In Chapter 16 of 16 in his 2009 Capture Your Flag interview, “Start With Why” author Simon Sinek shares why passion is a result and not an action. He shares that finding one’s passion requires creating a process to make it actionable. Sinek shares why the first step is to identify what you love and […]

I’ve been doing this job since 1998 and have finally reached a point of frustration on a particular issue.  What’s the issue? Why does it appear that most of the skilled tradesmen in Western New York and Buffalo, are white? Of course I wouldn’t pose the question if I didn’t think that I already knew the […]

Fifty years after the repeal of Jim Crow, many African-Americans still live in segregated ghettos in the country’s metropolitan areas. Richard Rothstein, a research associate at the Economic Policy Institute, has spent years studying the history of residential segregation in America. “We have a myth today that the ghettos in metropolitan areas around the country […]

The best all purpose hammer will generally be at least 20 oz.  Lighter than that and you can’t drive a nail.  Heavier than that and you’ll be fighting off urges to frame houses. A smooth face is far more versatile.  A waffle face is only for framing. ALWAYS buy a straight claw.  The only thing […]

He would fire the shot to see where it landed. He would get feedback, adjust, and fire again. He would repeat this process each time getting better feedback until they nailed it.

You need something to put your tools in, and the tool vessel that is closest to perfect is available for free! A modest bucket is how almost everyone got started and how most of us still roll.  The Bucket Boss is a great system.  It’s versatile and you can even add hardware trays and bags sold […]

Tool Belt (your rig) The very first thing you should buy is a good set of bags.  You can borrow a hammer, tape and knife.  But borrowing another man’s bags is like borrowing his girlfriend. You could spend an exorbitant amount of money on something sweet.  The problem is that if you haven’t earned the […]

What is the best website to find a job? Before you go there, here are some things you should know.

Incorporated on February 8, 1999, Construction Personnel Group Inc is the official corporate name of Construction Personnel Group, Inc.. Somewhere around 2008’ish we began to toy with an unofficial dba of CPGworks.  Our thought was that we would brand ourself as something clever and memorable.  CPGworks actually did get some steam, but as time went on […]

We promise to do our best to always do the right thing. We promise that your application with Construction Personnel Group, Inc. has a much greater chance of landing you the job you want, then if you applied to any single construction company on your own. We promise not to waste your time. Headhunters often […]

It takes maybe four or five years for a person to become relatively proficient in a trade.  Assuming (at that point) that they are a relatively good employee, then they are likely worth $18/hr–$20/hr.  The difference between $18/hr and $25/hr–$30/hr is leadership. Author and speaker Mark Breslin, Breslin Strategies, Inc. writes, “On average, your foremen have received […]

Can’t find good people to hire? It’s because the power has shifted to the job seeker.  Old recruiting practices will no longer work. “If you are frustrated because your recruiting approaches are no longer producing great results, you will be happy to know that there is a logical reason behind it.  I estimate that 90 […]

Get your hiring manager talking about what’s really going on behind the job ad, and you’ll find that the quality of the conversation shifts dramatically.

Job-seekers who use their interview air time to ask questions about the processes, the obstacles in a hiring manager’s way and the thorny problems they’ve seen before in similar situations vault themselves to a higher level of conversation than the ones who don’t.

Why should you read, “What drives me nuts about staffing agencies and how they can work better as a partner“? A love / hate relationship seems to exist between many Employers and Agencies, and I think in large part it is because neither party seems to truly understand the other.   As of the time I […]