The Importance of Innovation

Precision Talent Solutions is extremely proud to announce the promotion of Andrew MacWilliams to the role of Chief Innovation Officer. Andy has spent the last 2.5 years as PTS’ most Senior Account Executive, and he has been one of the key architects of PTS’ robust technology stack. Andy has nearly 20 years of experience in the Government Contracting industry, including a full decade in Talent Acquisition where his duties have taken him to six continents to recruit. As Chief Innovation Officer, Andy will lead all areas of investment in technology, training, and business processes for PTS. 

“It is a real pleasure to elevate Andy to the enterprise level in PTS to help take our technology and business to the next level. Andy is a genuine thought leader in the GovCon talent acquisition arena, and he has great instincts about how to continue to improve our service to both our customers and candidates. I look forward to working with Andy as we integrate the latest innovations into our business to include AI, psychometrics, and best-in-class software. Andy is a coach at heart, and he will continue to lead the training and development for our team to help make us the best in the industry at matching talent and opportunities.” – Jake Frazer, President PTS

Q1. What is a Chief Innovation Officer (CINO)?

A1. The definition of "innovation" will change from business to business and industry to industry. Precision is a company of people, dedicated to people, and in that way, innovation will focus on people. That means training our staff, not just in the best recruitment techniques, but to the fullest possible understanding of our industry. It will also mean improving our process to be able to move candidates through faster and extract a more thorough understanding of their skills and motivations. It also means improving the product the client receives to provide greater insight regarding the market and the people they are adding to their organizations.

Q2. How will Precision actually do that? What does successful innovation look like?

A2. That’s the beauty of this role; it’s painting on a blank canvas. Ultimately, results will come from focusing on our people, our process, and our technology. Precision is always on the hunt for the brightest minds in talent acquisition and my role will work to identify those folks and bring them to the table, often as employees but also potentially as partners. Process improvements will initially be more focused on management than recruitment. As the company has matured, so too has the management system we’ve continuously built out. We’re now flowing it down to all levels of the organization and expect to see greater engagement and results over time. A little can go a long way on the technology front. Techniques like video interviewing and psychometric assessments are just now becoming popular but Precision has been utilizing these tools for nearly a decade. We are committed to staying ahead of the market and bringing in the best technologies to support our business.

Q3. Why do you fit a CINO role?

A3. Innovation inherently means change. Fundamentally, change means doing something different. Breaking rules. Challenging norms. That very much speaks to my personality. I got into recruiting differently. My recruiting experience has been nonlinear and my approach is probably unconventional compared to other executive recruiters. Different is the secret to my success, in some ways. Doing things differently has been a component of Precision’s success to this point and will continue to be. One of Precision’s Core Values is “agile”. We are proud of our ability to take a strong process and fit it to the unique challenges of our clients. It allows us to be successful regardless of the scope of the role we’re asked to fill. 

I wouldn’t go as far as to say, “Rules are made to be broken.” But at Precision, our process is shaped to meet a customer's needs.

Q4. Where does innovation come from?

A4. True innovation has to come organically. No one knows better than our staff what challenges we face daily and possible solutions to those challenges. But innovation also comes from leadership and specifically the commitment of leadership to remain open to change and feedback. We are so lucky at Precision to have both an experienced and thoughtful staff and invested leadership.

Q5. What does a commitment to innovation signal externally?

A5. If you’re curious about Precision’s success and our ability to disrupt the market then take a quick look through our testimonials, where we now have more than 100. You’ll see both candidates and customers mention partnership, speed, knowledge, and the ingenuity required to meet the toughest challenges. We can’t and won’t rest on those accolades. Precision is committed to being ahead of the demanding job market and to working harder and smarter than the competition to provide the very best talent solutions for an industry working to keep our nation safe and healthy.