Written in the Stars

Consultant History

Paul Noble, a Staffing Partner at The Squires Group, Inc., was recruiting for an Embedded Flight Software Systems Tester position to support one of NASA’s mission critical teams. As he sourced for candidates, he connected with Grafton, who had worked on a similar platform eight years ago. Grafton had been out of the workforce since 2011 after experiencing a traumatic brain injury from a bicycling accident near his neighborhood.

The Challenge

After his surgery, Grafton was placed in a medically induced coma to help with his recovery process. When he regained consciousness, he realized the extent of his injuries and knew he faced a long road to a full recovery. At that moment, his world crumbled. Based on the extent of his injuries, there was no way for Grafton to continue with his existing job. So, he moved to Boston to live with his sister and begin his healing process. Grafton’s recovery took more than seven years. The challenge for The Squires Group was to find a client that had a need for Grafton’s unique technology skillset.

The Solution

After realizing the uniqueness of the situation, Paul discussed Grafton’s journey with Jane Myers, the Director of Resource Management at The Squires Group. Jane had prior experience working with candidates who were reentering the workforce after an extended medical leave. So, she took point on working with Grafton and was inspired to do what it would take to find him a job.

Fortunately, Grafton had prior experience working on Tank Gunnery Trainer and Tank Driver Trainer modules that dated back to the 1980s. As luck (or fate) would have it, the same hardware interface was required for a NASA Embedded Software position that we were sourcing for one of our Prime Integration partners!

So, while Grafton was working on his seven-year recovery process, the 1980’s technology that he knew so well seemed to be sitting in a time capsule waiting for his return! His father-in-law to be even joked that it sounded like they were looking to build a team of Space Cowboys.

Recognizing this opportunity, Jane prepared Grafton’s skill summary and Matt Kilkeary, our Account Manager for the NASA project, presented him to our Prime Integration partner. Our client was impressed with Grafton’s skills—and more importantly, they recognized his unique situation and felt inspired to give him the opportunity to support the project.

The Success

Grafton was thrilled when we gave him the news that he was selected for this position. “I knew the first time I talked to Jane, that this was my best chance to move off disability and find my way back to financial success,” says Grafton. “I truly respect and admire Jane for her wisdom and great effort in referring me to the right place,” adds Grafton.

After about five months on the project, the client feedback on Grafton’s performance supporting this mission has been very positive. Everyone that has the opportunity to interact with Grafton relays that one of his best traits is his attitude – he is always cheerful and thankful about everything in life. So, we thank you, Grafton, for sharing your positive attitude with everyone at TSGi and at our client’s organization.