RPS Search Group of NJ, LLC

  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 mom...

  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 as...

  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...

  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 h...

  “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 w...

  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...

  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