RPS Search Group of NJ, LLC

I have been asked many times by clients and candidates what is the number one reason that will cause a person to make a job change. A few years ago I night have said geography, travel or possibly a long commute. What it all boils down to is quality of life. Today's economic climate have caused a great deal of stress on everyone and when I ask a person what would drive them to a new opportunity I am constantly hearing: I need to get a better work/life balance. Lesson learned. Money is not the driving factor.

Accepting Responsibility An excerpt from The Power of Discipline by Brian Tracy Your ability and willingness to discipline yourself to accept personal responsibility for your life is essential to happiness, health, success, achievement and personal leadership. Accepting responsibility is one of the hardest of all disciplines, but without it, success is impossible. The failure to accept responsibility and the attempt to foist responsibility onto others has dire consequences. It completely distorts cause and effect, undermines our character, weakens our resolve, and diminishes our humanity.

According to Seth Godin ideas come from 20 places Ideas don't come from watching television Ideas sometimes come from listening to a lecture Ideas often come while reading a book Good ideas come from bad ideas, but only if there are enough of them Ideas hate conference rooms, particularly conference rooms where there is a history of criticism, personal attacks or boredom Ideas occur when dissimilar universes collide Ideas often strive to meet expectations. If people expect them to appear, they do Ideas fear experts, but they adore beginner's mind. A little awareness is a good thing Ideas come in spurts, until you get frightened. Willie Nelson wrote three of his biggest hits in one week Ideas come from trouble Ideas come from our ego, and they do their best when they're generous and selfless Ideas come from nature Sometimes ideas come from fear (usually in movies) but often they come from confidence Useful ideas come from being awake, alert enough to actually notice Though...

There is an old saying the leaders are born and not made. Having spent several years in the Army as an officer I can say that leaders are made and you have to lead from everywhere. When faced with a complex, fast moving crisis, leaders most constantly adapt their mental models and create a “unity of effort situation. If you are not visible to your people in a crisis, difficult, or dangerous situation; you are not a credible leader. With the 24 hour news cycle, there will never again be a major disaster that won’t involve public participation.My favorite definition of leadership: “The ability to reconcile opportunity with competency.” Leaders can be made but you must take the first steps to learn and implement what you have learned.

With the advent of social media like linkedin and facebook it is easier for companies to look at a candidate's profile on the open market. I have heard numerous stories about candidates who have pictures on facebook and/or postings that might be considered off color. This information is available to everyone. You never know who might be looking at your postings. Not too long ago I saw a number of postings by an individual that I had recently placed and as a friend I alerted him to be more careful about his postings. Another overlooked faux pas that people miss is their e-mail address. Keep it simple and clean and there can be no mistaking you for a malcontent.

It has been a while since I last posted a comment. It has been a very busy summer and fall. The deaths of my fahter -in-law and a very close friend brought home the message that nothing is for certain. My wife and I each had medical issues to contend with and thankfully all is well on that front. Nonetheless, I would be remiss if I did not comment on that state of the recruitment industry. Business is rebounding but still not as consistent as in the past. I have weathered 4 recessions and each of them had similar issues. The first thing to happen is that companies that were not well run start to file chapter 11 and or go out of business. This creates a candidate pool of A,B and C players. The next thing to happen is companies use the downturn to downsize and this creates a candidate pool of B and C players. It should be readily apparent that companies rarely release their A players. The A players are usually well connected and get hired quickly. The remaining talent pool of ...

Here is my latest newsletter “Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.” - Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919) Roosevelt differs from many of the Presidents before him in that he came from a wealthy family and struggled with poor health. He overcame his illnesses and eventually won the Congressional Medal of Honor for his role in the Battle of San Juan Hill. Not many of us have the opportunity to make an impact like Roosevelt however we do have the opportunity to change our lives, our family, our company by the way we think and act. For example, the economists talk about the 9% unemployment rate and while this is not good news they fail to mention that 91% of the people are working. Chuck Swindoll who is an evangelical pastor further stated that the longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude is ore important than facts, the past, than education, than money. Attitude will make or break a company. He further went on to state that th...

I have been out of the office for the past 10 days and had an opportunity to attend the Kiwanis International Convention in Las Vegas. It is always exciting to attend this convention as I get a chance to see old friends and make new friends from all over the world. It was a great opportunity to put into practice the Platinum Rule. Many of the organization leaders are directors and are only interested in the bottom line while many of our peers are relaters and socializers so it was important to be a good listener. Nonetheless, it was a great convention and a great Kiwanis pick me up.

Again I would like to remind you that the items I am currently discussing are from "The Platinum Rule" written by Dr. Tony Alessandra. The socializing socializer or "The Entertainer" likes being friendly and being viewed as the life of the party. This person needs recognition and is an advocate for change who infuses others with enthusiasm and optimism. A quick decision maker whose greatest asset is personal warmth.

Again I would like to remind you that the items I am currently discussing are from "The Platinum Rule" written by Dr. Tony Alessandra. BY now you should be getting an idea of your own personality type. The important thing to know is how you should be working with the other types and know why you like to be dealt with in a certain way. Today we will look at the socializing director. The socializing director has a desire for control and independence. This person will always be wary of people who may take advantage him or her. This person is tenacious, will stand up for himself or herself and likes to get things done quickly. He or she will downplay mistakes and weaknesses while focusing on strengths and success.

