Mistakes are for Learning

“A winner is big enough to admit his mistakes, smart enough to profit from them and strong enough to correct them.”  - John Maxwell

Many of you may recognize John Maxwell as the author of “The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership” and “The 17 Indispensable Laws of Teamwork.” His quote above is very timely as 2023 ends and we begin 2024.  The new year is a great time for a fresh start.

As I look back at 2023 and if I were to list all of the mistakes I made in 2023, I could fill a number of newsletters with that list. I also came to the realization that I had made some of the mistakes more than once.  You can imagine that I was not too thrilled when I made that discovery. However, I can now look at those mistakes and learn from them and correct them. It is never too late to learn and grow. Each and every one of you has the opportunity to review 2023 and no matter how difficult and trying it was for you, take a moment to record even the most insignificant accomplishment and celebrate the success!

 Preparation is the Key to Success

Over my 35 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 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 daily plan is to set aside time to

discuss interview preparation with candidates going out on interviews and

preparing the client to meet the candidate. I cannot tell you how many

times a client did not want to take the time to hear about a candidate, and

even more surprising was how many times I heard from a candidate that they had

never blown an interview and did not need my assistance and guidance.

 

Needless to say, the interviews did not go well and both the clients and candidates were looking to me for answers. My response was and is that preparation is the key to success.

 

If you need guidance and/or assistance, please feel free to reach out.

 

lance@rpssearchgroup.com

 Attitude is Everything

“To love what you do and feel that it matters—how could anything be more fun?”

- Katherine Graham

  

As I talk to candidates and clients it never ceases to amaze me how many people are not are happy, satisfied or in any way fulfilled with their jobs or careers. Over the years I have learned that happiness or comfort is a state of mind. Having spent a number of years in the Army and many nights in a pup tent sleeping on the ground I learned that I could be quite happy and comfortable if I was dry and had something to eat. On the other hand in the corporate world I could be dry and have a lot to eat and not be happy or comfortable. It is simply a matter of your attitude and how you react to your environment.

 

I have been an executive recruiter for 35 plus years and have been through four downturns in the economy; and to say the least, the past 36 months have been the most difficult and trying of my career! However, I know that my ultimate goal as a recruiter is to improve the lives of the clients and candidates I work with on a daily basis. Only I can control my attitude and how I look at the current state of affairs.

 

If the clients and candidates that I speak to on a daily basis would just take a moment to really stop and think about what they can control, they would be in a better place. They should realize that they cannot control the economy, the weather, and perhaps what others think or feel or say about them. However, what each and everyone of can control is how they look at things and how they react to them. If you control your own thoughts, words, and actions you will find that your attitude will become positively contagious to those around you.

 

I can be reached at 973-627-1888 or lance@rpssearchgroup.com

Lance

 Worry or Take Control

“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 past few years have been, to say the least, troubling. There is no doubt in my mind that layoffs, job changes, employee staffing needs have caused many of you to worry about those very same issues. We cannot control everything that happens in our lives sp I might suggest following Carnegie’s quote and take control of the things that are within your control.

If I can be of assistance in any way, please use the following link to schedule a time for us to have a short chat. I am here to serve your needs either as a client or candidate.

https://www.timetrade.com/book/HVY2P

Lance

 

“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 are geared to goals and accomplishments.

During my 35 plus years as an executive recruiter, I have had the opportunity to follow the careers of many professionals who have developed into the “A” players of their industry. It is not difficult to see that it was discipline and focus that set these individuals apart and put them in the “A” player category.  Every time I talk to these “A” players I hear success in their voices. I see leadership in their actions and their accomplishments are the exclamation point on their career.

“A” players are the hidden talent that “A” managers want to hire and I like to represent   “A” players.

 

 Lance

 “To love what you do and feel that it matters—how could anything be more fun?”

