-based recruitment of Physical Therapists, Occupational Therapi
sts, and Speech Therapists. Coordinated all recruitment efforts including staff
ing analysis, advertising campaigns, association conventions, career events, lea
d base management, and on-campus college recruitment. Efforts include lead-base
d calls, email blasts, online ads, viral marketing, direct mail, and off-site ev
ents. Also trained other recruiters in all aspects of life cycle of talent acqu
isition.
Dramatically improved staffing, resulting in 60% Reduction in Physical Therapy
Vacancies in markets within Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, and Indiana. Lead team to
also fill numerous management vacancies over the past 18 months in states liste
d above, in addition to Oregon, Colorado, Iowa, Missouri, Washington, Texas, and
Georgia. Lead efforts to bring therapy vacancy levels in all markets to betwee
n 2% and 3%, well below industry average.
Pioneered event-drive marketing for Midwest markets with Physiopalooza events h
eld at local businesses. Events were held for minimal cost for various restaura
nts and coffee houses, designed as a way to draw more potential candidates to mo
re informal settings within their community to discuss future opportunities. Th
ree week marketing blitzes for each event included direct mail, multiple online
postings, social network web sites, flyers at local businesses, email blasts, an
d lead-based calls. These events attracted record numbers of applicants, for th
eir type within the company, and resulted in many hires leading to pipeline of
quality candidates, oftentimes to be hired months later when new opportunities a
rose that fit their needs.
HCR ManorCare. National skilled nursing organization with over 65,000 employees
and 500 locations throughout the country. Headquartered in Toledo, OH
2003 to 2008
Regional Recruiter Metro Chicago 2006 to 2008
Oversaw recruitment for nursing and management professionals for nineteen health
care facilities (totaling over 1800 beds) around the Chicago market. Coordinate
d all recruitment efforts including staffing analysis, advertising campaigns, ca
reer events, lead base management, succession planning, and on-campus college re
cruitment. Excelled in the high volume recruitment of licensed professionals an
d management. Efforts included lead-based calls, email blasts, online ads, prin
t ads, viral marketing, setting up promotional partnerships, facilitating clinic
al sites for local nursing programs, direct mail, open houses (on-site and off-s
ite), and resume mining. Also trained nursing managers and HR managers in effec
tive recruitment measures.
Dramatically improved staffing within region, including 35% Increase in Nursing
Applicant Flow, 25% Reduction in Overall Vacancies, and 65% Reduction in Nursin
g Vacancies. Buildings in Elk Grove Village, Wilmette, Highland Park, and Liber
tyville have seen higher applicant flow for nursing applicants than ever before.
Filled numerous management vacancies over the past year, including 2 Directors
of Nursing, 12 Assistant Directors of Nursing, 5 Human Resources Managers, 5 Bus
iness Office Managers, and other management roles.
Streamlined recruitment efforts for region and created first centralized local
lead base of Registered Nurse and Nursing Managers within organization. Lead ba
se includes over 4,000 nurses, organized into four distinct markets (Naperville,
Elgin, Northwest Suburbs, North Shore, and Far Northern Suburbs) within region.
Creative efforts in marketing have lead to increased local awareness of ManorCa
re and its facilities. These campaigns were used across different mediums and a
ttracted attention throughout organization other regions started utilizing them
for their local recruitment efforts:
o Letter From a DON campaign, featuring testimonial from a Director of Nursing w
ho was promoted from a staff nurse within five years, was used effectively in on
line ads, print ads, email blasts, direct mail, and flyers posted at schools and
businesses resulted in dramatic increase in viable nursing management candidat
es.
o Great Place to Work Profiles were created for each facility and used in target
ed marketing efforts for each facility, using one word motifs such as Convenienc
e (Wilmette), Support (Rolling Meadows), and Excellence (Highland Park) resulte
d in higher local awareness and applicant flow for each facility.
Pioneered event-drive marketing for clusters with off-site Nursing Open Houses
held at local businesses. Events were held for minimal cost for local hotels an
d Panera restaurants, designed as a way to draw more candidates to centralized l
ocations for clusters of three facilities. Two week marketing blitzes for each
event included direct mail, multiple online postings, display print ads, email b
lasts, and lead-based calls. These events attracted record numbers of applicant
s, for their type within the company, and resulted in many hires, oftentimes fil
ling all nursing vacancies for a facility at one time.
Human Resources Manager. Oak Lawn, IL (2003-04) & Highland Park, IL (2005-06)
Managed all aspects of human resources for healthcare facility, including recrui
tment, compensation, employee relations, orientations, benefits, progressive dis
cipline, compliance, training, and retention. Excelled in the high volume recru
itment of various management and front-line staff, especially in the nursing rea
lm. Handled all recruitment activities, including advertising, interviews, open
houses, job fairs, screening, interviews, and selection. Coordinated pre-emplo
yment for all new hires, including offers, physicals, infection control, drug sc
reenings, criminal background checks, reference checks, and drug screenings.
* Improved staffing for nursing and other departments through various recruitmen
t efforts, including open house at facility, job fairs, local advertising, and l
ead-based calls. Successfully recruited for various management positions and pr
evented facility from having to use agency staff. Candidates and hires included
desirable managers and staff from competing facilities.
