And The Award For Most Genuine Employee Goes To…

In case you didn’t know, the Golden Globe Awards were just the other night. This is basically where a bunch of overpaid, superficial and overall self-absorbed celebrities hang out in a room together and pretend to smile and nod when someone else wins the award they were hoping to go home with. Instead of the “Golden Globe Awards” it should be called the “I-Hate-You-But-I-Will-Stand-Up-And-Cheer-For-You-When-You-Win-So-That-I-Look-Like-I-Truly-Think-You-Should-Have-Won-Even-Though-I-Want-To-Steal-That-Little-Trophy-From-You Awards.” Mainly it truly tests these actors’ abilities to, well, act. They have to pretend to be so happy about losing, by pasting a smile on their face that is just a touch too cheerful… because lets be honest, who likes to lose? 

The moral of this story is that even though most of us are not rich and famous, although we don’t get paid to wear designer clothing, get free gourmet dinner and take home goodie bags that probably cost three times as much as our Christmas presents, there is a lesson to be learned from these celebrities: being genuine, or at least knowing when to fake it.  There are going to be times when you have to face difficult situations, whether with another co-worker, a customer or even your boss, but you have to remember to paste on that smile and deliver your best performance. That doesn’t mean that you have to be anybody’s whipping boy, but there will be times, and you will recognize them, when an argument or a harsh facial expression is not worth the trouble.  Everybody has one of those days where your going to clash with someone or something, how you handle it will determine how people think about and respect you. Nobody wants to work with a hot head that always blows up at even the minutest detail, but they also don’t want to work with someone who never shares their thoughts and opinions. Finding a happy medium is key to becoming successful and happy in ones career.

So stand up in your living room, give yourself a round of applause and accept your award for The Most Genuine (or Seems to Be) Employee of the Year! P.S. we won’t judge you if you choose to pop a bottle of champagne and toast yourself during your acceptance speech.

Ashley Goldberg: Bringing Tenacity and Passion back to Sales

Ashley Goldberg might be the most tenacious and witty person you will ever meet in your whole entire existence on this planet. Not only is she persistent in her work, she is goal oriented and successful outside of work at Search Solution Group. Ashley can smoke anyone in a bowling match and isn’t afraid to say so.

Ashley started her career doing phone sales and liked the relationship building aspect of that job. She liked working with clients, but felt limited only doing sales over the phone. It always felt like a quick sale and she wanted more interaction face to face.

Connecting with Jeremy through LinkedIn led her to where she is now, The National Sales Manager at Search Solution Group. At only 25 years old, this is an impressive feat and a strong indication that she will only continue to achieve greatness in her career.

The hunt and excitement of sales is what gives her the drive and tenacity to continue day-to-day, besides the occasional ‘no’ being thrown at her. Every day is something new and every day she has a new great candidate to market to the millions of companies out there in the world. If you are a hiring manager, you better believe that you will one day receive a call from Ashley Goldberg and when you do, it’s going to be awesome!

According to Ashley, the most exciting thing is when her persistence and tenacity pays off in a job order that evolves into a long-term relationship with a happy client. Ashley’s work ethic goes above and beyond the average woman in business. She works hard, is sassy, and is assertive, and it pays off. People love working with her because they know that she will get the job done quicker and more effectively than anyone else. Ashley believes in SSG and believes that Search Solution Group can fill any job quicker and better than any other firm in the Nation.

If Ashley could be anywhere doing anything she would be at Search Solution Group working with everyone, in Tahiti tanning on a floating hut, or on a shopping spree. If you are looking to make a career change or looking to build a long-lasting professional relationship, contact Ashley at (704) 332-8702 x 216

The Great Zig Ziglar: Attitude is Everything

The great Zig Ziglar once said, “Your attitude, not aptitude, will determine your altitude”. As a gregarious and genuinely happy person, Zig Ziglar knew that putting ones best mind forward was the first step to becoming a successful person both in business and personal life.

You can watch Zig Ziglar speak about attitude HERE.

