Welcome to the Fulcrum Search Science First Quarter 2005 Personal Career Management Newsletter!

This newsletter and our Career Support Program© have been created to assist business professionals in realizing their career ambitions to the fullest potential.

Every quarter we will send you our career-support newsletter, a forum for business professionals who have a progressive interest in their careers. In this issue:

Market News - career advice from our consultants.
Feature Article - Networking on the Green
Our Food for Thought Articles feature - How Can You Protect Your Hard Earned Savings From Taxes Upon Death? and
Wellness Tips for Professionals - A Dozen Ways to Reduce Stress.

We also try to work with you for the long-term. If you have interviewed with one of our consultants but are not the "perfect fit" for a position, we have a network in place to keep you informed proactively of other opportunities that could be a better match.

Whether we can assist your career in the short or long term, we strive to create a winning scenario! So remember…. Keep in touch with us! Let our Career Support Program© professionals know about the changes and advancements in your career. Or, turn to them for free personalized career advice.

At times it is in your best interest to grow your job with your present company. Other times your career will grow through an exciting new opportunity. Regardless of whether you are considering a career change, check into this career management newsletter. The Career Support Program© is here with your best interest in mind!

Bruce McAlpine, CPC
President
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02. MARKET NEWS

The most recent news about the recruiting front from our top executive recruitment team. This section is divided by specialty but be sure to read each one as it may pertain to you!

Finance & Accounting

Sales & Marketing

Operations, Logistics & Engineering

FINANCE & ACCOUNTING

Log Your Accomplishments
by Ken Stouffer, Senior Consultant

Keep a log of your accomplishments and update it monthly. By doing this you will have a comprehensive and accurate list of accomplishments to draw upon when it comes time to update your resume. Your resume is a marketing document and nothing catches the attention of someone more than a list of significant accomplishments. I've noticed when interviewing that many people struggle to come up with accomplishments when I ask them to cite even a couple. Of course some of those people simply haven't done anything outstanding, but some have, only they have forgotten the details. Don't short change your prospects for advancement by failing to communicate your ability to make a difference.

Our Finance/Accounting Consultants:

Ken Stouffer, CPC, Senior Consultant 416-847-4986 Fax: 416-350-9649 E-mail: Ken.Stouffer@fulcrumsearchscience.com	John Maybury, Senior Consultant 416-847-4987 Fax: 416-350-9658 E-mail: John.Maybury@fulcrumsearchscience.com

Click here to view current positions on the fulcrumsearchscience.com website!

Interview Tips
by Bruce McAlpine, President

Going out for an Interview? Congratulations! A lot of hard work has already been done to get you to this point. You don't want to waste that effort at this stage by not preparing yourself as well as you possibly can. Here are some tips to make sure you make the most of the opportunity:

- Research - Find out all you can about the company, the job, the interviewer, and the style of interview. The internet, contacts within the company, or your recruiter can help.

- Practice your answers - Make sure you have good answers for all the expected questions, like why you left your former employers, what your successes were, what your career goals are, and what your strengths and weaknesses are. Make sure you can handle the unexpected question like asking for experience you don't have.

- Prepare your own questions - Have some good questions ready, to help you do your own "due-diligence". You need to be able to critically examine this opportunity, in the absence of emotion, to see if it is going to meet your career goals, and provide for your quality of life.

- Arrive early - This will help you to avoid the panic of rushing, and will allow you to loiter near the office to get comfortable and to observe - what kind of cars do the employees drive; how do they dress; do they come and go alone, looking haggard and tense, or are they relaxed, laughing and chatting in groups?

- Relax and enjoy yourself! You are ready!

Bruce McAlpine, CPC, President 416-847-4989 Fax: 416-350-9659 E-mail: Bruce.McAlpine@fulcrumsearchscience.com	Chris Twigger , CPC, Senior Consultant 416-847-4959 Fax: 416-350-9649 E-mail: Chris.Twigger@fulcrumsearchscience.com
	Brooks Wilson, B.A., Consultant 416-640-5287 Fax: 416-640-5318 E-mail: Brooks.Wilson@fulcrumsearchscience.com

Click here to view current positions on the fulcrumsearchscience.com website!

Market Trend
by Joe Braccia, Consultant

Many companies that sell to the United States are feeling the pressure of the high dollar. Sales are slowing down and profits are being affected and in some cases employees are being let go. However, for company's that require equipment or perhaps want to upgrade their facilities the high dollar provides an excellent opportunity to do so if the equipment is coming from South of the border. It also creates employment opportunities for employees with a specific skill set that may be lacking with the organization that has purchased the equipment. In some cases this is permanent but in most cases employees are brought in on a contract basis. Therefore, if you are an employee who has been affected via a layoff due to the high dollar, do not despair as there are other opportunities out there.

