RPS Search Group of NJ, LLC

"If you can't sleep, then get up and do something instead of lying there and worrying. It's the worry that gets you, not the loss of sleep.” Dale Carnegie Dale Carnegie was born in 1888 in Missouri and was educated at Warrensburg State Teachers College.  As a salesman he traveled to New York and began teaching communications classes to adults.  In 1912 his world famous course was born.  Carnegie is known for many best sellers including “How to Win Friends and Influence People.”  The above quote hit home for me. As a rookie recruiter there were many times that I would awaken at 3 am and worry about the candidate going on an interview or a scheduled call with a client to discuss a pending or existing assignment.  I now look back on those times and realize that if I had done what Carnegie suggested in this quote, I could have been much more productive and free of worry. The past few years have been, to say the lea...

How to attract the best and brightest to your company is a challenge I am hearing from most, if not all of my clients right now. Then, once you find them, hiring them, on boarding them, motivating them and ultimately retaining them become the next challenges. I wish I had a dollar for every client who said they were looking for the ideal candidate. Every hiring manager is seeking the perfect candidate for their open position. In seeking Mr./Ms. Perfect, many highly qualified candidates are passed over. Perfection can be a non entitity, but almost perfect could be sitting right in front of you.

No results on your resume can lead to a lack of credibility and mean that your listed achievements might be questioned. This is especially true in today’s competitive climate where employers are more achievement orientated than ever. I receive numerous resumes on a daily basis and less than five percent of them are results oriented. There is an old saying in the sales arena. "Features (achievements) tell while benefits (results) sell. There is a link on my web site where you can submit your resume for a free evaluation. I look forward to helping you develop a results oriented resume.

Leader or Manager As a Manager it is important for you to recognize that it is you who has the biggest influence on employee satisfaction and retention. The most successful managers lead and leaders are not just born but can be groomed through a great support system.  The debate over whether great  leaders are made  or born has gone on for ages. Stewart Friedman, the founding director of the Wharton Work/Life Integration Project, says he has the definitive answer.  In his newest book,  Leading the Life You Want , Friedman explores the skills you need to be a leader, how to develop them, and how to devote your life to your work  without losing everything  that's important to you. His research has led him to conclude that people are not born to be great leaders. According to Allen Kors to develop great people skills, potential leaders need to learn how to become better listeners, how to accept critical feedback in a constructive way, and how to ...

Discipline is the difference between goals and accomplishments--Jim Rohn Jim Rohn was a motivational speaker and a sales trainer.  His quote above is one of many that were geared to goals and accomplishments.  I had the opportunity to attend the 2011 graduation ceremonies at West Point.   The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff was the key note speaker at the graduation ceremonies.  Admiral Mullen was the highest ranking officer in the military and in his address he mentioned that he finished 611th in the 1968 graduating class from the Naval Academy.  At the Naval Academy Mullen was less than outstanding and he knew he had to work hard to succeed in the Navy.  Admiral Mullen said that discipline was the key to his success. During my 29 years as an executive recruiter,  I have had the opportunity to follow the careers of various professionals who have become the “A” players of their industry.  It is not difficult to see that it ...

The best thing about the future is that it comes only one day at a time. “       -  Abraham Lincoln Can you imagine living through the Civil War period and having to contend with the problems that Lincoln had to deal with?  We are certainly experiencing some of the most difficult times in recent history but all of our issues pale in comparison to what Lincoln had to deal with.  He was right when he said the future comes one day at a time.  I spend several hours a day on the phone speaking to numerous clients and candidates and that gives me an insight into what the future may bring. I am in my twenty third year of recruiting and I have been through four recessions and in each one of them I have seen a series of similarities related to staff reductions and recruitment of new hires.  The first thing that happens is that companies begin to reduce expense through staff reductions and reorg...

“I am a great believer in luck and I find that the harder I work the more I have of it.” -Thomas Jefferson Over the years my staff always wondered how I could bring a candidate and client together so fast.  I would reply that it was luck and the harder I worked the luckier I would be.  It its purest form, the role of the recruiter is to enhance the lives of candidates and improve client profitability.  The hard work of the process is determining the needs of the client and matching it against the wants of the candidate.  The luck (the result of the hard work) occurs when there is a match and both sides are happy.  A successful hire has to be win-win for both sides.    With the recent layoffs I ask candidates what they are doing to find a new opportunity and I continually hear the same responses.  I have my resume posted on several job boards and I check the job boards every day for new postings and i...

“You can have everything in life that you want if you will just help enough other people get what they want.” - Zig Ziglar Zig Ziglar is one of my favorite motivational speakers.  His simple quotes are down home common sense.  They have helped me motivate myself and my staff members.  The quote above seems simple enough. When you analyze it, I am sure you will understand that it can be applied to just about every segment of every industry and to every level of management.  As a supervisor, you can improve the productivity in your department simply by understanding the needs of the people you supervise and by helping those people satisfy their needs.  This can be done through simple conversations, identifying their strengths and weaknesses, and mentoring them to improve.  Ziglar also said when you do more than what you are paid for; you will soon be paid more for what you do.  This certainly can apply to every p...

Resume Preparation After twenty-nine years as an executive recruiter, I have lost track of the number of resume formats that I have received.  I have heard stories and received resumes from candidates who paid hundreds of dollars to have a resume professionally prepared, and I have received resumes prepared by the candidate.  The major similarity that I saw in all of those resumes is that the person preparing did not do a good job stating the candidates’ accomplishments but did do a good job telling duties and responsibilities in the various positions.  I recently received a resume from a candidate and under each of his positions he listed 4 to 5 accomplishment bullet points.  He did a great job relating how well he did in his various positions and when I called to discuss his credentials I asked why he prepared his resume with accomplishments.  He told me that he felt it was important for people to know how well he did his job and not necessarily what he ...

“Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four hours sharpening the axe. “                               -   Abraham Lincoln Lincoln is very much in the news these days with examinations of his character, his leadership style and his actions.  Not to mention the movie about his presidency that has gotten so much attention.  Although Lincoln’s quote is short and to the point what he is saying is that preparation is the key to success.  Over my 25 plus years as a recruiter I have planned my work and then worked my plan on a daily basis.  That being said, there are always the emergencies and last minute changes to deal with; but I always had a plan to go back to! Much has been written about how to ace an interview and get the job.  Part of my...

“If you can't sleep, then get up and do something instead of lying there and worrying. It's the worry that gets you, not the loss of sleep.” Dale Carnegie Dale Carnegie was born in 1888 in Missouri and was educated at Warrensburg State Teachers College.  As a salesman he traveled to New York and began teaching communications classes to adults.  In 1912 his world famous course was born.  Carnegie is known for many best sellers including “How to Win Friends and Influence People.”  The above quote hit home for me. As a rookie recruiter there were many times that I would awaken at 3 am and worry about the candidate going on an interview or a scheduled call with a client to discuss a pending or existing assignment.  I now look back on those times and realize that if I had done what Carnegie suggested in this quote, I could have been much more productive and free of worry. The past few years have been, to say the lea...

The Perfect Candidate I wish I had a dollar for every client who said they were looking for the ideal candidate.  Every hiring manager is seeking the perfect candidate for their open position. In seeking Mr./Ms. Perfect, many highly qualified candidates are passed over.  Perfection is elusive, but almost perfect could be sitting right in front of you.

With the recent layoffs I ask candidates what they are doing to find a new opportunity and I continually hear the same responses.  I have my resume posted on several job boards and I check the job boards every day for new postings and if I see a new one I send in my resume.  To some this may seem like hard work but in doing those things a candidate is scratching the surface of the job market.  Finding a job is a full time job and it is hard work.  The items mentioned are simply the first steps in the process. In addition, a job seeker should also take a look at their own credentials and determine what will make them stand out from all the rest of the job seekers.  Then the job seeker should make a list of all of the contacts they have and start a telephone marathon to get their credential s in front of individuals in order to find the hidden jobs that are not posted.  Yes, it is hard work and the harder you work th...

According John Miller of QBQ, Inc. there are 15 reasons why we ask questions and a number of reason why we do not ask questions 15 reasons to ask questions! 1. To acquire knowledge 2. To eliminate confusion 3. To cause someone else to feel special/important 4. To guide a conversation in the direction we want it to go 5. To demonstrate humility to another 6. To enable a person to discover answers for themselves 7. To gain empathy through better understanding another’s view 8. To influence/alter someone else’s opinion/view 9. To begin a relationship 10. To strengthen a relationship 11. To humbly show we have knowledge on a specific topic 12. To stimulate creativity and idea generation 13. To gain a person’s attention 14. To solve a problem 15. To reach agreement or to "agree to disagree" with clarity So, there they are … 15 reasons to ask questions. It’s good to explore the reasons why we DO NOT ask questions. Here are six: 1. To find ...

I have been asked many times how I can bring a candidate and client together so fast.  I would reply that it was luck and the harder I worked the luckier I would be.  It its purest form, the role of the recruiter is to enhance the lives of candidates and improve client profitability.  The hard work of the process is determining the needs of the client and matching it against the wants of the candidate.  The luck (the result of the hard work) occurs when there is a match and both sides are happy.  A successful hire has to be win-win for both sides.   

"A true leader has the confidence to stand alone, the courage to make tough decisions, and the compassion to listen to the needs of others. He does not set out to be a leader, but becomes one by the equality of his actions and the integrity of his intent."  --Douglas MacArthur

Five things to do 1. Wake up early. For the next week, get up a half an hour earlier that you normally do--and get going. If you get a few more things done, then get up even earlier the next week. Early in the morning is a great time to get work done because most of your associates have not started emailing or tweetin. 2. Read the headlines and watch the news. Not only should you know what is going on in the world, you will also be the first to recognize opportunities (if you followed #1) for you and your business--long before the competition has even had their first cup of coffee. 3. Send something to one person who can hire you or buy your product--something you promised to follow-up with, a quick email with a link to something relevant or a "hey just checking in to see how thing are going" email. 4. Touch base with an old friend or associate you haven't talked to in ages. Ask how they are, what are they working on and ask or suggest how you might hel...

BOSS VERSUS LEADER BOSS Drives employees                                                Depends on authority                                          Inspires fear                                                           Says “I”                                                                Places blame                                           ...

The Evolution of Loss Prevention and Security I have been involved in the security and loss prevention arenas for longer than I can remember.  Back in the day it was manual sales checks, end to end tally's and searching hundreds of documents to build a case.  Then along came POS terminals, higher shortages and exception reporting.  I started recruiting in 1987 and it was pretty simple if a candidate knew internal and external apprehensions and paper controls he or she would be considered a good candidate.  As technology continued to evolve candidates had to be more technically proficient and influencing behavior and building relationships were the watch words of success.  Omni-channel technology has now thrown security and asset protection into the IT/IS world and Loss Prevention and Asset Protection leadership are now finding that their new partners are the CIO's of their company.  Yes, security has evolved and so have I as a recruiter.  If you are ...