·  iSearch Joins Forces with UpSearch

·  A Dream Revisited

·  Do You Only Hire People Like You?

·  “De-fault” Might Be Yours

·  Stress - The Zen Way

Happy New Year Jim,

Here’s to a healthy and prosperous 2007!

The New Year often brings hope, a promise of renewal, change, and improvement. Many of us make New Year's resolutions to renew spirits, change habits, or improve ourselves one way or another.

We're no different at UpSearch, as we resolve to deliver even more value to our partners in 2007. The primary way we plan to give you more value is by expanding our capacity and service offerings. To accomplish this, I am extremely pleased to announce we have merged with Integrated Search Services (iSearch) on January 1st. To learn more about iSearch joining forces with UpSearch, please read our lead article.

January is also time to reflect on the profound impact Martin Luther King, Jr. made on American society, and on hiring practices. I trust you’ll find our tribute to MLK a rewarding investment of your time.

We appreciate your readership. Enjoy your newsletter, and Happy New Year!


Shawn Upchurch, President
www.UpSearch.com

iSearch Joins Forces with UpSearch

UpSearch is pleased to announce the merger of our company with Integrated Search Services (iSearch) effective January 1, 2007.

iSearch, located in Independence, Ohio, is a boutique information technology recruiting firm. The owners of iSearch and UpSearch are not strangers. In addition to having worked together in the past they have conducted a strategic partnership sharing resources and business intelligence for over five years. The combined staff, technology integration, and assimilation of processes will provide customers of both firms with broader, deeper, and more responsive services.

“It simply made good sense for us to combine operations” Stuart Taylor, owner of iSearch observed. “Shawn (Upchurch, founder and President of UpSearch) and I have enjoyed a long, collaborative relationship, and this is the next logical step”. Upchurch is equally enthusiastic “By combining the strengths of two well established search firms, we immediately expand our capacity and ability to launch exciting new services."

The merger will result in no staffing changes, and the new firm will adopt the name UpSearch. All ongoing search activities in both firms will continue without interruption.

In addition to the combined strengths and expanded capacity, the new firm will provide multiple new service offerings in early 2007. Upchurch revealed, “These new market offerings will include services in Research, Selection, Development and Retention. Our clients have long asked for more opportunities to partner, as they want one point of contact for all of their Human Capital oriented services. Our dynamic team of professionals now offers a solution, a comprehensive suite of HR services.”

As this transition takes place, UpSearch is committed to providing outstanding customer- first service to all of client partners. If you have any questions about the iSearch-UpSearch merger, or any service offerings, you are encouraged to contact Stuart Taylor directly at 216.901.7200.

A Dream Revisited

by Shawn Upchurch

On August 28, 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his famous "I Have a Dream" oration from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. This particular speech is probably the most amazing, and most thought provoking of King's speeches, and maybe of anyone's.

Let me direct your attention to one specific line of King’s “I Have a Dream” speech.

“I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.”

Focus for just a moment on the phrase "content of character."

It’s specifically in "content of character" that King gave us tremendous insight into how each of us can make the world a better place, a place where all men are created free and equal.

This is not about affirmative action, or diversity recruiting, but rather the critical importance of building equitable recruiting programs.

One of your highest responsibilities as a leader in your organization, with hiring responsibility, is to build equitable recruiting programs. Let’s define equity as the assurance that your hiring program gives every qualified applicant a fair and equal chance to be selected. An equitable hiring program:
• Is based on initial performance standards that are applied consistently.
• Uses the same initial performance standards for all applicants.
• Screens out applicants for job related reasons only, not because of their diversity.

As you reflect on 2006, and review your recruitment programs and strategies for 2007, please keep in mind the importance of “content of character” and the equity component of your hiring efforts.

Do You Only Hire People Like You?

by Mark Newman, COO, HireVue

Fact: Regardless of company culture fit or qualifications, hiring managers typically hire people they like because of shared qualities.

A good friend of mine in China, Frank Mulligan of Talent Software, specializes in Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) for multinational companies. Frank continually makes hilarious observations about hiring in China, especially candidate mirroring. This hot conversation topic between Westerners living in China can be defined as when candidates acts like their interviewer to gain a positive impression. It is not only something to watch for in China, but also in your own hiring practices. The primary reason candidates mirror their interviewer is simple. Research has shown if a candidate acts like their interviewer, professes the same likes and dislikes, their chances of advancing through the interview process are many times higher.

In countries with obvious language differences, like China, candidate mirroring is often obvious. Here is an example from Frank:
"If you are from the UK and the candidate says ‘Good Morning, nice to meet you? How do you do?’ you might assume that he has learned British English, as opposed to American English. But you might also want to consider the possibility of mirroring. If the candidate says ‘G’day’ and you are Australian then it’s a pretty sure bet you are being mirrored.”

Click here to read more.

“De-fault” Might Be Yours

by Colin Fitzpatrick Smith

One of the provisions of the Pension Protection Act of 2006 actually provides you, the plan sponsor, with a measure of protection. And, this new protection begins with plan years beginning after December 31, 2006.

And this new layer of protection is provided by adding a new section—404(c) (5) to ERISA by extending some insulation to plan fiduciaries (that be both you and I) who invest participant assets in certain default investments.

Traditionally, participants who enrolled as they became eligible and failed (could they be confused by the overwhelming number of investment choices available to them?) to select any option were directed by the fiduciary (that be you and I again) into a default option typically a money market fund.

And, why not?

It was safe as it was the intention of the managers of that mutual fund to maintain a stable price per share of one ($1.00).

It was considered safe as the average maturity of the fixed income investments that populate such a portfolio have maturities of less than 270 days.

However, the annualized return of money markets over the last ten years has been less than three (2.89%) percent.

So, perhaps time to consider another default option.

And so, the Pension Protection Act of 2006 limits the default options as being one of three (3) types of investments:

  1. an age based lifecycle or target date fund;
  2. a balanced (equity, fixed income, and cash) fund; or,
  3. a managed account.

Unfortunately, and perhaps typically, the Department of Labor in issuing these regulations on September 27, 2006 was somewhat vague and somewhat contradictory.

Despite that, there is good news.

The requirements contained in the new regulations governing default accounts, now known as a “qualified default investment alternative (QDIA) provide relief to plan fiduciaries (that still be you and I) irrespective of whether your plan qualifies for relief under ERISA 404(c).

More about the requirements that must be met for your QDIA in our next episode.

Stay tuned.

Colin Fitzpatrick Smith is President of the Retirement Company, LLC, which designs qualified retirement plans as well as education to all plan participants. Colin can be reached at 440.995.1600 or colinfsmith@walnutstreet.com.

Stress - The Zen Way

Remain Psychologically Plugged into Your Job.

Fall in love with your job, and keep the romance alive. Don't let the stress of change drive a wedge between you and your work. Sure, your employer will benefit if you're committed, but not as much as you will. High job commitment is a gift you should give to yourself.

Stress - The Zen Way has been modified from A Survival Guide To The Stress of Organizational Change,by Price Pritchett and Ron Pound. This handbook tells you how to handle today's accelerating rate of change in ways that keep work stress at a minimum.

 

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