Silvio Rossi, CPC, Senior Consultant 416-847-4984 Fax: 416-350-9652 E-mail: Silvio.Rossi@fulcrumsearchscience.com	Joe Braccia, Consultant 416-847-4981 Fax: 416-350-9634 E-mail: Joe.Braccia@fulcrumsearchscience.com

Click here to view current positions on the fulcrumsearchscience.com website!

03. Feature Article
      

Networking on the Green

by Michelle Collins

		Have you ever considered trying golf as a way to increase your business? While the tactic may seem to exist in the realm of top executives, this doesn't mean that you have to sit on the sidelines practicing your clap instead of your swing. The Play Now if you can't tell the difference between a sand wedge and a nine iron the first thing that you need to do is learn how to play. Call the golf clubs in your area and ask what kind of packages they offer to beginners. You will likely find that there are a variety of packages offered and you can learn golf by attending a school, clinic, seminar, or individual attention. One place that you should not go is to your family and friends. “I started without lessons and did not enjoy the sport due to my awful swing. I think it is harder to fix a bad swing later. I think the best approach is to set up a recurring schedule with one teacher. This way your teacher can monitor your progress and learn what your recurring mistakes are. My opinion is don't listen to your friends or co-workers on the course. From personal experience they can often make your swing worse since their swing style may be completely different. Only the professionals know how to fix your swing,” says Blair Collins, a CMA in Toronto who has been playing business golf for years. While you don't need to be an expert to play you should at least be able to hit the ball a hundred yards so that the game will be an enjoyable experience for all of you. If you're still in the beginning stages and you've been invited to play tell your host up front about your skill level. “It's never embarrassing as long as you bring up all the intangibles up front. [If] you don't have a lot of skills, as long as you tell someone you're not a very good golfer and this is how I play that's absolutely great for the host because he knows how to respect and treat you on that day,” explains Darrell Cook, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Strategic Golf (www.strategicgolf.ca). Cook and President Julie Lashmore, founded Strategic Golf for the distinct purpose of showing executives how they could use golf for business. The Etiquette While your skill may be excused, breaking golf etiquette will not. Your ability to observe the rules and traditions of the sport will go a long way towards building a good relationship. Here are the main points that you need to keep in mind: Safety – Make sure that you stick to the course conditions to avoid stepping into areas where you could get hit by a flying ball. Take care of where you're swinging your club, especially in the practice area where there may be a lot of other people. Lastly, if you're using a golf cart keep in mind that it is a motorized vehicle, don't park on hills or come to an abrupt halt. Respect – Cook explains that most experienced golf club members treat the course as if it were their own backyard. This means do everything you can to take care of the land while you are playing on, don't leave tees in the ground where they can get chewed up by lawnmowers. If you kick up some turf, known as a divot, replace it so that the ground will be even for the next players. Consideration – Golf requires a lot of concentration, so avoid doing things that will distract the other players while you are waiting, this would include laughing and talking. When you are on a putting surface do not walk into someone's putting line. This will leave an impression in the ground that the player will now have to play through compromising their opportunity for a good shot. “Overall, I think if you are polite, ask questions, and hold your temper your fellow players will be glad to provide you with lots of tips,” says Collins. The Community So you've learned how to play and what kind of etiquette you need to observe, now you need to find somewhere to try out your new skills. Cook recommends that you begin by contacting the governing association for your business, such as a board of trade. Most of these groups will hold an annual golf tournament. This venue offers you the opportunity to meet and possibly do business with people in your own industry. Branching out from there you could also find out if your local Chamber of Commerce or the city you live in holds a tournament. If it's a charitable event you have the added benefit of being able to write off your fees for the day while building goodwill for your company. If you are thinking about joining a golf course you should know that there are three types – public, semi-private, and private. Public courses are available for everyone to play on and while they are cheaper you may find that there are more people which could increase the time spent on the course. Semi-private and private courses are more expensive, however, game time will be shorter and the course will likely be better maintained. “I've been golfing frequently for five years now and have never felt the need for a private membership. Private memberships are always much more expensive overall than just playing public courses all summer,” says Collins. Golf and Business So, when do you get to talk business? Both Collins and Cook advise that the golf course isn't the time, unless the client brings it up first. Playing golf serves another equally important purpose for your business – building a relationship with your client. “My opinion is that everything you say and do makes an impression that either improves your relationship with your client or hurts it. To me, business golf is about building relationships and having fun rather than talking about business. People do business with people they trust. Don't expect to close a deal on the golf course,” says Collins. Your opportunity for business talk is likely to arrive at what is referred to as the 19th hole. Ask your client to have a drink or a meal following the game where you can recap the day and build that relationship further. Cook explains that this is usually the time when your client will bring up business possibilities. However, if they don't you can sum up the situation by saying that you really enjoyed your time together that day and you've got a couple of ideas that you would like to discuss with them in the near future. Michelle Collins is a CanadaOne™ staff writer. CanadaOne.com is a business information site designed to help Canadians start, run and grow their businesses. Visit it online at www.canadaone.com. .

