How does one determine what agency to use when staffing a beautiful home, your home, your sanctuary? It seems these days that a new “agency” is popping up every other month. In this never ending, overly saturated world of people who claim to understand how to staff your home, how does one make sense of what is best for them? While there is not necessarily an easy answer to this…. The Grapevine Agency is confident that it stands out amongst the others for a variety of reasons.
What makes the Grapevine Agency unique is that founders, Lori Zuker-Briller and Rachel Zaslansky Sheer have both catered to and worked for some of the most elite names and ultra high net worth clients in the entertainment industry. Their insight and experiences into what it was like to be an assistant gives them a vantage point that most agency owners have not had. They know first-hand what their employers required of them, what worked and what didn’t in their offices and their homes.
This coupled with their work experience in staffing agencies and recruiters, enabled them to hone their skills, and provided them a greater perspective of what successful staffing and recruiting required. When Lori and Rachel partnered to open The Grapevine Agency, nearly 14 years ago, they both knew that they wanted it to be ‘boutique in-nature’ and customer service oriented. They meet all of the candidates and perform all of the references themselves, not relying on others. And at times, ask the hard-hitting questions to really dig below the surface and get to know the candidates experience, goals, strengths and weaknesses. They believe that it is imperative to understand what the candidate’s objectives are so they ultimately ensure they are making a match that is well served for both sides, will have staying power with the client and is truly “authentic”.
They also spend a great deal of time listening to the wants and needs of the client to establish the ideal job description and perfect candidate whether they are looking for an assistant, estate manager or other. As Lori Zuker Briller shared: “we are super selective and really believe in the gold standard at all times. They know that we dig in and we do our due diligence and that if we are sending resumes, it is of a well curated group of people”.
Listening, as simple as it is, is key when ensuring that both sides of the match are cared for and well served. The Grapevine Agency partners take the time to educate their clients on what the market trends are to ensure that everyone is upfront about expectations, whether it be hours worked, salaries, benefits and so forth.
Photo provided by The Grapevine Agency