 Now, what do attitude and Zig Ziglar have to do with finding or being the best candidate? People naturally gravitate towards someone who is truly happy with their work, courteous, and inviting towards others. Faking a good personality is not the easiest thing to do, so when hiring, looking at a candidate’s demeanor and personality is going to show you more of their potential than just looking at their achievements.

For those striving to adjust your attitude, follow these few steps laid out by Zig Ziglar in his book “Zig on selling”.

• Accept the fact that you can control your attitude
• Make the commitment to do whatever is necessary to control your attitude
• Evaluate every book, movie, TV show, and game before reading, viewing, or playing with the question “ is this going to help my personal, family, or business life, or is there a better use of my time?”
• Learn one new word every day. The average American only learns 25 new words a year, so by learning a new word every day, you would have a huge advantage in life.
• Read something of value to you for 20 minutes every day. Reading is a dying art form that can truly advance your understanding of the world.
• Use your commute time to learn something. 20% of Americans have a commute that is 20-29 minutes. By using that time to learn a new language or listen to a book, it turns your brain on and makes it work harder and become better every day.
• Carefully choose who you associate with professionally and personally. Having people around you who have the right attitude will help you to be the best that you can be.

I AM THANKFUL FOR…

Hello again!

I must have received a couple hundred emails about my lack of blogs the last few weeks. My sincerest apologies so let me explain and catch everyone up.

Jeremy

This has been a crazy year and it isn’t over yet. But with that being said

I am thankful for once again realizing who my true friends are. I am thankful for the Merrigan’s moving to Charlotte.

I am thankful for an awesome work team that works hard every day and are truly the least selfish people I have ever met.

I am thankful for Tanner who is going to be turning 10 and is still able to jump into the SUV everyday for work. I am thankful for a good Dad.

I am super thankful for Charleston, SC and all the awesomeness it brought to us this past summer.

I am thankful for loyal clients and clients who have given SSG a chance. I am thankful for people who can forgive and understand.

I am thankful for the simple things like a Thank You or a smile. I can go on and on, but

I really am thankful despite my need for sarcasm and my lack of patience at times. I am really thankful for everyone who knows the real me and still comes back for more.

Stella

“I am thankful for Jeremy Gnozzo. Let me repeat myself….I am thankful for Jeremy Gnozzo”

 

Eric

With this time of year being reserved for reflections and reminiscing, here are a few thoughts of my own. I feel obligated to share the great appreciation that I have for the wonderful family, friends, and co-workers that I have been so fortunate to accrue over the years, along with their collective health and prosperity. Some people are blessed with good looks or an exceptional talent; I feel that my blessing in life is the people that surround me day in and day out.

In light of recent events here in the United States as well as abroad, I would like to expand on a certain aspect of my life for which I give thanks every single morning. Given the growing political and/or cultural climate in our great country, I am taking this opportunity to give thanks for MY ABILITY AND OPPORTUNITY TO WORK AND CONTRIBUTE to our society. Our emerging generation seems to have lost the excitement that can be found in working hard, being determined, achieving results, and relying on oneself as opposed to hoping and praying for assistance from another source. We live in America, where it is possible to come from NOTHING and be as successful as you’d like. In my opinion this attitude is fading and being replaced by apathy, a sense of entitlement, and the pointing of fingers at others for personal shortcomings.

My hope is that as people reflect on the past year and their own blessings they will also take an introspective glance and pledge to work harder, strive for greater results, and find a renewed spirit of competitiveness and drive that can return ourselves, our families, and our country to the prosperity that we all deserve

Elena

I’m thankful for God because every day he shows me signs to the right path in my life. Either by people he puts in my life (both good and bad) or experiences he makes me go through, I’m thankful that his presence is always with me and every day, he makes me stronger.

I’m thankful for my family and friends who have been here for me through this very difficult year.

I’m thankful to the people I work with.

And I’m thankful to my boss, for giving me the opportunity to work and develop my skill set while looking for the right path in my life.

