Yoey Rodriguez is the CEO/President of Stargate Recruiting, LLC. This Tampa-based recruiting firm is all about people and connecting the pieces that make the world move forward. 

As the leader of the company, Yoey is driven by her belief that the highest productivity comes from talents that are valued and supported. 

Every day Yoey and her team show up to create the ultimate hiring experience for both employers and prospective employees.

Enjoy this interview!

What inspired you to start your own business? 

During my previous time working for other recruiting companies, I noticed a deep disconnect between the human aspect and the corporate or bureaucratic aspect that was leading to poor productivity, high turnover rates, and burning through talent pools. Candidates were being rushed into ill-fitting positions just to meet deadlines and were being treated as just another number. I saw the problems these past methods created and knew that I could create an agency that would make a difference for both clients and candidates alike.

I decided to take a deeper look into the way that each company works, the way their employees are treated as well as to work with candidates to help them assess and understand the positive and negative aspects of their personality and how it influences their workplace dynamics. I felt my method would encourage healthier, longer-lasting relationships between client companies and their employees. 

How is Stargate Recruiting different than other companies?

​Stargate is a unique recruitment company because it focuses much more deeply on the human factors of the equation in order to maximize the synergy between clients and talent. We strive to understand the underlying psychological factors and patterns that lead to high turnover rates, and counteract them from the start; which leads to stable position placements, high productivity for our clients, and a high standard of living for our talent, all in a sustainable way. This creates a much more human experience for all parties involved and truly addresses issues that old-style recruiting companies don’t. 

As technology advances, we as recruiters need to as well. Stargate Recruiting does so by incorporating new technologies like ELI codes and facilitating access to learning resources; We seek to empower our talent to be the best version of themself in a modern and efficient way. Ultimately, our goal as a company is to create true sustainable, harmonious synergy between our clients and the talent they hire while remaining at the cutting edge of new tools available for this.

What is the most important lesson you have learned so far as a business owner?

I can say that the most important lesson I learned is that the strength of a chain is in each link. The value of this concept is not only a lesson for me but extends deeply into the philosophy of our company. A chain is truly only as strong as its weakest link and too often we have seen an attitude that simply keeps replacing weak links with another weak link, perpetuating the process. 

In a post-COVID world, the way people view and experience the workplace has changed. 

With hundreds of thousands of people having been let go of their old positions, people have lost faith in the private sector, and we must rebuild this by creating working environments that are truly enriching and captivating. There has also been a heavy shift into remote work and digital environments. This has created a rift between the way that businesses used to conduct daily operations and a new generation of workers that are coming in fully digitized and aware of their value in a global market. We need to work to strengthen each link and that is where Stargate Recruiting steps in to help.

What advice would you give someone who is working with a recruiting agency for the first time?

For new clients, we advise them to have a clear description of the position they’re looking to fill and communicate honestly about what is currently going on within their workplace. We need to be aware of the challenges that these positions have faced that have caused the previous high turnover rates so that we may amend those aspects. It is in this way that we can build trust and serve a company in the best way by bringing a balance to all the different challenging elements. 

We often see clients choosing the same type of personality that was previously not a good fit and go against recommendations. This will inevitably result in the pattern being repeated again. 

This is why it’s important to trust your recruiter in this process. Our years of experience and outside perspective will work in your best interest by sourcing quality candidates that fit not only the position needed but within your company culture as well. 

​For candidates, the most important thing we advise is to show up fully as who you are. Do not give us the “corporate” version of yourself. We need to understand your strengths and skills but also your dislikes and points of friction. Our tests are intended to empower you into a deeper understanding of how to relate to others best and be most productive in work environments that suit your needs. The idea here is to match you with a workplace that is aligned with your skills and tendencies so that it does not feel like draining work, but rather something you’ll enjoy in the long term.

As the CEO/President of the company, you likely wear many hats throughout the day. But what do you love most about your job? 

This one is easy. The joy and satisfaction of knowing that we helped someone into their dream career and now they are making a difference in the world in their own unique and empowered way. 

That is definitely the best feeling. I am simply thankful to be able to help make a difference in people’s quality of life. 

Finally, I would like to invite the reader to explore more of what we have to offer by visiting our website at www.stargaterecruiting.com. Thank you for the opportunity to share our passion with all of you today!