Cornerstone is a full-service marketing agency with over 20 years of experience in the industry, with a particularly strong footprint in the healthcare sector. They’re a fast-paced business built around long-term client relationships - and they needed a recruitment partner who could match that same commitment to quality.
Initially, they were reluctant to work with recruiters due to poor past experiences. But after persistent outreach from an Oscar Tech consultant, they agreed to trial the partnership - and have never looked back.
The Challenge
Cornerstone faced immediate pressure when two team members planned to leave to start families, creating a time-sensitive gap they needed to fill before maternity leave began.
However, for Cornerstone, the hire was about more than technical ability. Their key non-negotiable was cultural alignment: they needed someone who shared their values, showed the right attitude, and could grow with the business long-term.
Our Approach
To meet Cornerstone’s priorities, Oscar adapted the recruitment process to ensure every candidate submitted was the right fit - both technically and culturally.
We expanded our vetting process beyond standard qualification criteria, exploring each candidate’s long-term goals, extracurricular interests, and general motivations. We also held regular Teams calls with shortlisted candidates to assess communication style, personality, and team fit in real time.
While this approach was more in-depth than traditional screening, it dramatically reduced the time Cornerstone needed to spend evaluating candidates - and ensured that every submission aligned with the company’s culture and long-term retention goals.
The Outcome
Cornerstone consistently fed back that each candidate submitted felt like a genuine match for the team - not only in skill set but in character, ambition, and alignment with company values.
Oscar has since placed multiple hires into the business, and the relationship has grown into an ongoing partnership - with candidates becoming long-term team members who contribute beyond the role itself.
Ongoing Impact
By outsourcing recruitment to Oscar, Cornerstone has been able to remain focused on running and growing their business - while trusting that hiring is being managed proactively and effectively.
The long-term result has been strong retention: hires have stayed with the business, meaning Cornerstone rarely needs replacements unless the business is growing or someone leaves for major life events.
Lessons Learned
This partnership reinforced an important truth: every client defines “the right hire” differently. Some prioritise pure technical skill set, while others — like Cornerstone - focus more heavily on cultural fit and long-term potential, knowing skills can be developed over time.
At Oscar, we adapt the process to what success looks like for the client - not a one-size-fits-all approach.
Client Testimonial
“Matt, Bronnie and the team at Oscar have been a key partner to Cornerstone for several years. They took the time to get to know us as a business, our culture, key hire criteria, and key skills requirements across the business.
They spend the time and energy searching the market for the right candidates, ensuring our criteria are not only met, but often exceeded.
They’ve become an extension of our team, providing excellent support, advice, guidance and true partnership working, driving positive results for our business, which is key to our fast-paced growth trajectory.
I would highly recommend Oscar to those wanting to recruit a team that is well aligned with business culture, standards and requirements.”
Roles Delivered
- Senior Digital Marketers
- Senior PHP Developers
- PHP Developers
- Digital Project Manager
- Senior Account Manager
- Account Managers
- Web-Based PM