Ashley

I’m thankful for my loving family

I’m thankful for wine

I’m thankful for my friends

I’m thankful for my health and happiness

I’m thankful that I have heat because I’m always cold

I’m thankful for my best friend Christina

I’m thankful that I met and fell in love with my boyfriend

I’m thankful that I found a job that I can succeed at and work with amazing people who make me laugh

I’m thankful for Amelie’s salted caramel brownies

Vince

I am thankful for my three beautiful children, an awesome and promising future with Search Solution Group, and great friends and family!

 

Michelle

I am thankful for my family, baby clothes and old friends

 

Julie

I am thankful for my pets and more pets

 

Aaron

I am thankful for the Cleveland Browns not being the worse football team and Iphone apps.

I am thankful for the folks at Search Solution Group and especially Tanner!

 

Tanner

I am thankful for Jeremy (aka my dad) bringing me to the office every day.

I am thankful for Eric leaving his garbage can very low so I can steal paper.

I am thankful for getting table scraps from everyone at lunch.

I am thankful for my daily walks and lying on people’s feet under their desks at the office.

I am thankful that everyone forgives me for my bad gas that I cannot control….ha!

 

Lauryn

I am thankful for God who leads me each day and helps me to be the best

person I can be.

I am thankful for old friends, new friends, and all the memories we have made together this year.

I am thankful for my amazing siblings I can’t imagine my life without them.

I am thankful for having the strongest, most caring, and talented mom in the world.

I am thankful for my dad and the way he believes in me.

I am thankful for my extremely large yet close family we are so blessed to have so many of us to lean on for support.

I am thankful for my job(s) and the great people I work with

I am especially thankful this year for my independence

Escape from the office – enjoy TV

Over the years everyone is looking for some balance (thank you Mr. Miyagi). For some people  it’s the gym, sports, cooking classes or just plain walking around the neighborhood. I think I have done all the above except cooking classes just to try to have an escape from the office and the day-to-day of the work week. One of my favorite things has always been watching a good movie or a TV Show. I think this comes from my dad, For the longest time I was addicted to “Lost” and since that TV Show has gone away, my new favorite TV show is “How I Met Your Mother”. In my opinion it’s just a really well done TV show that is well told with a great cast of characters and awesome acting. The best part it’s really really funny.

 This week’s blog is dedicated to one of my favorite people to watch on this TV show – Barney Stinson. Barney you have come a long way since Doogie Howser. Here are some of Barney’s best quotes:

 10. Barney: “Plus, here’s the mini-cherry on top of the regular cherry on top of the sundae of awesomeness that is my life”

 9. First explaining to Marshall about his unique qualities: “Think of me like Yoda, but instead of being little and green I wear suits and I’m awesome. I’m your bro—I’m Broda!”

 8. Describing the simplicity of running a marathon: “Step one, you start running. There is no step two.”

 7. Barney, reacting to Ted’s new car: “Shotgun for eternity!” 
Robin: “You can’t call shotgun for eternity.” 
Barney: “I call that I can call things.”

 6. Giving his new friend advice on meeting women: “Now remember my three beginner’s tips for picking up chicks: address her by name, isolate her from her friends, subtly put her down.

 5. Justifying his smoking habit: “I am not a smoker. I only smoke in certain situations: post-coital, when I’m with Germans (sometimes those two overlap), coital, birthdays, to annoy my mom, pre-coital, on a sailboat, the day the Mets are mathematically eliminated every year, and, of course—wait for it—’cause Lord knows I have—pregnancy scares.”

 4. When I’m sad, I stop being sad and start being awesome instead.

 3. In my body where the shame gland should be, there is a second AWESOME GLAND!

 2. It’s gonna be legen………wait for it [falls asleep]….[awakes]…..DARY!!

and #1. Barney: My life rocks! Money, suits, and sex? These are tears of joy! I could be cooped up in an apartment, changing some brat’s poopy diaper but instead I’m out in the world being awesome 24/7/365! You let me dodge a bullet, big guy. (kisses fingers & raises them in the air)

Be PREPARED

I recently heard a good story and it is a TRUE story, which happens to be my favorite kind of story.

