How to Work a Blended Desk
In 2026
–An Eleven-Part Series–
Part Seven
by
Bob Marshall
September 15th, 2026
Place Contract Professionals at the Same Level as Your Direct-Hire Placements
One of the biggest mistakes a recruiter can make when working a blended desk is treating contract staffing as the “other” side of the business.
Direct hire gets the attention.
Contract gets whatever is left.
That is exactly backwards.
A contract professional can solve an immediate business problem, provide a client with critical expertise, and create an entirely different—and often recurring—revenue stream for your desk.
And I learned that lesson a long time ago.
The Accountants Overload Group Story
For about a year, from 1989 to 1990, I consulted with a company based in Westwood, California called Accountants Overload Group (AOG).
Richard E. Lewis was the CEO. His two sons were both involved in the business. David Lewis ran the Contract Division, while Craig Lewis ran the Permanent Division.
I was brought in to help run the Permanent Division.
This was a company on the way up.
And what made AOG particularly interesting was that they didn’t think of contract staffing as a low-level service.
They thought of it as a professional placement business.
By 1996, AOG had grown to approximately $23 million in revenue, with seven offices, and had become a leading financial staffing provider in Southern California.
They specialized in accounting, finance, bookkeeping and data-entry professionals on a contract, contract-to-hire and full-time basis.
But here’s the part I want you to notice:
They didn’t stop at the bottom of the organizational chart.
Their professionals were placed at some of the highest levels within their client organizations:
CFOs.
Chief Accounting Officers.
Chief Audit Executives.
COOs.
VPs of Finance.
CPAs.
And other highly experienced financial professionals.
In other words, contract did not mean second-class.
It meant another way of solving a client’s problem.
In July 1997, AOG was acquired by Olsten Corporation and became part of what was then called Olsten Financial Staffing.
During Richard Lewis’s 36-year career, he was credited with placing more than 50,000 Southern Californians in contract and permanent positions.
That’s a pretty impressive track record.
But there is something more important here for today’s blended-desk recruiter:
The opportunity wasn’t in choosing between contract and direct hire.
The opportunity was in understanding how to do both.
It’s Not Your Grandma’s “Temp” Business
For some of you, particularly those of us who have been around recruiting for a while, the word “temporary” still conjures up a very specific image.
Secretaries.
Typists.
Clerical workers.
The old “Kelly Girl.”
And there’s nothing wrong with that history. In fact, it’s a fascinating story.
But professional contract staffing has evolved a long way from those beginnings.
Today, organizations use contract professionals for specialized expertise, project work, interim leadership, workload surges, skill gaps, leaves of absence, technology implementations,
acquisitions, transformations and a host of other business needs.
The common denominator?
The client has a problem that needs to be solved—and the solution doesn’t always require a permanent employee.
That’s where the blended desk becomes powerful.
A client may need a CFO permanently.
Or an interim CFO while they conduct the search.
A company may need a permanent software engineer.
Or five contract engineers for a nine-month implementation.
A manufacturer may need to hire a permanent operations executive.
Or an experienced project manager to get a critical initiative back on track.
Same client. Same recruiter. Different solution.
That’s the mindset I want you to develop.
And for a little nostalgia, here’s where the Kelly Girl comes into the story.
You’ve Come a Long Way, Kelly Girl®!
In 1946, William Russell “Russ” Kelly started Russell Kelly Office Service in Detroit.
Initially, the business picked up typing work from customers and completed it in Kelly’s office.
Then one day, a customer called with a different problem: their secretary hadn’t shown up and they needed someone immediately.
Russ offered to loan them his own secretary for the day.
Soon afterward, a steel company had another problem. They needed help with payroll but didn’t want sensitive records transported to Kelly’s office.
Their solution?
“Why don’t you send someone here to do the work?”
Russ recognized the opportunity.
Instead of bringing the work to his office, he could send qualified people to the customer’s office.
The concept caught on.
And the modern temporary staffing industry was born.
The “Kelly Girl” became an American business icon, and in 1966 the company became what we know today as Kelly Services.
Pretty amazing when you think about it.
One missing secretary helped launch an entirely new business model.
But here’s the lesson for the blended-desk recruiter in 2026:
Don’t get trapped by the history of the word “temporary.”
The business has changed.
The terminology has changed.
The technology has changed.
And the level of talent being provided has changed.
What hasn’t changed is the fundamental business proposition:
Find the right person to solve the client’s problem.
Whether that person stays for three days, three months, three years—or three decades—is secondary.
Your job is to understand the problem well enough to determine which solution makes the most sense.
That is what working a blended desk is all about.
Don’t sell contract staffing as something less than direct hire.
Position the contract professional as a professional solution.
And treat the revenue accordingly.
Next week: Part 8 – Identifying Candidates Who Thrive in Contract Roles
My Best,
Bob
Bob Marshall began his recruiting career over 46 years ago at MR in Reno, NV. In 1986 he established The Bob Marshall Group, International, where he has trained recruiters throughout the United States and also in the United Kingdom, Malta and Cyprus. With a dedication to executive recruiting, he continues to offer his proven training systems to individuals, firms, and private corporations both domestic and in select international territories. To learn more about his activities and descriptions of his products and services, contact him directly @770-898-5550/470-456-0386(cell); bob@themarshallplan.org; or visit his website @ www.TheMarshallPlan.org.
Bob Marshall
President
TBMG, International
205 Elliott Road, Suite 100
McDonough, GA 30252-2704
770-898-5550
520-842-5550 (fax)