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ePlus Case Study
Established in 1990, ePlus is a value-added reseller providing solutions and services to the tech industry on a global scale. Its expertise encompasses networking, security, collaboration, data centres, and managed services. With over 30 years of experience, ePlus is where technology means more
George Barnes, CEO of Hamilton Barnes, partnered with ePlus in the UK in 2015. Since then, our relationship has flourished, and we’ve helped ePlus secure several candidates across contract and permanent roles in the network industry.
56
Candidates Placed
10
Years' Partnered
4300
ePlus Global Customers
A partnership with boundless possibilities
In 2020, Tom Marsnik, Director of Post Sales Engineering at ePlus found it difficult to source exceptional talent. To alleviate this issue, Tom decided to rely on the expertise of our Vice President, Antonio Costa. From here, our partnership went from strength to strength.
This case study provides an in-depth overview of the partnership that Tom and Antonio built. It explores the challenges Tom experienced, the solutions Antonio delivered, and the results achieved.
Beyond cultivating an effective relationship, this case study demonstrates what is possible through our commitment to collaboration and providing an unparalleled experience that puts people like Tom at the centre of our service. With our customer-centric approach, trust is formed, which lays the foundations for success.
“ePlus were going on a journey in EMEA – with the acquisition of IGX Global, they were looking to replicate what they have done in North America in EMEA. We helped ePlus do that in the form of permanent and flexible resourcing models – highly skilled talent at the drop of a hat supplied by Hamilton Barnes.”
- George Barnes, Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
Hiring challenges often come up out of the blue, and there are times when I need an engineer right away. So, it's a mad dash to try to find the right person, and I don't have time to do it. My internal recruiting team does what they can, but their net can only be cast so far. So you need an agency like Hamilton Barnes to support you; they've been great. I get great candidates from them.
It's important that I have partners like Hamilton Barnes who can do all of these things for us because it’s a long and time-consuming endeavour to find high-quality engineers.
There are two things I must say about the service Hamilton Barnes provided. Number one, the quality of the candidates I received was higher than what I got from anybody else, even my internal recruiting team. Secondly, how quickly Hamilton Barnes responded. When I tell them I need a certain type of engineer, usually within the next day or two, I already have one, two or three resumes on my desk. That, to me, is invaluable.
Rising to the challenge
We are confident in our ability to bring results
No matter how niche a problem is, as illustrated with Tom at ePlus, we have strategies that don't just solve problems; they secure sustainable success.
Solutions despite a scarcity of talent
Our client needed to source high-calibre network engineers
With decades of experience in the network technology space, Tom joined ePlus five years ago to spearhead a field of engineers across the midwest region of the US, including Minnesota, Wisconsin and Chicago. In 2020, he needed urgent support to find high-calibre talent to fill network engineering roles in Minnesota.
Knowing how scarce top talent is in this region, Tom needed support to persuade passive candidates to join his growing team.
With an internal recruitment team having to share their time between other hiring priorities across the business and Tom's limited capacity to search for candidates himself, Tom needed a trusted external network recruitment agency to take the pressure off his hands.
Only high-quality candidates
We delivered genuine network recruitment excellence
In 2020, Tom was referred to us by another hiring manager who knew we’d supported placements in the US. With this trusted recommendation, Tom reached out to us and began a working relationship with our US Senior Vice President, Antonio Costa.
Antonio is Hamilton Barnes’ first-ever hire and played a significant part in helping us expand our presence in the US and launch our office in Austin, Texas. When Tom and Antonio had their first call, it quickly became clear to Antonio that ePlus had major hiring challenges in attracting talent in the niche market of Minnesota.
Understanding the challenges ePlus was facing and the types of candidates they were looking for, Antonio got to work immediately to find a solution that met the client's needs. Antonio used his contacts within the network space and tapped into our extensive pool of network professionals. Within 24 hours, Antonio had sent candidates to Tom for him to review.
