The company has expanded from a staff of six in 2001 to having eight offices, and in addition to banking now offers mortgage lending.

“We have some turnover, like any business, but we’re very fortunate to have little turnover for a company this size,” Johnson says.

Johnson says the bank’s hiring process is very different. The environment is fast paced, competitive and sales oriented, which drives the need for certain characteristics in prospective employees. Customers don’t want a laid-back approach when they apply for a mortgage because they have a lot of anxiety about the process, so prompt response is important.

While they may not always be actively recruiting, Johnson says the company has been known to add a job for the right person. “We’ll never bypass an opportunity to talk to an applicant, whether we have an opening or not,” he says.

The hiring process involves interviews with several managers, and Johnson used to interview every person until recently. Most importantly, they hire “people with the right attitude and skill set,” and train them to be bankers through an extensive training program.

As for retaining good employees, he says while the company offers good benefits, it’s not money that motivates the workers, but the work atmosphere. Managers are out in the trenches, leading by example.

Renee Ball, CenturyTel human resources manager for Washington State, also cites work atmosphere as one way to retain staff. The company has a call center in Gig Harbor that employs about 100 people. The turnover rates are high, which is common for call centers, she said, so there are ongoing job openings.

The company uses a variety of methods to find qualified candidates, from posting the jobs on its Web site and the state’s WorkSource Web site, to mailing notices to community colleges. Recently, they added a new approach: temporary-to-permanent hires through a temp agency. A temporary employee who completes the six-week training program successfully can become a permanent employee. An employee referral program is also in place, with incentives to current staff for referring a candidate who retains employment for a certain amount of time.

Sage Manufacturing on Bainbridge Island also uses an internal referral program, though most times openings are only available if someone retires or the company is expanding.

“(The manufacturing jobs) are very hands on and we look for people who may have … a transferable skill such as home crafts or woodworking,” says Human Resources Manager Patrice Stankavich.

The company has about 160 employees and supervisors are directly involved in the hiring process. Stankavich said they invest a lot of time into finding the right person.

“Investing time into the recruitment process and general employment practices attracts greater quality people,” she says.

Offering good benefits is important, she says, because the company values its employees. “We are really pleased to be able to offer those kinds of benefits,” she says, adding that their “people are proud to tell others where they work.”.