By Christina Autry
Riding the elevator to the third floor inside a traditionally corporate office building, you expect the Sentoria office in Spring Branch to be, well, traditionally corporate. But when the doors open, you are pleasantly surprised to find yourself in the well-named Ranch Office, a Texas-themed coworking space that warmly greets you when you walk into its lobby and open kitchen. A friendly dog may run up to greet you too, if you’re lucky enough to visit on a day someone has brought their pet to work.
The personal, homegrown feel of the workspace perfectly fits the personality of Sentoria, a woman-owned staffing agency that relies on relationships and trust for the benefit of their clients. Specializing in bringing together job-seekers and employers with vacancies in finance, accounting, and executive assistance, Sentoria works largely with oil & gas companies, real estate, and retail in Houston.
While the company itself is approaching its two-year mark this fall, Stacey Soriero, founder and President of Sentoria, and her staff each have at least 15 years of experience in staffing and recruiting. After first working with job-seekers and later on the business development side, Soriero decided to bring the two sides together by founding her own firm and making use of the connections that she has built over the past twenty years.
Recruiters and business client managers at Sentoria work closely together in order to ensure that candidates and companies are offered the best possible matches. “We’re not going to send a business client a stack of resumes. We want the choice to be difficult between the few candidates that we do send over,” explains Soriero. “Hiring managers don’t have time to screen candidates while working full time jobs. We’ve done all the pre-work, so all that’s left is an interview,” says Soriero.
From entry-level positions on up through confidential executive searches, Sentoria works with businesses looking to staff a brand-new company or just fill a vacancy. “The higher-level jobs aren’t just posted online. It’s all about networking and experience in the industry. When we see those jobs open up, we know who to call,” says Soriero.
No matter the job, Sentoria ensures that the expectations of the job-seeker and the business are met. For someone looking for a job, Sentoria first receives the candidate’s resume, sets up a meeting with them to review their resume, past experiences, what they value in a workplace, as well as preferences such as location and size of company. Once the Sentoria recruiter has this information, they communicate with the business development side to find which companies fit the personality and work culture that the client prefers.
“We give clients the extra attention needed for quality service. Someone will always be available to talk to you when you call or email, rather than getting someone different on the phone every time you reach out. The staff member who manages your account will manage it forever,” explains Soriero.
Sentoria business developers visit company offices, meeting with hiring managers and getting a feel for the culture and needs of the company and for the specific vacancy. “We find out the reason for the vacancy; if it’s a replacement or an addition,” says Soriero. Businesses oftentimes need contractors for short-term projects or are growing rapidly and simply need more people.
Sentoria’s service is free for job-seekers; only when a candidate is officially hired at a company will the company will pay a percentage of the new-hire’s first year salary to Sentoria. “We then maintain our relationship with both the new-hire and their company. Sometimes the people we’ve helped get jobs end up working with us on the hiring side. Companies know they can count on us to find them the right people. We are always adding clients while maintaining the relationships that we have built,” says Soriero.
Networking, referrals, and industry experience have been the greatest tools which give Sentoria an advantage in the market. “It’s all about relationships, understanding the job, understanding the client’s needs, and having the candidate that fits the culture,” reiterates Soriero.
With a high number of staffing agencies in Houston, it is critical that any agency deliver relentless quality to its clients in order to stay in business. “It’s very competitive. We only deliver top quality; even if we have to tell a company to wait a week, we will. We won’t cut corners,” says Soriero.
Networking has been made easier through Sentoria’s office location in Spring Branch. The convenient commute to visit clients in Westchase, Memorial City, Downtown, Galleria, Katy, and more make Spring Branch the obvious choice for planting their main office. Jumping on I-10 or Beltway 8 without getting caught in Houston’s heavy traffic spots is a major benefit to business in Houston.
“Our goal is to come in and relieve stress,” Soriero says. “It’s all about helping people. We’re helping people find jobs, giving them a livelihood, while simultaneously helping businesses find great people.” Meanwhile her own company continues to grow, along with the number of individuals and companies that have grown and advanced with the help of Sentoria.
Sentoria Staffing Solutions
Sentoriasolutions.com
(281) 720-6985
1220 Blalock Rd Ste 300, Houston, TX 77055