So this guy wants to purchase a new house and despite all the warnings out there he proceeds to use a “not too sharp” realtor. Not to digress too much but I am pretty proud of myself for not insulting the realtor during the beginning of this story. As things proceed he finds a nice home that he would love to purchase and settle into. Sounds like the American dream coming true…..

For time sake lets fast forward to day two of the negotiating between the two parties. In the blue corner we have the buyer and his realtor and in the red corner standing by himself is the seller’s realtor. Like any good negotiation you go into it prepared having done research on every angle possible and then you prepare mentally for the conversation. What is your angle? What will they counter with? How will handle that? What will be my close? What will my tone be and how will I win?

All of this is basic. It is the same stuff that I do for my candidates or clients when we are negotiating salaries, vacations and total offer packages. HECK it is the same stuff we do here at Search Solution Group sometimes to convince a client to interview a candidate. It is all about being prepared and knowing your industry and client. This is the bottom of the barrel type of skills it takes to be employed….it really is!!

Guess what happens? Come on GUESS!!!!!!! This is great…the realtor for the buyer starts shooting her mouth off about the school districts and how they are not as good and blah blah blah. This is where it really gets GREAT for a sarcastic ahole like me, if I was in the room. The opposing realtor as described to me in vivid and great details from the buyer just starts to slowly smile and sit up in his chair a little higher. He arches his back and extends his spine. You know the feeling when you are playing poker with your friends and you know you have them beat because you have the final ACE!! He just slowly and confidently with all the swagger of a classic John Wayne movie says that you have the wrong zip codes and that this is the best school district…..BAMMMMM

The buyer said that his gut sank and he felt like throwing up!! His last chance to save some money on his dream home was just LOST due to an incompetent, poorly prepared realtor!!! OUCH!!

My point of this story is BE PREPARED! I do not care if it is a first interview or a cup of coffee for an informal get together or if you are going to purchase a new TV. All of the successful people I know in my life are always prepared. They get it right the first time because they are committed to being successful.

The Ultimate 2012 Campaign‏

Bathroom Etiquette in the workplace,

I enjoy listening to The Howard Stern Show on my daily commute to work. He is funny, honest and real. I get a good laugh most days at him and his cast of sidekicks. I know some people will be so upset that I admit to listening to Howard Stern, but I can’t imagine that you are all that surprised when you get to know me that I listen to the show.

 One of the ongoing stories on the show seems to be that of the misuse of the bathroom and who mysteriously makes a mess in there. It turns into an integration with Gary breaking out time logs of how long and when people were in the bathroom. Very funny stuff!

 Now don’t pretend that this “stuff” doesn’t happen at your company, or at just about every company in America. Guess what IT DOES!!! There is always that person (male or female) making a mess. I will leave what the mess is up to your own imagination. So to prevent The Howard Stern staff integrations we created a brief, but Humorous little reminder of some proper bathroom etiquette in the work place.

Now some people are going to be saying how is this helping me find a job or what does this have to do with my career? Well folks it’s been a long week so just relax and enjoy some office humor. Please feel free to forward this little reminder on to your teammates but remind them that it came from Search Solution Group. Where we are trying to make your work place better!

To Whom It May Concern:

It has recently been brought to my attention that people are leaving little remnants of That- Which- Shall- Not – Be- Named in the toilet. Seriously…no one wants to see that (not even Tanner). That is why the “#2-2 Flushes 2012” campaign is being implemented starting immediately. We are all smart people here and I trust that together, we CAN do this. If this continues, someone will be forced to do checks after someone uses the bathroom so that the culprit will be found and fired on the spot. Your cooperation will be greatly appreciated. “The More You Know”

You think your employer treats you good? 21 reason why we’re the best!

Sometimes in the hustle and bustle of day to day life we miss things. Rumor has it that one year my Dad forgot his Anniversary with my Mom. Now I am pretty confident my Dad will deny this with a smile on his face but my point is that we forget about things from time to time. I forgot that this is the 10TH Anniversary of Search Solution Group. That means that we have beat all the statistics out there about new businesses failing.

