Welcome to the Fulcrum Search Science Third Quarter 2003 Personal Career Management Newsletter!

Those of you who have been reading for years will note a significant change.

First, we have changed our corporate name from Keith Bagg & Associates Inc. to Fulcrum Search Science Inc. While we have been conducting professional and executive level search for over 30 years, we found that in the past decade that companies who didn't know us were confusing us with our sister company, Keith Bagg Staffing Resources Inc., a high quality staffing firm operating at more junior levels.

So we decided to change our name to eliminate the confusion, and we wanted a new name that accurately represented our unique strengths. Recent industry statistics have indicated that our search assignment completion rate is 3 times the North American average. Our name reflects our 3 Core Competencies that have driven this result, namely:

• the leverage of our Process Control - FULCRUM.
• the breadth of our Search - SEARCH.
• the depth of our Candidate Assessment- the SCIENCE of "fit".

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, Bad Career Habits - Why Great People Have Not-So-Great Careers by Ross Macpherson.
• Our Food for Thought Article feature Retirement Compensation Arrangements and Wellness Tips for Professionals - Preventing 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

Market Tip
by John Maybury, Senior Consultant

The follow up thank you letter.

Candidates often feel the need to thank potential employers for the opportunity to have met with them. Whilst this has obvious benefits from a courtesy point of view, it can also have pitfalls, especially concerning incorrect grammar and spelling. When working through a recruiter, always have them check a draft before sending a response. Any errors in the letter can lead to a loss of interest on behalf of the client and your recruiter can help you avoid this embarrassment.

This is no different from making sure that your resume is grammatically correct.

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!

Market Tip
by Bruce McAlpine, CPC, President

We are entering a great season in the economy for the Sales/Marketing function. In the early stages of a soft economy, corporate emphasis is on cost containment/reduction to protect profits. This is when the accounting/finance function takes the spotlight. In the later stages of a soft economy, and at the beginning of a recovery, the emphasis shifts to revenue generation, and Sales/Marketing comes to the fore.

Coupled with this is the end of the summer and the beginning of the fall, when companies "get back to business", resume hiring, and begin to put staffing budgets in place for 2004.

It all bodes well for a strong few months in Sales/Marketing.

For those of you out of work, now is the time to renew your networking calls. For those of you who are working but looking, make sure you have reactivated your contacts in hiring positions.

Always have a purpose for the call. "The reason I am calling you today is because…" And be positive, assuming an interview. Don't go in with the attitude of "I guess not much is happening but I thought I'd touch base anyway."

It's a great time to be in the Sales and Marketing field. Best wishes in your career success.

Bruce McAlpine, CPC, President 416-847-4989 Fax: 416-350-9659 E-mail: Bruce.McAlpine@fulcrumsearchscience.com	Angela Code, CPC, Consultant 416-847-4955 Fax: 416-350-9621 E-mail: Angela.Code@fulcrumsearchscience.com

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

Leaving a Message?
by Silvio Rossi, CPC, Senior Consultant

Every day we make calls and leave messages. We may get a return call or we may not. How do we get that person to return your call?

Unfortunately, there is not a magical answer to this question but what I have learned in the search business is to leave a brief, concise message, indicating a specific time that the person can call you back. You would be surprised how many times I have had to replay messages that were said too fast, not clear and plain incomprehensibly. My rule of thumb is not to leave more than 2 messages as you don't want to be perceived as harassing the person, that are brief and very clear, especially when it comes to the return phone number. If leaving 2 messages doesn't work, try talking to the executive assistant or secretary to find out the best time to call or to leave a message. If all else fails, try email. Just remember, BE CLEAR AND CONCISE.

