From Agency Veteran To Founder: Why Ethical Recruiting Still Matters

Ever wonder what truly separates a great recruiting partner from a resume mill? We sit down with founder Zag Dutton of Career Connections Canada to unpack how a boutique firm delivers consistent results for pharmaceutical manufacturing and third‑party logistics teams and why trust, clarity, and relentless questions are the real edge.

Zag traces her journey from launching branches at a national agency to building her own company for greater autonomy and higher standards. We explore the crucial differences between permanent recruitment and temporary staffing, including the day-to-day realities of serving as employer of record, handling sick calls and time issues, and designing systems that keep operations compliant and smooth. Her process starts with defining outcomes: why the role exists, what must improve in 90 days, and what team dynamics shape success. With precise inputs, sourcing shifts from keyword matching to culture and performance fit, boosting retention and saving hiring managers time.

We also take on industry myths that mislead candidates. Agencies can’t “manufacture” jobs; they fill specific roles that clients request. And candidates should never pay an agency fees belong on the employer side, full stop. Zag shares how her team coaches candidates on resumes and interviews, helps them tell measurable stories, and encourages thoughtful questions that reveal whether the work is right for them. On the client front, she highlights why pharma and 3PL needs align, how referrals fuel growth, and how consistent delivery earns an invitation when leaders change companies.

If you’re hiring, expect better outcomes when you share honest constraints and answer your recruiter’s questions thoroughly. If you’re job seeking, protect your wallet, refine your narrative, and pursue roles where you can deliver impact. Subscribe for more candid conversations with local leaders, and if this helped, share it with a friend and leave a review to support the show.

Zag Dutton

Career Connections Canada Inc.

[phone]

https://www.careerconnectionsinc.com

Connecting Great People with Great Companies Since 1995
At Career Connections Canada Inc., we specialize in permanent, contract, and temporary recruitment solutions that drive organizational success. For over 30 years, we’ve built a reputation for excellence—delivering top-tier candidates and personalized service that sets us apart.
Our mission goes beyond filling positions. We identify professionals who not only meet your immediate needs but also become long-term contributors to your growth. With deep industry expertise and a commitment to quality, Career Connections is your trusted partner in building strong, sustainable teams.
Discover the difference. Let’s connect today.

Episode Transcript

Intro (00:00):
This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local
businesses and neighbors cometogether.
Here's your host, AlanjaSimmons.

Alanja Simmons (00:20):
Welcome to the Good Neighbor Podcast.
Are you in need of a recruitingcompany?
One might be closer than youthink.
Today I have the pleasure ofintroducing your good neighbour,
Zag Dutton, with CareerConnections Canada Inc.
Zag, how's it going?

Zag Dutton (00:35):
Great, thank you.
How are you?

Alanja Simmons (00:37):
I'm doing great.
Thanks for asking.
Zag, we're excited to learnabout your business and you.
Tell us about your company,Career Connections Canada Inc.

Zag Dutton (00:54):
We are a recruiting company.
We offer permanent contract andtemporary hiring solutions to
our clients.
We work mainly withpharmaceutical manufacturing and
third-party logisticscompanies.
So that's our primary focus.
We do have some clients thatfall outside of those because

(01:17):
many clients within thoseindustries we worked with and
built a strong relationship withhave moved on to other
organizations.
They do like to take us withthem, which is a point of pride
for me because it means we didvery well for them and they
trust us.
So we end up in an industry wewere not necessarily familiar

(01:39):
with, but we make it work.
We learn quickly, we figurethings out, we have lots of
questions, but our clientstypically know that even if we
know the industry, we still needto know so much about what they
need in that spot.
We need to know who else isthere, what they're going to be
like to work with, what thechallenges are, why they're

(02:03):
looking.
So there's always a ton ofquestions.
So they're used to a ton ofquestions.
And as long as we get answersthat are complete to our
questions, I find that we canmake any industry work.

Alanja Simmons (02:16):
Got it.
So how did you get into thisbusiness?

Zag Dutton (02:21):
I started out working for a national agency,
and I was with them for almost10 years.
I was very proud of what I didwith them.
I started two new branches forthem from scratch, and I took
over a third one that was havingsome challenges.
After almost 10 years, I gavebirth to my daughter, and by the

(02:41):
time she was two years old, Irealized I was never going to
see the major milestones in herlife because I was almost never
home during her waking hours.
So I thought, well, if I can dothis for someone else twice
over, I should be able to do itat least once for myself.

(03:02):
So I decided to strike out onmy own.
The rest is history.
I started off strictly offeringpermanent recruiting solutions
only because it was manageablefor me, because temp needs a lot
of attention.
Every day there's somethingdifferent.
With permanent recruitment, youknow what you're looking for,

(03:23):
you find those people, youpresent them to your client,
your client gets to do the nextsteps, and then they make a
decision as to how they want toproceed and who they want to
proceed with.
With temporaries, it's likehaving employees who just are
not working for you at yoursite.
So all the sick calls, all thecalls for I'm gonna be late or I

(03:47):
need to leave early come toyou.
So you are now responsible forthese people as though they were
your employees.
In fact, as the agency thatoffers temporary placement or
temporary hiring solutions, weare essentially the employer of
record for all of the people whoare working for our clients as

(04:07):
temporary.
So we're responsible foreverything that does happen,
could happen, things you can'timagine would happen, all lands
in our laps.
I made the choice to strictlystart with permanent
recruitment, and I did that forprobably about three years, and
then clients were asking me toexpand that because they trusted

(04:31):
me.
So I did expand that and wetook on the temporary side,
which is a whole other animal.
It does have a whole other areaof focus that you need to be
prepared for.
That's how we grew.
That was back in 1995, so weare 30 years in now.

