Senior Administrative Assistant needed!

My client, a leading Hedge Fund in NYC, needs a Senior Administrative Assistant (full-time, perm) who must have 5-10 year’s experience in a professional services environment and a Bachelor’s degree.  The position entails supporting a Senior Level Executive and their team including managing multiple calendars, travel arrangements, expense reports and invoices, compiling and editing documents and reports including preparation of spreadsheets and presentation materials, heavy management and screening of executive level phone calls, and extensive use of MS Outlook and various web based tools.  For additional information, send resumes to Harold@smartstaff.jobs or call Harold Levin at 908-508-0300, ext. 104.

Income Tax Season Help Needed!!

I have clients in Central and Northern NJ who need seasoned tax preparers to augment their teams for the next several months.  Experience with Lacerte highly desired.  Candidates should possess a PTIN as well.  Send resumes to harold@smartstaff.jobs or call me at 908-508-0300, ext. 104.

NJ Job Fairs in August 2015

Here is a link to a list of job fairs open to the public in NJ:
http://lwd.state.nj.us/WorkForceDirectory/jobfair.jsp

Developers Needed

Developers needed w/Adobe Experience Manager (AEM5 or CQ5) and Java plus knowl. of integration systems such as Eclipse, Jenkins, Nexus, etc.).  6-12 mo. contract to perm. Positions are in Bergen County NJ near NJ Transit bus line. Resumes to harold@smartstaff.jobs  or call Harold Levin at 908-508-0300, ext. 104.

Associate Sales Engineer Opportunity

Excellent opportunity for an Associate Sales Engineer to grow their career with an established manufacturer of customized equipment and machinery in Essex County, NJ.  Candidates should have a BS in Electrical, Mechanical, Chemical, or Manufacturing Engineering (or similar) along with 1-2 years sales experience in a related field.  Position has definite potential to move from contract to permanent.  Candidates must demonstrate excellent written and verbal communication skills and be willing to travel extensively.  Send resumes to harold@smartstaff.jobs or call Harold Levin at 908.508.0300, ext. 104.

Legal Secretary Needed!

A long time client in Norther Jersey needs an experienced Legal Secretary to fill a short term assignment ASAP.  Resumes to harold@smartstaff.jobs or call me at 908-508-0300.

The Sameness Theory

While I have no plans to regularly participate in Throwback Thursdays, I just experienced a flashback on a rather chilly Saturday afternoon!  My mind journeyed all the way back to 1996 when I was recruited to join the career services team of a well known and highly regarded proprietary trade school.  Due to the relocation of a valued team member, I was asked to step in and manage the placement process for a large number of technical students.  A primary selling point of the job was that I would have as much latitude as needed to do whatever it took to be successful.

The job was fantastic.  My students bought into my requests and directions and many of them quickly were headed into the working world to begin their new careers!  Accolades were coming in from employers, my colleagues at the campus level and members of the corporate office.  Things were moving along nicely and our placement rates were on a steady climb!  Then it happened and the bottom fell out.

A new national director was hired from outside to help the company as a whole increase its placement rates.  Without looking at the individual successes that some of her team team members at various campuses were enjoying, she adopted the rule that everyone on her staff must do everything exactly the same.  It did not matter if you were located in Texas or NJ, placed computer programmers, medical office assistants, or automotive repair technicians.  It did not matter if the unemployment statistics in your region were high or low, everyone was expected to do the job exactly the same way with zero tolerance for any local deviations.  Numbers declined faster than they had recently increased. Previously successful schools could no longer enroll large numbers of students and the schools who had already been on the decline kept heading downward.  Eventually, the company realized they had made an error and things were gradually rectified.

Today, as I chat with many companies, it is apparent that this sameness theory is starting to gain steam m once again.  Perhaps, with smaller operating budgets, companies feel having when method of operation is more economical.  Having lived on both sides of the street at various times in my career, I strongly endorse setting guidelines while allowing so level of creativity to exist.  I firmly believe that, in most cases, a happy, independent thinking employee will be much more productive than once who has no options at his/her disposal.

Veterans Job Fair

Veterans job fair in Morristown NJ:

http://www.communityhope-nj.org/files/standdown14/Hiring-Fair.pdf?utm_source=2014+Stand+Down-2&utm_campaign=StandDown+2014-2&utm_medium=email