Throughout the partnership, Antonio liaised with Tom, providing potential hires with him and scheduling interviews with the top candidates he was keen to meet. Tom provided feedback on each candidate and informed Antonio of the people he wanted to onboard into his team.
“I jumped off that call with Tom with an understanding of what he was looking for. I think a lot of other agencies would spend the day trying to research what networking is or what particular vendors are. I think the benefit of Tom coming to us is that we know the network engineering recruitment market; it’s what we do day in and day out. We had candidate pools ready because we have worked with other tech companies in that same region. After 24 hours, we had candidates sent over to Tom.”
Antonio Costa, Senior Vice President
It’s safe to say that Tom was extremely pleased with the solution Antonio and his team provided.
The numbers don't lie
56 network professionals placed over the last decade
The decade-long partnership between ePlus and Hamilton Barnes has seen us place 56 candidates into network jobs, with 33 into contract roles and 23 into permanent positions.
Since 2020, Antonio has worked with Tom to help place three candidates into permanent network jobs. These placements include two network security engineers and one network engineer. One of these hires has been with ePlus for three years.
As ePlus is a value-added reseller selling products such as Palo Alto firewalls, Meraki switches, USC power, and data centre gear, they required high-level talent capable of installing, configuring and troubleshooting their products for their global client base. Tom highlighted how we found the people capable of completing successful installs, which has helped build trust with their customers.
Based on the services and solutions he received, Tom expects the relationship between ePlus and Hamilton Barnes to continue.
Looking ahead, the relationship between Hamilton Barnes and ePlus remains strong. Since supporting Tom on three permanent placements, Antonio has helped ePlus fill a vacancy they had open for seven months. In just two weeks, Antonio and his team had filled the position. We certainly expect to remain by the side of ePlus for any of their future network recruitment needs.
“We're still maintaining and building on the relationship with ePlus. They’re a longstanding client of ours who have been with us practically since day one. So, I definitely see us working with them on many more projects in the future.”
Antonio Costa, Senior Vice President
We’d like to thank Tom and ePlus for supporting us with this case study. We’ve built an excellent relationship with them over the last ten years and look forward to supporting them for hopefully the next ten years and decades to come!
Where there are challenges, lie opportunities
An exciting future
Our relationship with ePlus has spanned a decade. In that time, we’ve learned about one another, built a rapport, and consistently delivered results. We know that there is always room for improvement and ways to develop, and we believe that's the case for partnerships, too.
At Hamilton Barnes, we champion collaboration, it's a key component for success. Our approach is founded upon putting the client at the core of our service. We believe this methodology is central to our prosperous partnership with ePlus - because without open communication, how can relationships grow?
Tom recognises and appreciates the real value that we've provided ePlus. Not just in the way of sourcing high-quality candidates but also in our dedication to ensuring our partnership can blossom. With that, he's confident our relationship will continue - and we are, too!
We ensure that our confidence doesn't lead to complacency. As industries evolve, job markets can become volatile, and the needs of companies may change drastically. It’s on us to stay adaptable so that we can continually provide ePlus with exceptional candidates, irrespective of challenging circumstances.
Naturally, the future is difficult, often impossible, to predict. But in addition to being confident in our abilities to bring results in the face of adversity, we’re also confident that the future is one of promise for both ePlus and Hamilton Barnes.
Hiring challenges often come up out of the blue, and there are times when I need an engineer right away. So, it's a mad dash to try to find the right person, and I don't have time to do it. My internal recruiting team does what they can, but their net can only be cast so far. So you need an agency like Hamilton Barnes to support you; they've been great. I get great candidates from them.
It's important that I have partners like Hamilton Barnes who can do all of these things for us because it’s a long and time-consuming endeavour to find high-quality engineers.
There are two things I must say about the service Hamilton Barnes provided. Number one, the quality of the candidates I received was higher than what I got from anybody else, even my internal recruiting team. Secondly, how quickly Hamilton Barnes responded. When I tell them I need a certain type of engineer, usually within the next day or two, I already have one, two or three resumes on my desk. That, to me, is invaluable.
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