Movers & Shakers: Kyle O'Keefe, Robert Half International

Kyle O'Keefe, Robert Half International

Title: Regional vice president

Age: 35

Kyle O'Keefe, who has a decade of experience at Robert Half International, has been promoted to regional vice president for the specialized staffing firm's Twin Cities market.

O'Keefe will oversee operations for Robert Half's Accountemps and OfficeTeam staffing divisions in St. Paul, Bloomington and Minnetonka.

After a strong 2012, the company aims to keep expanding, O'Keefe said. "We will aggressively go after business to continue to grow our footprint," O'Keefe said. "We feel good about where our positioning and where our brands are from an organizational standpoint."

O'Keefe joined the company in 2003 as a staffing manager with Robert Half's OfficeTeam division in St. Paul. He most recently worked as metro market manager for the company's Accountemps, OfficeTeam and Robert Half Finance & Accounting divisions. He has a bachelor's degree from the University of Nebraska Omaha. O'Keefe serves as a board member on the public affairs committee of the St. Paul Chamber of Commerce.

A professional employment forecast Robert Half released in March found that 14 percent of chief financial officers in the Twin Cities expected to add new professional-level positions in the second quarter. More than 70 percent said they would fill vacancies but not add positions, while 14 percent said they would not be hiring even to fill open positions.

Robert Half describes itself as the world's first and largest specialized staffing firm, offering placement services in accounting, finance, technology, office administration, legal and creative, marketing and design services.

Q: What challenges do you anticipate in your new role?

A: We're still shaking off the fiscal uncertainty. We do feel this is going to be a stop-and-start scenario. The first part of the year will be somewhat uncertain. We are very confident that it will ramp up into the second part of the year and be an exciting environment to work it.

Q: How would you characterize the staffing market now?

A: There is definitely a gap in what our clients are looking for. It's a tale of two markets. When you look at the general jobs market, that still remains pretty competitive. When you get into the specialized job market, organizations have to move very quickly and put together packages and opportunities that make sense. The specialized talent has options and has choices in regards to their next moves.

Q: What appeals to you about the staffing industry?:

A: We find people better opportunities and find organizations talent, and at the end of the day it's a rewarding opportunity to do it for an organization like Robert Half where you can grow your career and run a larger business along the way.