3 Time Savers That Have Changed My Life

Posted by Kate Potters, COO at Glenmont Group

As a working Mom of 4, with a busy recruiting business, I sometimes feel that it’s a miracle that anything gets done. Since starting our business 12 years ago, my husband/business partner and I have used every tool at our disposal to make things work. There are 3 simple things that have been a tremendous help.
Number 1: Grocery Shopping Online
While we used to spend 2-3 hours a week walking the aisles and waiting on line, it now takes 30 minutes tops. As I’m shopping online, I can look up a recipe and buy all the right ingredients or check the fridge to see if we’re out of milk (we usually are). It’s also been a money saver since you eliminate most impulse buys and can easily sort prices low to high. Every year, my family spends a week at the Jersey Shore and we wasted half a day at the grocery shore. (Seriously, it’s not all Snooki and beach bars, we go to the other Jersey Shore, Long Beach Island. If you want to see some beautiful homes click here www.beneescola.com.) This year we discovered that Peapod offers delivery there. What a wonderful thing to be relaxing on the beach and get a text that your groceries have arrived, go to the house, meet the delivery person and be back on the beach 15 minutes later!
Number 2: Outlook’s Email Calendar
I put everything on my calendar. It’s a to-do list, interview tracker and soccer practice reminder all-in-one. The best part about it is the ability to invite others to the appointment and set an alarm. We have a Percolator at work-yes they still make them. Once or twice we forgot to unplug it, which is not good. I added an alert on my calendar and invited one or two other coffee drinkers in the office. Now I can sleep at night, knowing we’re not going to burn the building down.
Number 3: Banking Online
I started using this for work and then decided to handle personal banking this way as well. It not only saves time but also helps for budgeting. I haven’t used the photo deposit feature yet but why not. I’ll do just about anything to avoid waiting in line at the bank.
If you have some time saving tips to share, please add a comment below.

What Does Your Language Say About You?

What comes out of your mouth always makes a difference.

Posted by Adam Weissman, Director of IT and Legal Technology at Glenmont Group.

No matter how small or big the organization, have no doubt that the messages communicated from anyone and everyone who holds a management or leadership role will guide the culture of the company. In the last decade alone, news stories have documented the wildest success stories and catastrophic failures of some of the most recognized corporate names in the world. When you read or listen to interviews with current and former employees, it is seemingly common for these recounts to point directly and specifically at the messages being delivered from the top-down. References to emails, company-wide memos, and management directives that enabled certain behaviors and fostered particular protocols are brought to light. They refer to singular management-delivered and -driven messages that inspired an entire organization to do better or, conversely, connect specific incidents and communications that ultimately and negatively altered the undercurrent of employee sentiment.

In a recent article entitled “How Language Shapes Your Organization” by Kevin Allen, a contributing author to Harvard Business Review, the impact and power of the words used by managers and executives is analyzed. His commentary assigns responsibility and accountability to even the most casual of communications from those in a leadership function.

http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2012/07/how_language_shapes_your_organization.html

Five Tips On How To Work With Recruiters

Posted by Dana Fink, Director of Staffing at Glenmont group

After a crazy week of both candiates and clients not being completely forthcoming with all information needed (fibbing is putting it mildly) I felt a back to basics lesson on how to work with recruiters was required reading. The need to be completly forthcoming and honest is the only way to manage your career search.

This simple article on recruiter.com was just a quick “how to” I thought would be helpful.

FIVE TIPS ON HOW TO WORK WITH RECRUITERS

Working with recruiters is the next best thing to working with hiring managers. Recruitment professionals know their clients and they pride themselves on knowing their candidates in the hopes of making the right connections. In order to make this happen there are a few things you need to know:

TELL THEM EVERYTHING: When building a relationship with a recruiter, this is no time to be shy. Recruiters need to know everything there is to know about you and what you are looking for in your career, i.e. salary, perks, specific employers, etc. Building an effective relationship with a professional recruiter starts with trust and honesty, so be forthcoming with your requests.

FIND OUT EVERYTHING: Relationships are a two way street. When working with a professional recruiter you need to know as much about them as it relates to their capabilities and ability to help you secure employment. Do a thorough background check on the recruiter and/or the company. Review all the social networking sites where the recruiter does business and if they do not recruit via these new mediums, be aware; it might mean that they are not keeping up with workforce trends and new recruiting practices.

COMMUNICATE OFTEN: Unfortunately securing a recruitment professional does not mean you will secure employment immediately. There can be a lot of waiting involved. Sitting still and waiting for the phone to ring is not an option for you. You are part of the communication equation and you must take an active role in all aspects of your career.

Approach your job hunt like you already have a job. If you see something online, hear about it on a website, see it on the news – contact your recruitment professional and collaborate with them on a game plan. Good recruiters are savvy and well connected, like real estate agents. They tend to know where all the hot properties are. However, they can not be everywhere, so the more hands they can have working in your favor the better.

BE REALISTIC: Understand that you are not the recruiters’ only client. Schedule standing meetings no matter how short; just get them on the calendar. Recruiters understand your urgency however they have other clients asking for the same things. Work with your recruitment professional to set realistic goals that are effective and actionable.