Alanja Simmons (04:50):
I totally get that.
What are some myths ormisconceptions in your industry?

Zag Dutton (04:59):
Most companies understand what we do and how we
do it, but I think candidatesdon't necessarily understand how
it works.
That we can't manufacture jobsfor them.
So when they call us and I wantto work here, and we say to
them, Well, okay, but thatparticular client doesn't have

(05:22):
any openings right now, it'sforeign to them.
They cannot seem to understandthat that's a thing.
That it they almost feel asthough if I want to work there,
you as an agency should be ableto put me in there.
The other misconception is thatwe are responsible for finding

(05:43):
candidates a job.
We will do everything we can tohelp them if their resume is
terrible.
We will help them if theirinterview skills are terrible,
we will help them through thatbecause many people are not
comfortable being in front ofsomeone else, maintaining eye
contact, and doing everythingneeded in order to be successful

(06:07):
in an interview.
We can't manufacture anythingfor them.
We're not manufacturers ofjobs.
We simply are asked to fillspecific needs for our client
companies.
They tell us what they need,they tell us what education
level they're looking for, theytell us what skill level they're

(06:28):
looking for, and it's ourresponsibility to find a
candidate that fits into thatrole.
It doesn't work in reverse.
We don't tell the client whatthey need, and when from a
candidate standpoint, that's amisconception that it's our job
to manufacture something forthem.
The other misconception, whichunfortunately I thought by now

(06:51):
would be gone, but it's not, andthat is that many people still
today are being asked to pay forthe services of an agency.
As a candidate, you do not oweany money to the agency.
If they find you a job or theydon't find you a job, you still

(07:14):
do not owe them any money.
The client companies are theones who pay the agency fees.
And if you are ever asked as acandidate to pay for whatever it
is that the agency says theydid for you, run.
Definitely don't pay, but walkaway with your money intact.

(07:36):
It's already hard enough whenyou're looking for work.
It's harder if somebody thencomes to you and says, Well, I
referred you to theseinterviews, and I'm sorry you
didn't get a job, but you owe memoney.
It just doesn't work like that.
And it's illegal.
That is one of the reasons whythe Ontario government has
instituted licensing foragencies to control these

(08:00):
misconceptions and misdeeds.
I remember when I first startedin the industry, I thought,
that's crazy.
Why would anybody do that?
And still, all this time later,I'm still hearing that it still
happens to people.

Alanja Simmons (08:13):
That was great insight.
People rarely hear that side ofit.
We know marketing is at theheart of every business.
Who are your target customersand how do you attract them?

Zag Dutton (08:32):
Our target customers are pharmaceutical
manufacturing companies andthird-party logistics.
All of those work quite welltogether in terms of the kinds
of candidates that we would belooking for for them.
How we attract them is throughour social media.
Our various ways of outreachare through email, directly

(08:57):
calling out to clients andgetting referrals through our
existing clients who trust usand know our work and can speak
to it to anybody who asks.
Trade shows, job fairs, all ofthose are small parts of the
whole.
So my baby is having a baby.

Alanja Simmons (09:53):
Congratulations.

Zag Dutton (09:56):
Thank you.
So that seems to be keeping mebusy.
There's always an event,there's always something that I
need to attend on that side ofthings.
Prior to that, she kept me busywith her wedding and plans.
It's been uh about two years ofrun, run, run, run.
If you're not at the office,you're there.
Here's what you're gonna bedoing for me.

(10:17):
So a lot of that.
But I also enjoyed just gettingout, getting exercise.
I live in the country, so Ilove fresh air.
I love golf.
Not that I'm any good at it,but I love going out and hitting
the ball in a space that hasbeen the grass has been cut and
groomed, and not by me.

Alanja Simmons (10:43):
Yeah, absolutely.
On that note, please tell ourlisteners one thing that they
should remember about CareerConnections Canada Inc.

Zag Dutton (10:54):
I think if it's one thing, then it is that we
connect great people with greatcompanies.

Alanja Simmons (11:03):
How can our listeners learn more about
Career Connections Canada Inc.?

Zag Dutton (11:08):
Our website is careerconnectionsinc.com.
We are on LinkedIn as careerconnections Inc.com.
We are on Facebook, Instagram,X, and just recently started
TikTok.

Alanja Simmons (11:27):
Sag.
That was perfectly said.
And we really appreciate youbeing on the show, and we wish
you and your business, CareerConnections Canada Inc., all the
best moving forward, and thankyou for being a good neighbor.

Zag Dutton (11:42):
Thank you so much for your time.

Ontro (11:44):
Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor Podcast.
To nominate your favorite localbusinesses to be featured on
the show, go tognpmississauga.com.
gnpmississauga.com.
Or call 365 363 9780.