Electronic job boards and computer networking sites didn’t exist when Marsha Murray opened a recruiting firm in a spare bedroom of her Houston home in 1988.

She used a $2,000 loan from her father to purchase an IBM typewriter and business cards.

“My business came from referrals and a lot of word-of-mouth.” Murray said.

Today, Murray Resources includes a staff of 10 and annual revenues in excess of $3 million. That’s down from a high of $5.8 million in 2008, before the recent recession struck, Murray said.

Surviving the recession

“During 2009 and 2010, 65 percent of recruiting and staffing firms went out of business,” Murray said. “It’s so easy to enter this industry all you have to do is hang out your shingle.”

Murray credits her longtime clients for helping the business weather the downturn.

‘Loyal clients’

“We have a lot of loyal clients who wanted to do business with us,” Murray said. “If they had any kind of opening at all, they’d use us to fill it.”

While Murray initially recruited candidates for permanent placements, today 60 percent of her business involves temporary assignments. The firm filled 265 temporary slots last year.

Temporary business

“In direct hires, you start every month over at ground zero, but your overhead continues,” Murray said. “I figured early on that if I could get enough temporary business that was ongoing, I could cover my overhead and not lose sleep over it.”

Most temporary assignments involve administrative work, but Murray Resources also places engineers, accountants and sales professionals in contract positions that can last from one day to two years.

Murray said it’s not uncommon for people to use her firm several times in their careers.

First customer

“I met her (Murray) in the fax department at an office supply store when she was setting up her home office,” said Ernesto Hernandez, who’s now a global supply chain manager for an oil and gas company. Murray placed him as a warehouse manager for her very first client.

He continued, “I’ve used her several times since then because I’ve always felt that she’s not placing people somewhere to make a commission, but she’s looking for the best fit for the company and the employee.”

Murray credits the ability to match recruits with companies on assessment tools her company adopted a dozen years ago. Similar to online dating, companies complete a list of requirements for their specific positions, including the working style preferred, while recruits fill out a different self-assessment.

Two profiles

“What used to discourage me was if a placement didn’t work long-term,” she said. “We started using two profiles – one for the job and one for the candidates. If I’ve got someone who matches the requirements, but their natural work style isn’t conducive to a job, I know it’s not going to be a good fit.”

Job matching increases the chances for a successful hire by 75 percent, Murray said, citing studies conducted at Michigan State University and elsewhere.

“What makes me feel good, what brings me satisfaction at the end of the day is helping people improve their lives,” Murray said. “Looking for a job is hard enough, so we try to make them feel as comfortable and as cared about as we possibly can.”