Again I would like to remind you that the items I am currently discussing are from "The Platinum Rule" written by Dr. Tony Alessandra. The last personality style the I will discuss is "The Thinker." It is important to note that none of these styles are any better or worse than the other. The whole point is to be able to recognize the individual's style and then relate to him or her in the way in which he or she would like to be related to. Thinkers are serious analytical people with long range goals and they cherish efficiency on logic. Accuracy is their watchword. Thinkers are contemplative, cautious and thorough. The thing that excites a thinker is reason. Everything in its place and details are important. The greatest asset of a thinker is high quality work while their greatest failing is being too critical. The greatest fear of a thinker is irrationality. They must be mistake free and they dislike unorganized people.

Again I would like to remind you that the items I am currently discussing are from "The Platinum Rule" written by Dr. Tony Alessandra. The next personality type I will discuss is the Socializer . S ocializers are chatty and fun loving. They love people and thrive on being where the action is. They are generally long on ideas, short on follow through and they lead by dealing with others in an upbeat way. Socializers seek admiration and acceptance. They love to talk and to be talked about. If you don't talk about them they will spend a great deal of time talking about their favorite subject; themselves. The greatest asset of socializers is that they are fun to be around and they will brainstorm with anyone they meet. They are highly intuitive. The greatest failing of soicalizers is that they are erratic and have the attention span of a flashbulb. Of course the greatest fear of socializers is not being liked.

It is important to note that the information I am discussing comes from "The Platinum Rule" written by Dr. Tony Allessandra , The first personality style I will discuss is the director. Directors are firm and forceful, confident, competitive and determined risk takers. While their impatience sometimes causes eyes to roll, they leave no doubt who sits at the head of the table. The greatest asset of a director is that he or she will out accomplish anybody . The greatest failing of a director is that he or she cannot stand weakness and the greatest fear is being soft. The best way to describe directors is that they like to deal quickly with problems and they might say something like "Just get me to the bottom line." Directors are rarely interested in abstract ideas and they are impatient. It is not a matter of if a director will take over, it is a matter of when. Directors are also very much into efficiency and not into praise . The only time you might hear a...

In my last blog entry I talked about the platinum rule. That is, treat people the way they want to be treated. I am not big one for following horoscopes; however, yesterday my horoscope stated that I should be more aware of people and be sure to relate to them in the way in which they wished to be related. What a coincidence ! In the Platinum Rule there are 4 personality types. They are as follows: Director Relator Socializer Thinker It is important to understand that these types are what they are and no one type is more important or better than any of the others. The learning point here is the be able to recognize each type and know how to relate to that person. In my next entry we will discuss the director.

I am sure many of you have heard of the golden rule. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Dr. Tony Alessandra wrote a book titles "The Platinum Rule." The basis of the book is for the reader to discover the four basic business personalities and how they can lead you to success. The Platinum Rule is "do unto others as they'd like done unto them." Over the next few entries I will discuss these personality types and how you can recognize them and deal with them.

As many of you know I am a member of Kiwanis. Last night I had the opportunity to attend a function in honor of the Kiwanis International President, Paul Palazzola . Paul and I served as Kiwanis District Governors in 1994-95. In his presentation one important point came across loud and clear. "When you stop getting better that is when you stop being good." These words can be applied to the career development of a candidate and it can be applied to the processes of a company as it tries to improve its standing in the business world.

I can imagine the increased business that the post offices are having these last few days before the 15 th . I am also caught up in resume consulting as a number of candidates are getting ready to make a move for any number of reasons. I thought it would be good to mention a few resume blunders that I have been seeing. 1. Resumes that are full of features without accompishments do not get much attention. By stating your accomplishments you are telling potential employers about your successess. Success in one job will generate success in anothe job. 2. I am seeing resumes that only have the year as a date of employment. This can lead to a misunderstanding about gaps in empoyment. It is generally accepted to have the month and year for the dates of employment. 3. Inaccurate resumes. I ask questions of individuals who submit resumes and find that items may have been left off or omitted for any number of reasons. Honesty and accuracy are the best policies.

It's become hip in certain intellectual circles to write off America's prospects for a return to economic health -- but the truth is that the U.S. is well on the road to recovery, writes Daniel Gross. Thanks to America's inventiveness and resilience, Gross argues, the Dow and the dollar are both back on track, and companies are finally hiring again. "America still leads the world at processing failure. ... If these impulses are embraced more systematically and wholeheartedly, the United States can remain an economic superpower well into the current century," Gross writes. Think positive. It can't hurt.

Over the years I have learned that money is not the main reason people will take a new job or leave their current job. It is way down on the list. It is the job of the hiring manager, human resources or executive recruiter to find the reason or issue that will motivate a candidate. If you want to influence a persons decision to stay with your company or to bring them to a new company you must focus on showing people that they are trusted, valued and vital to the success of the company. Too much reliance on money will eventually lose its luster and you will l ose the employee.

More of what not to do on an interview 21. Being unprepared to answer the standard questions. 22. Failing to listen carefully to what the interviewer is saying. 23. Talking more than half the time. 24. Interrupting your interviewer. 25. Neglecting to match the communication style of your interviewer. 26. Yawning. 27. Slouching. 28. Bringing along a friend, or your mother. 29. Chewing gum, tobacco, your pen, your hair. 30. Laughing, giggling, whistling, humming, lip-smacking.