Boutique Greenville firm forges a new path for recruiting professionals

Rhiannon Poore will tell you that she is an unlikely entrepreneur. “I prefer to avoid risk,” she says wryly. “I’ve never seen myself as a CEO. I’m more of a good No. 2 person.”

But Poore’s personal motto is “Do the next right thing.” And two years ago, she realized that the next right thing for her was founding her professional recruiting firm, Forge Search + Consulting.

“I had this idea: How do I help people forge a new path, help companies forge a path for the teams they’re building?” Poore says. “The people around you are crucial. When companies don't have the right people, they are vulnerable.”

Forge has grown to a team of five and has placed people into jobs in 10 states. The company recruits professionals primarily in the areas of accounting and finance, sales and marketing, human resources, and operations.

Clients – from publicly traded international companies to small family businesses – approach Forge for help filling their positions. The Forge team utilizes a proprietary model that balances technical and cultural factors to find people who are the right fit. Forge has also developed a database of people who might not have been a candidate for one job but could be a perfect choice down the road.

The mission is to put “people first” on both sides of the equation.

“I felt like there was a way to put the human element back into recruiting. Recruiting has become transactional and impersonal on both sides. There's a human who has a story and a life. We want to honor that,” Poore says.

“I cannot promise that I'm going to get you the job. But I'm never going to ghost you.”

About 70% of the time, successful candidates are not active job seekers; people in executive positions are usually too busy to look for something new. “We take it to them instead of waiting for them to come to us,” she says.

The team also commits to updating clients every week.

“If a company reaches out to us with a need, they are obviously stressed about being understaffed. We have an opportunity to help our clients build a company. We do that by working swiftly, with honesty and integrity, and taking it very personally. We care deeply about creating a great experience for everyone involved.”

In her own life, Poore says that her background has prepared her for this new journey.

Home-schooled. Six siblings. Daughter of a pastor. A family of meager means. But the Sunday table always included a guest or two.

Poore went on to earn bachelor’s and master’s degrees at Bob Jones University – and fell in love with a fellow student, a Marine veteran who’d just returned from Iraq. They married and have two children, ages 6 and 9.

One of Poore’s first jobs was writing grants and tax incentives at Elliott Davis, a large public accounting firm. She moved to a local recruiting firm, where she worked in operations and marketing before settling into executive recruiting within accounting and finance.

“I found my calling. I thrive on the competitive nature of recruiting. But recruiters also help people. We get to be a part of one of the most vulnerable times in people’s lives … when they're looking for a job,” she says.

Elliott Davis hired her back to start their recruiting department. “I was lucky enough to work under an amazing chief human resources officer who helped me learn to lead. Together we built the talent acquisition function from scratch. I loved it.”

Just as Poore was ready for a new chapter, the COVID pandemic hit. She took a job building the marketing program at Southern First Bank.

“It was inspiring. Southern First took care of their people during COVID,” she says.

But at her core, she missed recruiting. “I missed hearing people’s stories,” she says. “I missed working closely with company leadership to identify the right next person for the role.”

Poore launched Forge at the urging of her husband, Joe – and when it felt right. “One day, I thought, ‘If I don't try it, I'm going to regret it.’”

She acknowledges that running her own company is “extraordinarily hard.”

“I’m a working mom,” she explains. “There is always more that can be done to build Forge. But every day, I try to remember that my kids are little only once. Time around the dinner table and bedtime snuggles will be gone soon. Juggling both of those enormous responsibilities can be overwhelming.”

The support from her team and her husband has been indispensable. “You don’t do this alone,” she says. “You just can’t. You don’t build a company by yourself. We would not be where we are today if we did not have an incredible passionate team, and if I did not have Joe by my side, telling me to keep dreaming.”

Poore is also grateful for the support of the Greenville community.

“I've been blessed. On the day we launched, we had clients calling. I am honestly blown away by the people who are rooting for us,” she says.

Poore also joined the Board of Directors of the United Way of Greenville County. “I believe in philanthropy,” she says. “I would not be where I am today if people had not given.”

As for Forge, Poore wants it to be the “boutique recruiting firm in Greenville” that serves the Southeast in the areas of accounting, finance, sales, marketing, HR, and operations.

“Our job is to come alongside as a guide. Whether you're the candidate or the company, it’s a privilege to do that, day in and day out,” she says.

“If you do the next right thing and treat people with integrity and honesty, you don’t have to be perfect. You do your best. You’re holding true to your core values,” she says.

“When my kids go out the door every morning, I tell them, ‘Love God. Love others. And work hard.’ If we can spend our days doing those three things, I am confident we will have a life well-lived."

This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Greenville recruiting firm focuses on forging the right fit