I tell my teammates all the time that without bad employees and failed business we would struggle. Search Solution Group was started shortly after 9/11 when a ton of businesses were laying people off, but I personally was not left with a lot of options so I gave it a shot. I will forever be thankful to my parents, my friends who let me use their Monster accounts, friends who hired from me and gave me my first placements and a friend who helped me come up with my business name and everything else that comes along with starting a new business. I was not to proud then nor am I today to ask for help and tell people that I just don’t know what to do. Which leads me to the next phase of Search Solution Group……What to do next??

We have started the process of being better. For me at this time it means why you should work with Search Solution Group and be a part of our team. So here goes my list for 2012 that we are offering to our current employees and future employees that make us better than your employer.

 1. Dog friendly environment. Yes we have water bowls and dog hair on the floor. If you leave food on your desk watch out..ha

2. Flex hours, especially when the sun stays out later.

3. Free lunches 5 days a week

4. Improving benefits

5. A soon to be announced awesome 401K plan

6. Free water, energy drinks, flavored water (my favorite), and POP (I am from NY)

7. FREE snacks and candy galore!!!

8. Free car wash

9. Lots of coffee and espresso shots

10. The best commission structure

11. A base salary because we want you to be happy and secure

12. As much vacation time as you need within reason also known as the “Stella Vacation Policy” SVP (just email her and ask stella@ssgresume.com)

13. An annual SSG week long beach vacation. This is fun!!

14. I will also accompany you to 1 emergency room visit per year and make you smile

15. Free parking

16. We have a couch and have NAP TIMES

17. Ice cream cake birthday celebrations

18. Lots of sarcasm

19. Finally NO ONE will yell at you

20. Entrepreneurial cnvironment in which you can be creative and generate as much money as you want.

21. Happy hour fridays which can be drinks, golfing, food or whatever makes you happy

 We are always looking for hard working talent to join our Search Solution Group Family!

A Job, A Candidate, & the Wife

The joys of being a recruiter never end. Meeting smart and interesting people, helping companies find great talent and ultimately helping good people find better career opportunities. But then we have stuff like this that happens about once a year…..this is a real email that I received.  (Jeremy Gnozzo)

 Dear Mr. Knozzo: (Please spell my name correctly)

I didn’t realize that my email address would be hidden from you, the blogger.  It’s not my practice to make anonymous comments, and I’m glad to respond.  The person to whom I was referring was not me; rather it was my husband ________   __________.

To say he is busy with his work is an understatement.  He’s only been able to take three vacation days this year. Generally his work day begins at 6am so he can communicate with his boss, colleagues, and support staff in Europe.  His work days usually end at 6-6:30pm.  In addition he travels approximately 30% of the time.  Because he simply doesn’t have the time to scour the job boards and recruiting agencies, I’ve been helping him with his search for a new position.  If I find a job for which he is qualified, I obtain his approval to send his resume and cover letter.  (I realize your husband works longs hours but most of us work the same or more)

I sent his resume and cover for the position of ___________ in Buffalo/Niagara Frontier area to you last weekend.  You called our home at 8:15 Monday morning.  I explained to you that he was at work, and that he had told me before leaving the house he would be tied up in conference calls.  I asked if he could return your call that afternoon.  He wasn’t able to return your call Monday afternoon because the conference calls took all day.  (Please replace your home number on his resume with his cell phone number.  Recruiters can then reach him directly, which is pretty common practice these days.)

He called you back Tuesday morning, but got your voice mail.  He left a message apologizing for Monday, left his number, and asked you to return his call.  Well, you didn’t call back.  So Wednesday, he fired off an email to you telling you he was still interested in discussing the position.  You didn’t respond. (It has been one day since I received his message. I apologize for not returning his call right away, however I have many other candidates I am also trying to help.)

