Please join me in congratulating Ellen Rhee, our November 2007 Employee of the Month! Ellen has been a wonderful employee for Emerson Personnel Group. She was hired as a permanent employee by our client company effective January 3, 2008. Congratulations Ellen and good luck!
What exactly does it mean when you hear about a business that is green, or a business that is going green? You can’t open a newspaper or magazine, or turn on the television or radio these days without reading or hearing about a general movement toward the greening of America. Green homes, green buildings, green automobiles, and yes; green businesses. In it’s broadest form to “be green” means to be enviromentally sensitive, to be aware of the impact ones actions are having on the planet, and to work toward lessening that impact. So, when a building is described as being green it means the building site, the construction materials, the methods of construction, and the actual function of the finished building all took into account their friendliness toward the eco-system in which we live. By the same token, a green business is one that adheres to practices, wherever possible, which are earth sensitive and strive to improve the enviroment.
Now, it may be because I lived in the pristine wilds of Alaska for 20 years, and have witnessed what a totally unspoiled landscape looks like. Or, it could be because I am an avid outdoorsman and have seen up close the detrimental effects on the enviroment resulting from careless man-made actions. Or, perhaps because I have read scientific journals describing the enviroment-related warning signs all around us. Or maybe it is simply because as a steward (as we all are) of planet earth I’d like to leave things a bit better for my children and their children. Whatever the reason may be, and I’m sure it is a combination of all of the above; the year 2008 will initiate an intense effort to make Emerson Personnel Group as green as possible.
To “green up” a service related industry such as EPG may seem to be a tough task at first glance. After all, businesses in the construction , manufacturing, research, and/or natural resources arenas have very specific and rigorous enviromental guidelines to which they must adhere. Such businesses can take huge steps which immediately and significantly minimize their impact on the enviroment. For example, a company that manufactures automobiles can implement energy saving and fuel economizing features in the cars they make thereby dramatically lessening the need for fossil fuels. A construction firm can insist on using recycled products wherever possible, a research firm can dispose of their waste with an eye toward earth sensitivity, and so on.
What about the service-related business that, at least on the surface, has no obvious impact on the enviroment? What green steps can be taken? How can Emerson Personnel Group become as earth friendly as possible? Join us as we find out. Over the course of this year; our newsletter, The EPG Connection, will be featuring the steps EPG takes as it becomes as enviromentally aware as it can. Please share any ideas you may have on the topic of green businesses and if it makes sense we will implement your idea into our way of doing things. After all, we believe the greener EPG becomes, the more efficient we will be, the better off the planet will be, and the better able we will be to serve our community and our clientele. ~ Steve Emerson CEO Emerson Personnel Group
Over the course of the next year, you will have the privilege of watching Emerson Personnel Group on their journey to sustainability. Keep your eye out for our plan of action, goals set and achieved, and all the excitement as we “go green!” We look forward to your ideas and encouragement!
Let us know what you think!
It seems as though every time you open the newspaper or turn on the TV, another company has been defrauded by its own employees. Whether stealing another’s ID or funds from the company, lying on a resume, or committing a far more serious crime, many employees are denying previous infractions, and getting away with it.
A company has a responsibility to its clients and employees to make informed hiring decisions. Part of the process is the conducting of a proper background screening of each new employee. When doing so, it is important to know the following fact: THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A NATIONAL BACKGROUND CHECK. Companies that claim to offer a “national criminal background search” may only be searching state incarceration records. Moreover, many states do not offer computerized state police databases for the public to search. Rather they require signed requests and often take one to four weeks to respond. That being said, here are some helpful tips to keep in mind when screening employees.
First, make sure all counties and states where the candidate has ever lived are searched for criminal records. This does not mean the candidate must supply all of his/her addresses (a competent screening company will be able to find them), but it means each county and state where address records are surfaced should be searched. In addition, the federal court system should be searched for criminal records. If the candidate has an alias, or is married, the aliases and maiden names should also be run.
