The person behind the methodColumbus, Ohio · Working with small business

Jay Metcalf.

Hiring is personal.

Jay helps small-business owners hire with confidence. He brings twenty-seven years in recruiting and firsthand experience running a staffing business.

Work with Metcalf Search Read Jay’s story
Jay Metcalf, founder of Metcalf Search
Jay MetcalfFounder & Managing Partner
27 yearsAcross recruiting and staffing
$100M+In salary placed over his career
$10M+Revenue at Barracuda InternationalGrown from under $50,000 in three years. General manager, 2012–2016.

The story

He knows what’s
on your side
of the desk.

When you hire, you’re deciding who your team will depend on and where someone will spend their working day. Jay has made those decisions as both a recruiter and the person running the business.

01

An early start in business.

Growing up in rural Ohio, Jay started with a paper route and mowing lawns at nine. As a teenager, he bought auctioned storage units and sold what was inside.

02

Recruiting, then running the business.

At IntelliCap Recruiting (2004–2009), Jay recruited, trained recruiters, and built a candidate-management training system. From December 2012 to January 2016, he was general manager of the staffing business Barracuda International.

With full responsibility for its profit and loss, he grew revenue from under fifty thousand dollars to more than ten million in three years. He was responsible for the people, the work, and the numbers.

03

Metcalf Search today.

Since December 2024, Jay has focused on giving small businesses access to the recruiting tools and support they need.

Owners can work through the free STACK guides, manage hiring in MS Rosie, or bring in Metcalf Search to run searches with them.

Miami University graduate · Recruiting, staffing, business operations and sales · See Jay’s professional background on LinkedIn ↗

Jay’s perspective

The person you hire
will be right there.
Ten feet away.

I want owners to have a real choice between good people. I want candidates to understand the job they are walking into. And I want the process to help both sides make a decision they can feel good about.

Technology can make the work easier. It can organize the details and keep things moving. But we still have to talk to people. That is where we find out what matters.

-Jay

Recommendations

People who have
worked with Jay.

Feedback from clients and candidates, shared on LinkedIn and in conversations with Jay.

I’m grateful for the extra effort he put into helping me secure my current job.
Saira KhanLinkedIn recommendation · July 2, 2024
Jay Metcalf has been instrumental in helping me achieve my career goals!
Greg HobieraLinkedIn recommendation · December 11, 2023
Read Jay’s LinkedIn recommendations ↗

Ways to work with us

The team, the method
and the software.

Hiring on your own? Start with the guides or Rosie. Need someone to run the search with you? Talk with our recruiting team.

02

The STACK Method

The way the work gets done

Free guides to finding candidates, interviewing, making offers, and helping new hires settle in. Start with the part you need help with.

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03

MS Rosie

Hiring software for small businesses

Manage applicants, prepare interview scorecards, turn transcripts into candidate write-ups, and draft offers. Explore the free and paid plans at apply.ms.

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Resources

Writing and
practical tools.

Bring the field guide to your next hiring meeting, or find an article that helps with the question in front of you.

Read the STACK Field Guide · PDFExplore the Metcalf Search blogUnderstand fractional recruiting

The short bio.

For introductions, interviews and event hosts.

For interviews and speaking inquiries, email Metcalf Search.

Jay Metcalf is the founder and managing partner of Metcalf Search, a fractional recruiting firm based in Columbus, Ohio. His twenty-seven years in recruiting and staffing include more than $100 million in salary placed and hands-on responsibility for growing a staffing business. He created the STACK Method and built MS Rosie, hiring software for small businesses at apply.ms. A Miami University graduate, Jay is writing a practical book on small-business hiring. His work centers on a simple belief: hiring is personal, and the process should reflect that.

The next conversation

Let’s talk about
your next hire.

Tell us what you’re hiring for and where you could use help. We’ll talk through whether Rosie, a guide, or hands-on recruiting support makes sense.

Start a conversation Explore Rosie ↗

Considering your next move? Start here.

Jay Metcalf · Profile updated November 14, 2026