He took it in stride, but I was and am angry because I was over the top at the prospect of moving to the Buffalo area. I grew up and spent most of my life in Erie, PA.  My entire family including my 85 year-old mother lives in Erie.  We are able to move anywhere in the US, but I really want to live somewhere close to home like Western New York.  If you hadn’t responded at all to his resume, I wouldn’t have given it a second thought, but you did place that call Monday morning.  You got my hopes up, not my husbands.
( Western New York is a beautiful place to live )

Because you responded, I feel the least you could have done is to give him a quick call or shoot him an email stating the company wasn’t interested.  As an aside, the company should be interested because frankly, I don’t think anyone would do a better job than my husband.  He’s highly regarded by everyone he comes into contact with at ___________. The only reason he’s looking for a new job is because for him to advance his career, we would have to relocate to England.  ________ is ________ and has been in the United States since 1996.  He became a US citizen in 2008, and he does not want to move back to the UK. (Along with his email he sent me the next day, I alone had received 143 emails. 85 of  those emails  were applicants.  So please don’t assume that the company isn’t interested.  As busy as your husband is at his job – I am also very busy, helping people find better careers, and companies find great talent)

I apologize for my comment on your blog. I was unprofessional and rude to post it in the first place.  I lost my temper, and my husband would be furious with me if he knew I’d just behaved in a manner befitting Lady MacBeth. I guess I just want you and other recruiters to remember you’re dealing with people. (I accept your apology)

Sincerely,
___________ (aka the wife)

Applicants…Recruiters…please share your stories with me.  The good, the bad, or the ugly.   I’d love to hear from you.

Lesson From the Diamond Part 3‏

Image via Wikipedia

Being really good at something can be a curse. Look at A-ROD, he can’t even play poker or hang out with Madonna without causing a stir. I remember playing in a different little league with the same coaches and some of the same teammates (lifelong friends even today). We were dominating the league when we ended up playing the last place team, an easy win with an ace pitcher on the mound. What we did not realize at the time is that the opposing coach (a family friend) had his oldest son umpiring the game. Well, to make a long story short we could not buy a strike and completely got robbed. THIS IS ACTUALLY A REALLY AMUSING STORY IF YOU EVER HAVE TIME, I WILL GLADLY RE-TELL IT. It was really embarrassing and to this day, the opposing coach and son, feel bad about what they did.  Why did this happen?

We played with the same number of guys, used the same bats, the same balls and played on the same field. All we had been doing all season that was different was playing harder, practicing more and we were coached better.  We used our skills to win!  Was it fair to cheat and knowingly be deceitful? Where do you draw the line when it comes to playing fair and being honest?

How do you handle it when the “corporate police” of your company are the rule breakers and are setting a bad example by lying and trying to steal. By the way if you Google this famous restaurant Chain, you will see ALL THE LAWSUITS that have made the news. So, I guess this is my fault for attempting to work with an organization like this. Here is what happened, any advice?

About 3 months ago, I knew this company had a Director of Compensation and Benefits job open, One of my favorite searches, we are really good at this! After a few calls, I got a return call suggesting that we present a candidate if we had someone. So I presented an A+ candidate from a similar company in the same industry, a dead on match. The Corp recruiter at this company ( we all know how I feel about incompetent corp recruiter) made an excuse that his title was too much (what does that mean?). Now for the thousands of people who are unemployed, I AM SORRY. This is just one of the many rejects who are preventing good people from getting hired. Now, if we fast forward to the present few weeks, I find out that the Corp recruiter is phone interviewing this very candidate. This candidate and I maintained a good relationship so he called me to tell me. Well, since I cannot keep my mouth shut, I called her!  After listening to her for a few minutes trying to defend her dishonesty and stupidity, I had to chime in with a few comments .

The conversation did not end well, but I just don’t get why she had to try and steal the candidate. I have all the emails saved of our previous conversations and everything documented. Why not do the right thing and change the way you are perceived just not locally but also Nationally with all the lawsuits. It was a great opportunity to  build a relationship and maybe even get the job filled which has been vacant for a very long time. We did everything we were asked and did it with a smile. Just like the dirty umpire from little league, this Corp recruiter tried to play dirty.

The kicker to this story is that the only other Compensation person in that group left because she was so unhappy and not challenged. How did she leave….courtesy of SEARCH SOLUTION GROUP.

So work hard and play fair just like in little league and good things will happen!!