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04. Food For Thought

Each quarter we present a topic that we feel would be of special interest to our candidates. This quarter's topics are:

• Financial Planning Tips - How Can You Protect Your Hard Earned Savings From Taxes Upon Death?
• Wellness Tips for Professionals - A Dozen Ways to Reduce Stress

How Can You Protect Your Hard Earned Savings
From Taxes Upon Death?

Unfortunately, paying the tax on Registered Retirement Plans at death cannot be avoided.

An important part of estate planning, is the use of Life Insurance to offset the tax liability to be incurred because of your Registered Retirement Savings Plans (RRSPs) and Registered Retirement Income Funds (RRIFs).

Life Insurance is viewed as a cost-effective way of ensuring that a lump sum of money is available to pay the tax liability on your Registered Plans, even if your death occurs immediately after you pay your first premium. If life insurance is purchased for this purpose, you will find that the cost of the accumulated insurance premiums is less than the taxes your estate will be liable to pay upon your death.

So how much insurance should you buy? Start by determining the total growth potential or peak of the value of your Registered Retirement Plans. Then, you insure half of this value, assuming a 50% marginal tax rate.

By designating a beneficiary on the insurance policy, on your death, the proceeds are paid directly to your heirs, bypassing probate and without legal or executor fees. In this way, Life Insurance provides a quick transfer of assets that can help your heirs deal with the settlement of your estate, and ensures that money is available when needed.

By taking these simple steps today, you can provide better for your loved ones for tomorrow.

Richard Bruton, B.Comm. (Hons.) MIAC
Investment Advisor
Canaccord Capital Corporation
Tel (416) 867-6006, Toll-free: 1-800-382-9280 x 6006
E-mail: richard_bruton@canaccord.com

05. Career Support Program©

The Career Support Program© was created in response to a perceived need for greater and more personalized support for individuals that we have built relationships with in the past.

The mandate of this program is to assist business professionals in realizing their career ambitions to their fullest potential.

If you are interested in hearing about career opportunities on a proactive basis, please e-mail us at careersupport@bagg.com. Our career support staff will contact you and spend approximately 10 minutes with you on the telephone to create a searchable profile to be included in our database of business professionals. Then as our recruiters have positions that could be a good fit for you, we will proactively make you aware of career-advancing opportunities!

Our career support staff will also provide free advice on:

• Corporate positioning
• Resume writing
• Internet career resources
• Interviewing techniques
  

We welcome your questions and concerns! Please contact us on any matters regarding your career or professional growth. If we can’t help you directly, we will be more than happy to refer you to someone who can!

Cathy Cheng
Career Support Specialist
416-847-4990 ext. 310
Fax: 416-350-9659
e-mail: Career.Support@fulcrumsearchscience.com

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06. Career Humour

Humour is an effective tool to help us cope with the increasing stress of our workday. It can also help us increase productivity and creativeness.

"Humour is a universal language."

Joel Goodman

Employee Handbook

1. Don't be irreplaceable, if you can't be replaced, you can't be promoted.
2. It doesn't matter what you do, it only matters what you say you've done and what you're going to do.
3. Eat one live toad the first thing in the morning and nothing worse will happen to you the rest of the day.
4. When the bosses talk about improving productivity, they are never talking about themselves.
5. To err is human, to forgive is not our policy.
6. Keep your boss's boss off your boss's back.
7. If you are good, you will be assigned all the work. If you are really good, you will get out of it.
8. You are always doing something marginal when the boss drops by your desk.
9. People who go to conferences are the ones who shouldn't.
10. If it wasn't for the last minute, nothing would get done.
11. At work, the authority of a person is inversely proportional to the number of pens that person is carrying.
12. When you don't know what to do, walk fast and look worried.
13. Following the rules will not get the job done.
14. Getting the job done is no excuse for not following the rules.
15. No matter how much you do, you never do enough.
16. The last person that quit or was fired will be held responsible for everything that goes wrong.

Source: http://www.thealders.net/docs/humour.html

Copyright Doug Alder 1998-2003.

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Fulcrum Search Science Inc.
85 Richmond Street West, Suite 702
Toronto, Ontario M5H 2C9
Tel: 416-847-4990
Fax: 416-350-9600
www.fulcrumsearchscience.com

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Cathy Cheng
Career Support Specialist
Fulcrum Search Science Inc.

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