Casey Marquette, Covenant HR Founder and CEO: “We lead with compassion, urgency, fairness, and quality, showing clients and candidates alike that high-tech can still mean high-touch.”

Covenant HR was founded by Casey Marquette with a vision to reshape the staffing industry. As a former CISO responsible for hiring hundreds of people across corporate America, Casey saw firsthand how traditional staffing firms often fell short—slow processes, impersonal systems, and missed opportunities to connect with top talent. With the right team, he knew it could be done better. Covenant HR was built to be the kind of staffing partner he always wished he had. Covenant HR was created to offer a more modern, human-centered approach that prioritizes relationships, innovation, and results. At the heart of Covenant HR’s strategy is Scout™, the company’s proprietary AI recruiter. Unlike conventional tools, Scout™ is built by recruiters for recruiters and is designed to work around the clock to intelligently source, screen, and match candidates. It goes beyond keyword matching to consider culture fit, context, and long-term career goals. The result is a faster, more consistent hiring process that eliminates bias and improves the quality of hire.

Covenant HR offers a full range of staffing solutions, including direct hire, contract, contract-to-hire, executive search, and global recruiting support. Whether helping a startup scale quickly or supporting a multinational company’s international hiring needs, Covenant HR combines technology and hands-on expertise to deliver impactful results. While Scout™ is a powerful tool, the company’s core philosophy remains deeply rooted in empathy. Covenant HR believes technology should enhance human connection, not replace it. By blending advanced automation with real-world experience and compassionate service, the company ensures both clients and candidates feel seen, heard, and supported.

Covenant HR exists to help organizations grow stronger by hiring smarter—and to help individuals find meaningful work where they can thrive. It’s not just about filling roles; it’s about building lasting partnerships and putting people first in every decision.

In conversation with Casey Marquette, Founder and CEO of Covenant HR

Q. What challenges did you face while building your company, and how did you overcome them?

Our biggest challenge? Scaling—fast. Covenant HR grew more quickly than we could have imagined, and that meant we needed to build a world-class team in record time. Finding people who not only had the skills but also shared our values and vision was critical. We overcame it by doing what we do best—hiring great talent. We tapped into our own methodology, trusted our instincts, and used the very tools we built—like Scout™—to identify high-performers who could thrive in a high-growth, high-integrity environment.

The truth is, we are where we are today because of the team we’ve built. This group has passion, grit, and a drive like no other. They don’t just work hard—they care deeply. That’s why we’ve been able to grow without compromising quality, and it’s what gives us confidence as we take on even bigger challenges ahead.

Q. How does your company differentiate itself from competitors in the industry?

From day one, our 10-year vision has been clear: to be the trendsetters in AI and automation within the hiring industry. While others are just now exploring how AI might fit into their processes, we built Scout™—our proprietary AI recruiter—from the ground up to transform the entire experience of hiring. Scout™ isn’t just a sourcing tool. It intelligently matches candidates based on context, culture, and capability—at scale and with speed. It allows our clients to make faster, smarter, and more human-centered hiring decisions. But what truly sets us apart is the fusion of cutting-edge technology with deeply rooted values. We lead with compassion, urgency, fairness, and quality, showing clients and candidates alike that high-tech can still mean high-touch.

We’re not trying to follow trends—we’re setting them. And as the industry continues to evolve, Covenant HR will be at the forefront, defining what the future of hiring looks like.

Q. Can you share a success story that highlights the impact of your solutions on clients?

Absolutely. We were struggling with an all-too-common challenge: our recruiters were buried under résumés, high-quality candidates were slipping through the cracks, and interview scheduling was slowing everything down. Traditional recruiting simply couldn’t keep up with their rapid growth.

Enter Scout™—our proprietary AI recruiter. We implemented Scout™ to act as an always-on recruiting partner. It automatically reviewed and scored every candidate, conducted initial interviews, and sent personalized interview invitations by text or email—often within minutes of application. This meant candidates were being engaged immediately, 24/7.

The results were transformational:

• 150% increase in total hiring wins within the first month
• 60% improvement in submission-to-interview ratio
• 73% of all submitted candidates were both AI-evaluated and human-vetted

Beyond the metrics, the feedback from recruiters and candidates was powerful. Recruiters said it saved them hours while boosting precision. Candidates appreciated the smooth, low-pressure interview experience.

This success story shows exactly what happens when AI and human expertise work together—hiring gets faster, smarter, and more human.

Q. What core values guide your leadership and decision-making?

 At Covenant HR, our leadership and every decision we make are guided by six core values that are more than words—they’re our operating system:

• Honesty – We believe transparency builds trust. We communicate openly with clients, candidates, and each other—even when it’s hard.
  
  
• Compassion – We lead with heart. Whether it’s helping someone land their dream job or showing up for a teammate in need, people always come first.
  
  
• Accountability – We say what we’ll do, and we do what we say. Our near-perfect “say-do” ratio drives consistent results.
  
  
• Urgency – Time kills deals. We operate with a bias for action, understanding that speed can be a competitive advantage.
  
  
• Quality – We never settle for average. Our focus is always on making high-impact matches that help businesses grow and people thrive.
  
  
• Fairness – We treat clients, candidates, and colleagues with equity and respect. Success should be shared, and decisions should create mutual wins.

These values shape not just how we lead—but how we show up every day. They’re why our clients trust us, our team thrives, and our technology delivers real-world impact.

Q. How do you ensure that your company’s growth aligns with long-term sustainability and customer satisfaction?

We believe sustainable growth and customer satisfaction go hand in hand—and both start with intentionality.

At Covenant HR, we scale with purpose, not just pace. Our growth strategy is built around three pillars:

Technology That Serves, Not Replaces

Our proprietary AI recruiter, Scout™, was designed to enhance—not eliminate—the human element in hiring. As we grow, we continually refine Scout™ based on real user feedback, ensuring it evolves alongside client needs and expectations.

Customer-Centric Innovation

We don’t just sell solutions—we build them with our clients in mind. Every new feature, every process improvement, is designed to reduce friction, improve outcomes, and make hiring a better experience for everyone involved.

People Over Everything

We hire and retain a team that truly cares. That passion shows up in how we support clients, treat candidates, and hold each other accountable. A great team means consistent delivery—and that’s the key to long-term client trust.

We’ve never been interested in growth for growth’s sake. Our goal is to build something enduring—where our clients win, our people thrive, and our impact scales responsibly.

Q. What does the future hold for your company and its customers? Are exciting things on the way?

Absolutely—this is just the beginning. We’re building something much bigger than a staffing company. Our long-term vision is to be the global leader in AI-powered hiring, and Scout™ is just the first chapter. Over the next year, we’re launching major enhancements to Scout™, including deeper integrations, smarter learning algorithms, and tools that give hiring managers more transparency and control than ever before.

We’re also expanding into new industries, growing our global reach, and continuing to invest in technologies that simplify and humanize every part of the talent journey.

For our customers, that means faster placements, better candidate experiences, and data-driven insights that actually move the needle. And for us—it means staying true to our mission: to redefine hiring through compassion, urgency, and innovation.

Yes, exciting things are absolutely on the way. And we can’t wait to share them with the world.

“While others are just now exploring how AI might fit into their processes, we built Scout™—our proprietary AI recruiter—from the ground up to transform the entire experience of hiring.”