Second, it is good practice to search state-wide sexual offender databases for each state in which the candidate has lived. Although it is mandatory for a sexual offender to register in their current state, they may not register until he/she has been located by the authorities.
Finally, the deeper the investigation, the more informed an employer can be. To truly understand the type of person a candidate is, credit, litigation history, news articles, and internet sites should be searched. A person may have been well spoken and delivered a wonderful interview, but they may not have told you they owe excessive amounts of money to a creditor or has sued past employers for one reason or another. Worse yet, maybe the individual was sued by a past employer for stealing information or for fraud.
The only way to protect your company and its reputation is to take proactive steps. It ay be a little more expensive than “a national background check,” but in the long run, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
~Deb Myerson Intelysis Corp. www.Intelysis.com
For the holidays, Emerson Personnel Group and their children collected blankets and coats to donate to the homeless, and WOW, did we ever collect, collect, collect! Emerson Personnel Group would like to thank everyone who participated and keep checking in with The EPG Connection to learn more ways you can help support our community. Let’s make the “holiday spirit of giving” last all year long!
If you have a suggestion or ideas, we would LOVE to hear from you! The EPG Connection is not a one way communication! Leave your comments, suggestions, anything you’d like right below these posts! We want to hear from you!
Personal Information
Name: Paul J. Sweeney
Title: IT Recruiter
What you do for EPG: Increase revenue while maintaining the values and integrity of the company.
Education: Bachelor of Science from West Chester University
First Job: Claims processor at John Hancock Mutual Insurance Group
Little-known fact about you: I only eat sushi to appear “hip”
Home: Somerdale, NJ
Business Philosophy
Essential business philosophy: Persistence PAYS!
Yardstick of success: Summer home in Stone Harbor, NJ
Goal yet to be achieved: Summer home in Stone Harbor, NJ
Mentor: My wife, Lora. She can sell ketchup to a woman in white gloves!
True Confessions
Word that describes you best: Perseverance
Like best about your job: The challenge
Like least about your job: Working with very stringent or even “hazy” client parameters.
The most important lesson you’ve learned: Always, always, always… Re-affirm!!
Life motto: “Don’t be afraid to LEARN”
PetPeeve: Nay-sayers
Person most interested in meeting and why: Gabe Newell, Founder and Managing Director of Valve Corporation simply because he knows how to bring a dream to life!
First choice in a new career: Shepherd…Seriously, I would like to be a Pro-Circuit Computer Gamer (yes, they exist!)
Greatest extravagence: My home theatre
Et Cetera
Most influential book: Who Moved My Cheese?
Favorite movie: Fletch
Favorite restaurant: Filomena Cucina Italian Restaurant
Favorite vacation spot: Stone Harbor/Avalon, NJ
Favorite room in the house and why: Living Room! That’s where the home theatre is!
Favorite way to spend free time: Having fun with my wife, son and daughter.
Do you have a cute, flirty, or suggestive email address on your résumé, for example: hotchick@aol.com or poodlelover@gmail.com, or perhaps goodtimes@aol.com? While this may be fun for emails between you and your friends, this could cause you to lose out on an interview! Think about this from an employers standpoint. What impression do they get about you when they read these unique, sometimes bizarre, email addresses? What image do you want them to have of you? If you want to create a professional impression, then be sure to have a professional sounding email address! The most recommended way is simply to use your first and last name or first initial and last name, such as: janesmith@aol.com or jsmith@aol.com. So, go check your email address and get ready for the phone to ring!
Diane Irwin is President of Dynamic Résumés and helps individuals impact the job market through effective résumés, job search skills, and interview skills. She has almost 15 years experience in Human Resources, specializing in Résumé-writing, recruitment, and outplacement. She is an active member of the National Résumé Writers Association, The Career Management Alliance, and Tri-State Human Resources Management Association.
I am pleased to introduce to you our 2007 Thanksgiving Drawing Winners, Donica Venable (top) and Brenna Lollie (bottom). Brenna and Donica both received a pie and a gift card from Shop-Rite.
Congratulations to Brenna and Donica!
