(But first, a friend of mine was not interested in voting for either candidate and decided to do a write-in for “God.” God is very important in his life and felt our country needs God now more than ever. He, however, decided against it because both candidates would likely think he was voting for them:) … Continued
When ZF stunned the automotive world with their takeover (or buyout, or whatever you wish to call it), my phone starting ringing off the hook with worried TRW folks asking my opinion about what to do. Now, Bain Capital, of Mitt Romney fame, has strolled in to buy TI Automotive. As a joke, when my … Continued
There is an old joke when one is married: “You are only as happy as the least-happy member of the household.” There isn’t anything much that’s truer than that, in this world. Career moves, along with a possible geographical dislocation, significantly affects everyone in your family. The impacts can be enormous, both positively and negatively. … Continued
It doesn’t take much research to see that auto sales predictions for 2014 will top 16 million units, as sales will grow for five years straight (only the second time since World War II). In my opinion, it looks as if we will see a sixth year, since suppliers are starting to expand their plants … Continued
A client of mine on the East Coast needed a Supplier Development Engineer. This manufacturer is located in a smaller city, far from the coast. Not many people usually consider a move there, however, it is an excellent company in a nice area offering reasonably priced homes. The search was not easy. After a hundred … Continued
There is nothing worse than being played by a candidate interviewing with your own company. A counteroffer acceptance is not only a monumental waste of time, there is also the burning sensation of knowing a candidate used you to get more money at their present company. How can this be avoided? You need to think … Continued
The most common complaint I get from newly placed candidates is a simple one. They will say within a week or two after being hired, “I have absolutely no idea how I am doing here.” Pretty amazing considering the time and effort my clients invest in a successful hire. The help I give my candidates … Continued
In an industry of lean processes and continuous improvement, we often times see a duplication of effort being made in the area of new talent acquisition. On past searches, we will have identified, screened, referenced and begun an interview process with a candidate only to hear, “Jon, ABC recruiting just called me about the same … Continued
My father always told me, “As a man, if you work hard, everything will work itself out. You may be tall or short, thin or fat, have hair or lose your hair…it doesn’t matter because everything will be OK in the end. Keep your discipline and work hard the rest will work itself out.” These … Continued
Recently, I found myself at dinner with friends here in South Florida. They hailed from Boca Raton down to Miami Beach and all, coincidentally, have one thing in common. They are all attorneys. We had barely been seated and the whole group was already talking shop. Listening in, it all seemed like a bunch of … Continued
This letter was a response to an article I posted on this site “I’m Grateful for Being a Part of the Automotive Quality Community. Thank You All!” Jon, Thanks man, I really enjoyed that. It matches my life philosophy really well. My mission statement: “To extend the average life expectancy of mankind.” … Continued
Over the last 20 years, I have found many hiring managers outside of our process make decisions based primarily on logic or ‘gut feeling.’ Many times, the results can be disappointing or outright disastrous because we all know how easy a terrible person is to get rid of compared to the mediocre player that bleeds … Continued
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