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Articles by Jeff Skrentny, CERS

Jeff Skrentny, CERS, had an inauspicious start in the search/recruiting profession as his first placement quit after 93 days. Then he was sued by his client. Despite that start, Jeff has been a thriving executive search entrepreneur for the last 23 years; and has also been a trainer, author and motivator for his profession for the last 15 years, as well as a business consultant and advisor for its producers, managers & owners for the last 10 years; all while still running his search business, Jefferson Group Search, in Chicago. You can read his blog for search entrepreneurs & professionals at www.SkrentnySPEAKS.com.

Recruiting Your Recruiter Washington Post Article

by Jeff Skrentny, CERS July 6th, 2010

It doesn’t happen often, but every now and then you are made aware of an article that you just know will become a new and critical tool in your search best practices toolbox (thank you, now forgotten LinkedIn contact who first made me aware of this gem). That is exactly what I thought [...]

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industry news

Fordyce Forum 2010 Final Photo & Slide Review

by Jeff Skrentny, CERS July 6th, 2010

Sometimes you don’t realize the value of something until you get a little distance from it. That WASN’T the case for me at this year’s Fordyce Forum 2010 at the M Resort in Las Vegas from June 9-11.   It was another great conference, and was just the shot in the arm I [...]

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Game Changer? LinkedIn Messages As Evidence in Non-Compete Case

by Jeff Skrentny, CERS July 1st, 2010

Recent litigation by an recruiting firm owner concerning the non-compete of one of their former employees is bringing into question who owns your LinkedIn connections. Everyone should be watching this case.

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What are we? An Industry or a Profession?

by Jeff Skrentny, CERS April 15th, 2008

After spending the day yesterday doing a full day in-house training program for one of my most loyal training clients in Columbia, MD, I wandered down to Washington, DC, last night (after an O’s game at Camden Yards, of course, w/friend and peer Dan Simmons) to attended the ASA Chapter Leadership Council Meeting [...]

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Re-embracing one I love

by Jeff Skrentny, CERS April 11th, 2008

I read my first issue of the Fordyce Letter about 20 years ago. I was a junior recruiter working my butt off to bill enough to become a senior consultant in a large clerical placement operation in downtown Chicago. The owner of my company put a Post-it Note on a copy of the [...]

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from the The Fordyce Letter archives

Are You Presenting Resumes Or Giving Away Your Profits?

by Jeff Skrentny, CERS November 1st, 2006

Recently, I was contemplating my fax machine. Remember those? Mine broke, and frankly I couldn’t help but wonder if it was even worth replacing. I never use it …who faxes me a résumé? I get them all via Email. And I can’t remember the last time a client asked me [...]

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from the The Fordyce Letter archives

When It’s Time to Tell the Boss Goodbye

by Jeff Skrentny, CERS July 1st, 2006

You made the decision to leave. You put together a competitive resume, circulated it through professional recruiters and online, interviewed with too many potential new employers, and finally found the perfect next job. The offer letter has been signed and the start date agreed upon; now all you need to do is resign. [...]

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from the The Fordyce Letter archives

Answering the ‘Tell Me About Yourself’ Question: A Candidate’s Guide to Making a Great First Impression While Interviewing

by Jeff Skrentny, CERS April 1st, 2003

Let’s face it, interviewing is stressful enough without having to answer stupid interview questions. But unfortunately, many interviewers, because of habit, lack of preparation time, poor training, or yes, even laziness, often ask stupid questions. Of those, one of the most challenging is the oft used “Tell me about yourself” interview opener.What most candidates ask [...]

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from the The Fordyce Letter archives

Negotiate Unexpectedly

by Jeff Skrentny, CERS February 1st, 2003
tags:

Our problem begins before we even start. We have a disposition towards negotiation that sets us up to fail. Not to mention how predictable we are as an industry. We meet them in the middle; we allow them to talk us into yearlong guarantees; or even 15% fees. What are we [...]

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