Corrections costs for the states have quadrupled in the last 20 years — to about $52 billion a year nationally — making prison spending the second-fastest growing budget item after Medicaid. To cut those costs, the states are being forced to rethink parole, probation, and reintegration policies that drive hundreds of thousands of people back […]

I get this email in response to an eblast that I sent out advertising a warehouse position that we were trying to fill: i want to let you know i have sent my resume to your company, i have extensive concrete, and building trade experience, as well as a degree in civil engineering, i called […]

Let your true personality show though and don’t just rely on the info you have on your resume. Use this tip and you may even ace your next interview!

Out of school youth is the term typically used to identify students who drop out of middle or high school before earning a diploma.  In WNY and across NYS, kids who choose this path face a stark reality:  They have limited options for continuing their education and are at risk of living in poverty and/or […]

When you talk with as many job seekers and Human Resource Managers as we have, there are certain truths that begin to emerge.   For example, I know without any doubt, that the person who gets the job is not necessarily the person with the most skills and experience. Almost without exception, it will be the person […]

I hate the reputation that “Temp Agencies” have.  That being said, apparently we deserve it. I borrowed the following excerpt about a bad interview experience from a job board––and then unfortunately lost the link so am unable to give credit to the author.  When I read stuff like this it only serves to strengthen my […]

A friend of mine said to me, “John, find me some drywall hangers and I will pay you for your time”. To which I said, “You’re a legit dude, so I’d be happy to!” I ran an ad here and 5 people applied. He ran the same ad and 30 people applied. I would like […]

In his book, Rich Habits, author Tom Corley examines the lifestyle differences between the rich and poor and it’s pretty interesting. Some things seem like common sense, others a bit more surprising. Will better habits make you more successful? Probably not. But it could be a start  70% of wealthy eat less than 300 junk food […]

A letter to the guy who called our office (twice) and screamed at us because we were offering a drywall job that paid $17 to $20 per hour.

When I talk to someone who is unemployed and I bring up a ten dollar an hour opportunity it’s really hard for me to not get upset when it is dismissed as “not worth someone’s time” because I know from experience how much trouble that attitude has cost me. When I finished college I was […]

A friend of mine told me a story of a lesson he learned from an old Jewish investor from NYC. Eli was an investor and owned a ton of properties in and around Buffalo.  Dorian had a small remodeling company that happened to be really good at drywall.   Eli and Dorian struck a deal […]

I was asked the question, “Is leaving a job on bad terms ever okay?” I believe that how a person leaves each and every relationship (professional or personal) is likely a measure of their character. And if not their character, then certainly their personality. The exception to this is if you leave during the initial […]

Out of frustration one day, I posed a question on craigslist.  I asked, “Why are people so negative on using a Recruiter”?  Michael M sent me an email.  In it he said, A recruiter or temp agency are people who can’t or don’t want to do the tasks but get paid for the people actually […]

Keep your tools secure and dry this winter! If you’re familiar with Weatherguard, then I don’t really need to tell you that this is a solid way to organize your truck. Maybe seven years ago I took these as collateral for a loan to one of my employees. He’s long since gone but the boxes […]

“The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness, […]