- Katherine Graham

 As I talk to candidates and clients it never ceases to amaze me how many people are not happy, satisfied or in any way fulfilled with their jobs or careers. Over the years I have learned that happiness and comfort is a state of mind. Having spent 15 years in the Army and many nights in a tent sleeping on the ground I realized that I was happy and comfortable if I was dry and had something to eat. On the other hand, in the corporate world, I could be dry and have a lot to eat and not be happy or comfortable. It is simply a matter of my attitude and how I react to my environment.
I have been doing executive search for 35 plus years and have been through four downturns in the economy; and to say the least, the past 3 years have been the most difficult and trying of my career! However, I know that my goal as a recruiter is to improve the lives of the clients and candidates I work with daily. Only I can control my attitude and how I look at the current situation.

If you take a moment to stop and think about what you can control you will be in a better place. You cannot control the economy, the weather, and perhaps what others think, feel, or say about you. However, what each one of you can control is how you look at things and how you react to them. By controlling your thoughts, words, and actions you will find that your attitude will become positively contagious to those around you.

If you would like to have a short chat with me about your career I can be reached at 973-627-1888

Lance

Web Link

my-schedule.timetrade.com

 

Hard Skills versus Soft Skills

 

What is the difference between hard skills and soft skills? Hard skills refer to the job-related knowledge and abilities that a person needs to perform his or her job duties effectively. Soft skills, on the other hand, are the personal qualities that help a person thrive in the workplace.  Both skill sets are important in the workplace but it has become apparent that many hiring managers want to know about a person's soft skills. Hard skills can be learned or trained while soft skills are part of your personality.

To learn more simply go on the web and ask about hard skills versus soft skills.  You may find that you have many more skills that you were not aware of.

 

 "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

The above quote hit home for me. There are many times that I 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.
I might suggest following Carnegie’s quote and take charge of the things that are within your control. These worries might include resume preparation, job or career change, possible relocation and staffing needs.

If so, please feel free to get in touch with me through LinkedIn or via e-mail

Lance Incitti
lance@rpssearchgroup.com

 The best thing about the future is that it comes only one day at a time. “       -  Abraham Lincoln

 Mistakes--Good or Bad

One of the best lessons I learned in my career is that mistakes are good. Do not be afraid to make mistakes as they can be great tools to learn and grow.

The key is to not make the same mistake more than once.

 

The Top-10 Things Candidates Hate

 

I cannot take credit for this list but I do thank the author and I can assure you that I have heard these complaints many times.

 

10. Having no clue whom they are meeting with or how long they will be at the interview

9. Taking a personal day off on one, two, or three occasions to interview at XYZ Company only to get no feedback.

8. Learning after the fact that someone on the interview team thought that their resume showed too many positions when they actually worked for the same company for 10 years.

7. Navigating a ridiculous, invasive online application that does not save after each field, crashes unexpectedly and is hard to complete thoroughly

6. Walking into an interview with a person more junior than themselves to discover that said person is reading the resume for the first time.

5. Feeling like they really are the right person for the job but somehow can't get an interview.

4. Going through a more thorough interview process than a candidate for the Supreme Court.

3. Enduring a background check that is conducted by hourly workers on a different continent.

2. Enduring a formal interview process, complete with a one-hour phone screen with HR, a call with a junior team member asking basic questions, and then getting the green light to attend a cattle call.

1. The number-one pet peeve of all candidates is talking to misinformed interviewers.

 I am a great believer in luck and I find that the harder I work the more I have of it.”

-Thomas Jefferson

Over my tenure as a recruiter peope have 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. 


If you want to be part of a win-win situation I can be reached at:

lance@rpssearchgroup.com

Lance Incitti
973-627-1888

 People need to know how to present themselves.

It never ceases to amaze me that when candidates prepare a resume duties and responsibilities take the lead over accomplishments. I recently received a resume from a candidate and under each of his positions he listed 4 to 5 accomplishment.results bullet points. He did a great job relating how well he did in his various positions and when I asked him 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 did.

A simple saying to remember when preparing your resume
is: " Duties and responsibilities tell what you do while accomplishments tell how well you do."

For a free resume review contact me via e-mail
lance@rpssearchgroup.com

Lance Incitti