Hiring
Happens

Weekly thoughts on the latest trends in hiring, the labor market, and anything else that catches our eye from the Spherion South Central WI & Northern IL team

Is Your Workplace Worth the Hype?

Because buzz wears off, but real value endures

One of us may or may not have recently purchased a $39, 16 oz jar of yogurt (yes, you read that correctly) after learning about its cult-like…
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Who We Are

Meet the Authors

We’re a local team of problem-solvers, people-first thinkers, and staffing experts who believe hiring should feel more human — and a lot less transactional.

Austin Kassner

In his capacity as President & Owner of Spherion South Central WI & Northern IL, Austin is deeply involved in the regional hiring landscape. He offers an on-the-ground perspective into workforce dynamics, market pressures, and the evolving expectations of both employers and job seekers. Originally from Green Bay, Austin holds an undergraduate degree from Northwestern University and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Natalie Walsh

A Madison native and proud University of Wisconsin-Madison alumni, Natalie joined the Spherion South Central WI & Northern IL team in 2020 as an onboarding specialist. In this role, she had the opportunity to see firsthand to how the right job can change someone’s life. Today, she drives marketing strategy to help more people find meaningful work and more businesses build strong teams.

About Spherion South Central WI & Northern IL

For more than 35 years, we’ve helped businesses solve hiring challenges, build stronger teams, and move work forward, combining the agility of a local partner with the resources of a national network.

For over three decades, we’ve built our reputation on long-standing partnerships and consistent results. Our consultative approach goes beyond transactions – we focus on the long-term success of our clients, our candidates, and the communities we serve.

Led by experienced senior leaders, our team blends deep local knowledge with proven recruiting expertise. Many of our staff have been with Spherion for years, building continuity, trust, and strong relationships that drive better hiring outcomes.
We take a customized approach to every search. Whether you’re filling high-volume roles, hiring for professional positions, or developing a workforce strategy, we align our solutions to your goals, delivering flexibility, speed, and quality.
We bring the responsiveness of a local partner plust he reach and capabilities of a national Spherion network and global partner through Randstad.
The right way, all the time. Our work is grounded in integrity, respect, passion, guided by our core mission:
DRIVE CAREERS. GROW BUSINESSES. BETTER THE COMMUNITIES WE CALL HOME.

We’ve built our reputation on long-standing partnerships, consistent results, and industry recognition. We’re proud to have 400+ Google reviews that speak to our work – see a few below:

About Spherion South Central WI & Northern IL

Driving Careers. Growing Businesses. Bettering the Community.

We operate locally in Madison and Rockford, serving companies and job seekers across South Central Wisconsin and Northern Illinois. Our team moves fast, thinks strategically, and cares deeply about getting hiring right.

Our backgrounds vary, but we’re united by a shared belief: hiring isn’t just about filling a position. It’s about building trust and helping organizations grow with the right people in place.

We bring together local insight and national reach, but what sets us apart is how closely we stay connected to the work. We spend time on-site. We listen. We adapt quickly. That kind of attention leads to stronger, more lasting results.
Whether you’re scaling a manufacturing operation, staffing a biotech lab, or hiring for a critical professional role, we become an extension of your team.

We’re in it every day, talking to candidates, working with hiring managers, and staying sharp on what’s changing in the market. This site is a space to share what we’re seeing and how we’re thinking about it.

Get In Touch

Contact Us

We work with companies across Wisconsin and Illinois to solve hiring challenges, build strong teams, and move work forward. Fill out the form below, and a member of our team will be in touch soon. We’d love to get the conversation started and hear what you’re working on

Madison Office

2601 W Beltline Hwy, Suite 500 Madison, WI 53713

Rockford Office

735 N Perryville Rd, Suite 3 Rockford, IL 61107

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