Search, Trust, Repeat: Inside Michele Vincent’s Long Game for Candidate Attraction

When Michele Vincent joined MADI in 2007, the company was laser-focused on crisis staffing – parachuting into high-pressure environments like natural disasters and labour disputes. But as the business evolved, so did Michele’s approach to online candidate attraction.

In this interview, Michele shares how candidate behaviour has shifted post-pandemic, how she keeps marketing and recruitment teams aligned, and why the best employer brands are built on consistent, honest communication.

You were featured in the Attract 50 report for your standout approach to candidate attraction. What do you think sets your strategy apart?

Probably my interest in SEO and organic search traffic in general. That’s consistently where we’ve seen the best business leads come from, so it’s always been a focus of mine.

We worked with a lot of agencies in the past, but I wanted to really understand it for myself. I remember going to a Lunch And Learn run by a content marketing agency – I already had a decent grasp of SEO at that point, but something we discussed that day just really clicked. It pushed me to go deeper and stop being intimidated by it.

That shift happened years ago, definitely before the pandemic, when we were looking for more effective, creative ways to attract talent organically. I started digging into it, initially focusing on traveling machinists, and experimenting with what kind of content would bring in the right traffic.

Then the pandemic hit, and the talent market went wild. Suddenly, everyone was hiring, and we needed to ramp up quickly. I kept leaning into SEO. Creating new website pages, new landing pages to target different talent categories, and using social media to support those efforts.

It turned out to be very effective for us. That’s what kicked it all off.

How do you collaborate with your talent or recruitment team day to day? What’s helped make that partnership click?

Oh, good question! I’m in regular communication with our talent team, especially around the roles we’re trying to fill and how things are going from their perspective in terms of applicants and volume.

Because we work nationwide, I get visibility into the fluctuations – there are times when everyone in the country is looking for machinists or maintenance techs. So when we start to see major demand in certain areas, we work together to understand where the gaps are.

From there, I can jump in and do what I do best: raising awareness, driving traffic, and doing everything I can to help boost the number of candidates entering our talent pipeline.

What does “great candidate experience” look like in practice, especially when you're dealing with a high volume of applications? 

To me, it’s all about open communication. Consistently keeping candidates updated at every stage of the process.

Because of the nature of our business, things can change quickly. We’re not doing local staffing. We’re moving people all over the U.S. That means client timelines, deployments, flights, and logistics can shift. So it’s crucial that candidates are kept in the loop from the very beginning, all the way through their communication with recruiters and beyond.

We recently revamped a lot of our recruiting processes to improve that experience. We built automations into our communication flow – because while we’d love to pick up the phone to keep every candidate updated, that’s not always realistic at scale.

Ultimately, it’s about creating consistent touchpoints, always analysing where the process can improve, and making sure candidates feel fully informed from start to finish.

You’ve had a successful career with MADI since joining in 2007. How has your approach to employer branding shifted in that time? 

It’s changed a lot… but that’s because our services have changed significantly, too.

When I first joined MADI, I was doing telemarketing, fresh out of a career as a paralegal and pretty new to the world of staffing. Back then, the company was focused exclusively on crisis staffing. We’d step in during labour disputes, natural disasters – really urgent, high-stakes situations where companies needed a workforce fast.

About eight years ago, we began expanding beyond that niche. And during the pandemic, we accelerated that shift. By early 2023, we’d fully moved away from strike staffing and committed entirely to more traditional national staffing services.

That pivot required a big shift in our employer brand. We had to rethink our value proposition: from being a crisis response firm to being a strategic partner for companies navigating long-term labour shortages. And in industries like manufacturing, those shortages are particularly severe, made worse by decades of national underinvestment in trades and vocational training.

So now, a big part of our employer branding work is actually market education. If you came from a unionized facility, you might know us for strike staffing. But if not, you probably didn’t realize there’s a company that can source skilled talent from all over the country and deploy teams quickly, wherever they’re needed. We’ve had to reintroduce ourselves – and redefine what we stand for – while still leaning on that 30-year track record of operational excellence under pressure.

And part of stepping away from strike services was intentional from a branding perspective. We now work with a lot of unionized facilities, and we wanted to be able to walk into those environments without friction. It was important that we showed up as a partner. Not with the baggage of our legacy business, but with a brand that reflects who we are today.

If someone was starting from scratch with their employer brand, what’s the one thing you’d tell them to focus on first?

Start with trust – and build that through open, consistent communication.

Whether it’s candidates or clients, everything comes back to how clearly and reliably you communicate. Set expectations, keep people informed, and always follow through on what you say you’re going to do. Even when it’s not what they want to hear.

For candidates, that means transparency throughout the process. Let them know where they stand, update them on any changes, and make sure they feel seen and supported. That kind of experience creates happy employees. They’ll share that with others, which helps attract future talent.

The same goes for clients. We’ve always been upfront about what’s realistic – even if it means telling them a role will take longer to fill, or that a timeline may shift. We give them the information they need to make informed decisions. And after 17 years in staffing, I can say with confidence that honesty, even when it’s hard, is always appreciated.

A lot of our best leads come from SEO and organic search, but just as many come from referrals… from clients and candidates who had a great experience and told someone else. That only happens when you’ve built a reputation for being reliable, communicative, and genuinely invested in outcomes.

We’re not the right solution for every staffing need. But for critical, high-impact hiring, if you can be the partner that delivers – and people know they can count on you – your employer brand will grow naturally from there.

Are there any shifts in candidate behaviour you’re paying close attention to right now?

Definitely. The biggest changes we’ve seen came during and after the pandemic.

During that period, there was a huge surge in demand for travel staffing. The labour market was tight, opportunities were everywhere, and candidates had a lot of choices. It was a bit of a frenzy, to be honest.

Since then, things have settled. There’s still strong demand for skilled labour (especially in manufacturing) but the urgency has decreased. It’s not quite the wild market it was during the pandemic.

That shift has changed how we think about candidate attraction. During COVID, certain factors were non-negotiable – things like longer project durations and single-occupancy lodging. Now, there’s more flexibility in what candidates are willing to consider. We're still focused on presenting great opportunities, but the level of competition for talent isn’t quite as intense as it was.

So while the skills gap hasn’t gone away, the environment has become a bit more manageable. And that's changed how we engage and attract the right people.

Are there any industry trends or shifts you're especially excited about as we look ahead to 2025?

Absolutely. One of the biggest areas of movement right now is in aerospace and defence – we’re seeing an uptick in companies coming to us for support, and I expect that to continue well into 2026.

There’s also growing momentum in pharmaceuticals and manufacturing more broadly, especially as more companies reshore operations and invest in new facilities. From my perspective, it’s fascinating to watch. I love keeping up with all the new plants being built and expansion projects happening across the U.S.

What excites me most is that the market is always shifting… and we’re in a position to respond quickly and provide support where it’s needed most. That unpredictability is what keeps things interesting. We’re here to help our clients navigate it all and make sure they’re staffed and ready for whatever comes next.

Your work must keep you incredibly busy! What do you do to switch off?

I have four kids, so “switching off” is a bit of a stretch! 

They range from kindergarten to high school, and between them, they’re playing five different sports right now. Most of my time outside work is spent running from one game or practice to the next, and honestly, I love it.

To stay grounded, I practice yoga. I’ve actually been working toward my yoga teacher certification over the past 10 months! I graduate next month, and I’m excited to see where that takes me next. It’s been a great way to find some calm amid all the chaos.

Michele and MADI were recently featured in the idibu Attract 50 report, spotlighting standout candidate attraction in staffing and recruitment. Download the full report for free.