* Restarted Preceptor program for facility nursing staff. Successfully enlisted
nurses and nurses aids to take part in formalized training positions for new hi
res. Program resulted in improved morale for front-line staff.
* Designed and implemented training program for Nurse Supervisors, including all
RNs and LPNs. Program was designed to ensure that all nurses understood all as
pects of managing their front-line staff.
Teng & Associates, Inc., Chicago, IL Recruiting Manager. 2004 to 2005
Manage all stages of the recruitment life cycle for national architectural/engin
eering/construction firm, including sourcing, screening, interviews, offers, and
new hire orientations. Managed overseas recruitment, including candidates on o
r applying for H-1B Visas. Was also involved in benefits, compensation, perform
ance evaluations, employee relations, and retention initiatives. Excelled in th
e high volume recruitment of licensed professionals in various regions, includin
g the Midwest, Texas, and Southern California. Managed open enrollments for all
staff.
* Recruited several high-demand licensed engineers through various methods, incl
uding contacting competing firms. Within six months, more than doubled the numb
er of licensed Mechanical and Electrical Engineers on staff, at a time when clie
nt demand and project load dramatically increased.
* Created a pipeline of engineering, IT, and architecture candidates for firm, w
here none previously existed, through various school programs and web tools.
* Spearheaded several retention efforts for staff, including periodic meetings b
etween the President of the company and recent new hires; re-starting 30/90 day
performance/career reviews, and arranging for monthly employee outings. Efforts
resulted in increased 90 day retention for staff.
Newark Electronics, Chicago, IL Manager of Employee Benefits Services. 2002
to 2003
Handled all employee relations issues with regards to family and medical leave.
Managed various issues for over 3,000 employees, nationwide. Served as employe
e and provider liaison for all benefit plans, including: health insurance, life
& ADD, pension, cash balance, 401(k), short term disability, flexible spending,
and optional life insurance. Managed new hire orientations for all benefits and
open enrollments for health insurance, flexible spending, and optional life ins
urance.
* Introduced new optional life insurance product to 450 on-site employees. Orga
nized one-week open enrollment period for new product by coordinating with all d
epartments and on-site enrollment agents. Benefit was a significant improvemen
t over the much less reliable previous coverage offered, which resulted in great
er employee satisfaction.
* Improved open enrollment process among different branches throughout the count
ry. Transformed entire process from being mail-based towards being web-based, r
esulting in significant cost reductions and faster turnover for employee inquiri
es and plan changes. Also introduced FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) messages
into the process, resulting in higher employee awareness and satisfaction.
Housing Investment Trust, Washington, DC - Human Resources Generalist. 199
9 to 2002
Coordinated recruitment and higher education measures. Recruited for a variety
of positions, including legal secretaries, administrative personnel, investors,
accountants, technicians and executives. Managed all employee relations issues
relating to attendance, performance, bargaining unit contract, conflicts, payrol
l, benefits, and systems. Managed all benefits and compensation activities; inc
luding payroll, 401(k) fund, pension fund, health insurance, life & ADD insuranc
e, tuition assistance, dependent care, and short-term disability for over 70 emp
loyees. Performed new hire orientations and procedures for terminations. Monit
ored all activity and accounting for benefits; including bills, coverage changes
, premium changes, new employees, terminations, beneficiary designations, depend
ent designations and policy upgrades. Performed periodic audits to ensure prope
r compliance for all benefits; including annual pension testing and monthly 401(
k) reconciliation (employee contributions and employer matching). Served as mem
ber of Human Resource Committee for the Housing Investment Trust and HR Managers
group.
* Introduced and implemented new HRIS - HR Office, which tracks employee attenda
nce, compensation, skill sets, and all other personnel information. Also traine
d other employees in usage of it. System was devised for easier and more thorou
gh tracking of all information relating to employees, including vacation, pay ra
ises, education, etc.
* Introduced Firm, But Fair Approach to management to sister organization. Appr
oach set various objectives and measures towards coaching, counseling, and motiv
ating managers.
* Introduced corporate partnership program for Executive MBAs with Sallie Mae.
Program was devised to allow for executives to get reasonable loans and tuition
assistance for EMBA programs. Program was expected to foster relationships wit
h local business schools to allow for better future access to promising graduate
candidates, therefore enhancing recruitment efforts of executive candidates.
* Overhauled and updated several job descriptions for various positions. Used e
xtensive knowledge from MBA courses in HR Development to ensure that description
s were more thorough and integrated with organizations goals.
* Created first employee handbook for company, including details on all company
policies and procedures, including non-discrimination, sexual harassment, dress
code, family and medical leave, and performance reviews.
EDUCATION
MBA George Washington University. Washington, DC December 2001
B.S. Marketing. George Mason University, Fairfax, VA. May 1997
COMPUTER KNOWLEDGE
Microsoft Office, HRM Direct, Lotus Notes, SAP, ABRA Suite, HR Office, Ceridian,
Relius, Dream Weaver,
Front Page, Microsoft SQL, Adobe Acrobat, SPSS, Ad Send, WordPerfect, PeopleSoft
, Microsoft Outlook,
PageMaker, Quark, Corel Draw, Preview (Paychex), HR Perspective (ADP), ReportSmi
th, Kronos, MyStaffingPro