This morning, I visited my 100th staffing client this year.  There are a handful of client and prospect visits that I make to staffing organizations each month. While I’m visiting, I try to spend at least one day just kind of sitting there, blending into the woodwork and observing.  So, on the ride back to Philadelphia today, I began to think about what would translate into an informative post, and I thought I would list out some of the behaviors that I found common to the most impressive recruiters that I have met over this past month…     1.       They start their day early.  Most of my casual visits take place during t...

1)Would you benefit from having the ability to deliver a 10 question assessment to determine your Sales Representatives' understanding of their own products and services?  How about newly hired Sales Representatives?   a)      Yes b)      No   2)Would you benefit from having the ability to deliver a 10 question assessment to determine your Sales Representatives' understanding of their competitors products and services?   a)      Yes b)      No   3)Would you benefit from being able to develop training plans as a result of this assessment?  And, have those...

Excerpt from a great book I read on the plane yesterday called A Fighter’s Mind:     "Imagination is a crucial component, oft overlooked. If you can't imagine running a four-minute mile, how can you ever run it? Gandhi said, "Men often become what they believe themselves to be. If I believe I cannot do something, it makes me incapable of doing it. But when I believe I can, then I acquire the ability." Dan continued, "People don't want to work hard. They want to get to the top without really paying the price. I just read a story where they interviewed these people who wanted to be great, and the questions was: "If you could go to the O...

I am often asked about the most recent developments in Assessment, and I thought I’d turn it into a short blog post:   One rapidly growing trend is the  Integration of Assessments with Talent Management Systems – Imagine a scenario whereby your recruiters spend all of their time with candidates who, at a minimum, possess the skills and abilities to be successful in a particular job.  Imagine the ROI, as your time spent with unqualified candidates is all but eliminated, to say nothing of the improvement in quality of hire.  Why imagine, when you can take advantage of this NOW????  For example, via an integration with an Applicant Tracking System, a candi...

We have a number of partners with small-to-midsize sales teams, and I had a chance to spend some time consulting for a local partner last week. As I was walking the sales floor, I happened to overhear one of their most successful Sales Representatives going in for the close. This person has more tenure and subject matter expertise than just about anyone in their space. So, there she went, with her tremendous energy, overwhelming passion and the utmost sincerity, as she uttered “we are thankful for this opportunity and we will not let you down…I will have the contract to you momentarily.” And, I gave her the customary complement and began making notes on...

I just couldn’t sleep last night, so I was up from about 5:00 this morning. I decided to run the Philadelphia Art Museum Steps and watch the sunrise.  I haven’t done this since October, and wow was it cold. And, it was me, about two other runners, and a man in a wheelchair.  So, we all kind of at least acknowledge one another, because we are the only crazies out there at 6:30.  And, as I pass the gentleman that I eventually came to know as “Robert”, I just jokingly asked if he wanted to race.  Well, you can probably guess where this goes from here.  He said “yes”, and that he would race the first flight of steps.  ...

So, thank you for visiting my blog. My name is John Valenti and I truly consider it my privilege to be the focus of your attention every couple of weeks or so. I promise to make our time as enjoyable and educational as possible.  I never planned on blogging, but over the last couple of months there have been more and more requests for anecdotal information on trends, developments, and best practices from our skills assessment division, Kenexa Prove It!   But, it wasn’t until Bruce Springsteen’s recent tour stop at the Wachovia Center until I realized it was time(picture below)…because it’s never a good career move to say “No” to ...