Tesar-Reynes

Jokes aside – see right – it’s important to keep a record of your job search. When we talk to a potential candidate about a search that we are working, one of the first questions we ask is whether they have had any past dealings with our client company.

We ask this for two major reasons. First, if they already have a relationship with the company (sent in a resume / talked to an employee / had an interview) their candidacy may fall into the cracks. Secondly, if they say that they are not interested in a company, we get feedback on what type of environment will interest them.

It is imperative that people keep track of where they are presented. If they misrepresent themselves, either by omission or commission, their candidacy is hurt. They appear to be either bending the …

Bob and I have sensed a glimmer of improvements in the economy since around April or May. We know that we are a leading indicator of the economy and we should feel it first. Thus far it has been mainly false starts and things being put on hold. It drives us nuts!

The emotional effort of getting up for new things and then having them fade away is tough. It has caused us to become slightly more jaded about any opportunity that comes along. The good news is that the phone is ringing more and there is a palpable shift in attitude.

Stay tuned.

Last Winter I bristled at the thought that the naysayers would gain any ground in the fight to prevent Chicago from hosting the 2016 Olympics. Chicago is a great sports town. How could anyone be against bringing the Olympic games to the home of Michael Jordan, two professional baseball teams, and one of the NFL’s first franchises?

But a Tribune poll earlier this month has shown a significant sway in public opinion. While 61 percent of Chicagoans favored the Olympics last February, now only 47 percent support the Summer Games. That number should have gone up, not down. Chicago 2016 has a PR problem if I ever saw one.

Just weeks before the IOC makes their official decision, Chicago 2016 is launching a last-ditch …

Every 6 to 9 months we run into a stalker. This is a person who feels that we have no short term memory and should be reminded on a regular basis about how wonderful they are. The conversation, every 2-3 weeks, includes phases like the following.

• I just thought I would call to check in.
• What is new in the market?
• What are you working on that would fit my unique experience?
• Did you get the new resume (version 71.b) that I just sent?
• Is there anyone else in your company that you think I should talk to?
• I am going out of town for a week or two. Do you want me to check in when I get back?
• Do you see yourself getting any searches soon that would fit me?

Guess how fast this type of person wears out their welcome in our company.

John Kopchinski gets much respect from me for sticking to his ethics. A former sales representative for Pfizer, Kopchinski was given the ax several years ago after he filed a whistleblower lawsuit exposing the drugmaker’s shady marketing for the pain drug Bextra.

Bextra increased the risk of heart attacks and strokes. Unhappy with sales tactics, Kopchinski filed a “qui tam” lawsuit, leading to federal investigation and eventual felony charges against the pharmaceutical company. Pfizer didn’t pull the drug from shelves until two years after Kopchinski’s filing and subsequent firing.

At the time of filing, Kopchinski had a baby boy and his wife was pregnant with two kids. He went from making $125,000 a year to $40,000. He depleted his 401k just to make ends …