RPS Search Group of NJ, LLC

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...