For one Wilmington career counselor and recruiter, his work truly is his passion.

Ask owner of the recently launched Alliance Career Group Corey Lewis what drives him, and the answer is simple: he does what he loves.

A successful corporate recruiter in fields including aerospace and defense, industrial applications and firearms and power generation for more than seven years, the Ohio native knew there was more that he could do.

That’s when his vision – and subsequent business – was born. While discerning the challenges faced by businesses in finding workers that fit their needs, he said he saw an opportunity to benefit job seekers and the community too.

“Alliance was created to make a difference in the lives of each and every job seeker, a difference in the hiring process and mindset of their clients,” Lewis said. “We have goals for more personal attention, more concern and more passion.”

While not all corporations are this way, Lewis said that in the hiring process, an imbalance of power usually existed. Companies often had the upper hand, leaving job candidates at a disadvantage. 

What’s more, he saw that some recruiters viewed the placement process as black and white. Job hunters were often viewed as a number “or statistic in their spreadsheet.”

“[My aim] is to give the job seekers their power back, I want to help them in their career search and preparation more than anyone ever has before,” he added. “Because in my opinion, companies may think they have control over the job seeker or employee but at the end of the day, it is the employees that make the company run.”

Regardless of the occupational position, whether it’s as the company’s janitor or the CEO, Lewis said he knew that it boils down to people – but each individual just has different skillsets. Through his new business, Lewis looks to “bridge the gap between the company and the job seeker.”

As a career counselor, one way Lewis aims to achieve that goal is by preparing job seekers. For some, that begins with the basics, such as showing them how the act of the job search has significantly changed.

The days of sending cover letters and resumes have been largely replaced by online profiles and digital documents. Social media has also transformed the game and has become an essential resource for job hunters and hiring companies.

“The hiring process has changed so much in the past few years, and [often] the job seeker doesn’t even know it,” Lewis said.

He reiterated that online profiles and digital footprints are likely considered just as carefully as one’s resume.

What’s more, companies are mining those social media sites, such as LinkedIn, for potential candidates, and they’re posting job openings on them too. Likewise, candidates can use LinkedIn to research companies, search for jobs and market themselves.

Another shift that Lewis has noticed is the movement away from the use of standard recruiting agencies. With leaner budgets, many hiring companies are having to adapt.

Lewis has seen firsthand that companies are skipping the cost of an agency recruiter and are hiring their own recruiting staffs instead. Or, company managers with already full workloads are tasked with hiring, which can become a catch-22.

Lack of recruitment type training may lead harried managers to hire employees that end up not being the right fit. And mistakes like that can be costly.

According to Forbes.com, it costs an organization one-and-a-half times a person’s annual salary when an employee leaves in the first three months. But some recruiting agencies are capable of those same mistakes, Lewis said, when they’re unwilling to evolve with the changing times.

“It’s time for recruiting agencies to stop trying to shove candidates down the proverbial throats of hiring companies and worry more about the overall fit,” Lewis said. “It needs to be a good fit for the candidate, and it needs to be a good fit for the hiring company.”

While starting his own venture has been a personal and professional triumph for Lewis, he said there were a lot of sleepless nights.

“It’s a pretty scary thing to leave the corporate world with a cushy office and guaranteed paycheck and step out on the business ownership ledge all by yourself,” Lewis noted. “Not knowing how this whole thing will turn out is pretty [daunting], but I’m lucky to have a wealth of knowledge and a passion for what I do, and I’m even luckier to have the support of family, friends and my wife.”

In kind, he returns that support, including sharing it with the community.

After learning about an area nonprofit that could benefit from his career background, Lewis felt compelled to lend a hand.

Lewis volunteers with Phoenix Ministry Employment where he assists people in their work search by writing resumes, teaching interviewing techniques and more.

“The work [Phoenix Employment Ministry] does in helping people in their career search and personal development really was something I wanted to be a part of,” Lewis said. “Their mission is to empower individuals to reach their potential and lead stable lives through satisfying work, and I try and help as much as I can.”

In his volunteer work, Lewis also shares wisdom that he learned from his grandfather and his father–the beliefs that hard work pays off and that individuals can make a difference.

“I remember my dad telling me once that however much making money matters, if you don’t love what you do, where you do it and why you do it, then you need to find something else, no matter what the money is,” Lewis said. “I have had a couple of people in my past that I have phoned to tell them they have been selected for a position, and they were in tears … it’s a feeling that I’ll not soon forget.”