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

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

03. Feature Article
      

Bad Career Habits: Why Great People Have Not-So-Great Careers

by Ross Macpherson, President, Career Quest

		Working in the career industry, I see literally hundreds of resumes and hundreds of people on a regular basis, and I'm never short of amazed and fascinated at the degree of talent, training, and expertise out there. And then I ask myself, "If there are so many above-average people out there, why are so many getting below-average results in their career?" If I could answer this question, I thought, I'd have the basis for a very good article (if I could bottle it, I could make millions and retire!). The problem actually has nothing to do with how well people do their jobs; rather, the problem lies in the practice of poor career habits. We go to school, get our degrees, upgrade our skills, and earn professional certification, but no one ever taught us how to succeed. We stay at the very forefront of our respective industries, but then shoot ourselves in the foot because we either don't know what to DO with this knowledge and experience, or we keep employing the same poor habits in our career, hoping that one day we'll get a different result. Well, now is the time to change, and the first step is to identify the habits that are getting in our way. Bad Habit #1: Lack of Enthusiasm How many of you wake up refreshed, invigorated, and ready to take on the day with a smile, an abundance of energy, and an "attitude of gratitude"? My guess is, not many. And yet, the most successful people in our world achieve what they do because they bring to it the right passion and the right level of enthusiasm. The problem is, most people approach each day with very little enthusiasm - they crawl out of bed, drag themselves around the house getting ready, travel to work in silence, drag themselves home, fumble through dinner, watch television, pass out, and then look forward to repeating the whole process again tomorrow. NO wonder you lack enthusiasm! Solution: Do what you have to to wake up invigorated, and let those first few hours set the tone for the rest of your day. Sing in the shower, smile to the first person you see, tickle your kids, walk to work (or at least part of the way), listen to music that gets you moving, walk with your head up high (not looking down), and approach your day like it's going to the best yet. If you really want energy, start an exercise regime and improve your diet. It sounds simple, but if it's so simple then why isn't everyone doing it? You'd be amazed what you can accomplish when you bring this kind of enthusiasm and energy to each day! Bad Habit #2: Wishy-Washy Goals and No Plan Someone once said, "A goal is just a dream if it's not written down." Many of us have goals, but they are in our head, they're not specific, and we have no concrete actionable plan to get there - it's just something we want. If you want it badly enough, set the wheels in motion by writing down your goal and putting a sequenced, action-oriented plan together for how and when you will achieve it. The most successful people always have a plan - you should too. Solution: Let's say you want to be the National Sales Manager one day. Put together a plan for what you will need to achieve in order to make that happen, and be sure to include a deadline for achieving it. Then, break down what steps you can start taking NOW to get there, and give each of these steps a deadline too. Then be sure to schedule these steps into your daytimer or whatever method would work best for you to stick to it. It doesn't matter how big or small the step is, as long as it's on the right path, you'll get there! Bad Habit #3: Poor Self-Marketing Many people approach their career as if someone else is responsible for their success. It's the boss's fault if you don't get a promotion or raise, it's the market's fault if your resume is not getting results, it's the interviewer's fault for not asking the right questions, and so on. In order to be successful, you must realize that YOU are responsible for marketing yourself, AND YOU HAVE TO MARKET YOURSELF! Too many talented people either fail to market themselves, or try to do it using outmoded techniques. Your resume and cover letter have to be spectacular and market your value, you must be able to communicate this value in an interview no matter how competent or incompetent the interviewer is, and you must make certain that you and your achievements are known by the right people. Once you employ and master effective self-marketing in your career, YOU become the person in charge of your career and the doors start opening. Solution: Make certain that all of your career marketing documents are top-notch and up to date. If you feel your communication skills could improve, take a class or get some coaching to make certain that you can sell yourself at the drop of a hat. And lastly, make certain that the right people know who you are, what you've done, and what you can do. Believe it or not, your boss doesn't necessarily have the best insight into your achievements and value, so let him/her know as you achieve them, volunteer for projects that get you in front of top people, and start marketing yourself! Bad Habit #4: Trying to Do It All Alone Somewhere along the way, while no one ever told us how to have a successful and rewarding career, we nevertheless came up with the idea that we have to do it all by ourselves. We don't necessarily think we need to fix our cars by ourselves, or re-patch the roof, but somehow people think that their own personal and professional success is a solitary venture. The truth is successful people almost always have a supporting team of individuals to help them reach their goals. They also surround themselves with positive and enthusiastic people who can keep the fires burning inside - a negative group can deflate you even faster than a positive group can inspire you. Solution: Get yourself a mentor, a coach, group of colleagues, etc., to help you achieve you career goals, surround yourself with positive people, and get assistance where you think you need it. Essentially, you're building what I call a Success Team - an invaluable resource to help you achieve your dreams (to see our article on building your Success Team, click here). Bad Habit #5: Giving in to Fear Without question, the biggest thing that keeps talented people from achieving their goals is their own self-imposed fears - fear of failure, of success, of embarrassment or humiliation, or of just trying something they've never tried before. The fears and doubts that keep us from taking any action will not go away unless you refuse to listen to them. Shakespeare said, "Our doubts are traitors, and make us lose the good we oft might win by fearing to attempt." It was true 400 years ago, and its true now. Solution: Change your mindset. Instead of thinking about what could go wrong if you DID take action, take a good look at what would happen if you DIDN'T. Really think about it and the consequences. If you don't take a bold new step to get that new job, what will happen, or not happen? Don't fear trying...fear NOT trying, because that's the real failure. Be strong, be willing to fall down occasionally, be willing to learn from mistakes, be ready to enjoy your successes, stay positive, and boldly move in the direction of your career dreams. Once you start, it creates a chain reaction and a momentum that will move you in the direction of your dreams faster than you can imagine. "Whatever you want to do, or think you can, begin it. Boldness has beauty, power, and magic in it" - Goethe © 2003 Ross Macpherson About the Author Ross Macpherson is the President of Career Quest, a Certified Professional Resume Writer, and a Career Success Coach who has helped thousands of motivated professionals advance their careers. To receive more valuable career advice, contact him at 905-426-8548 or sign up to join his monthly newsletter "Career Quest Café" by visiting www.yourcareerquest.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 - Retirement Compensation Arrangements
• Wellness Tips for Professionals - Preventing Stress

Retirement Compensation Arrangements

Are you:

• An Owner/manager of a small business?
• A Company officer or member of a board?
• A Professional (doctor/ lawyer/dentist/ accountant)?

If you fall into any of the above categories, you might be interested in learning about Retirement Compensation Arrangements (RCA).

What is an RCA?

An RCA is a qualified plan under Section 248 (l) of the Income Tax Act. The employer contributes funds to a trust company, which administers the funds in trust for the purpose of providing retirement income for the employee.

How does it work?

During your working years, the corporation contributes to an RCA on your behalf in your capacity as owner/employee. All contributions by the corporation are 100% tax deductible, and are not taxable to the owner/employee until received in retirement.
All deposits made through a Trustee to the RCA are divided in two parts. 50% goes to the RCA Investment Account, and the other 50% goes to the CCRA (Canada Customs and Revenue Agency) for deposit in the Refundable Tax Account (RTA). Note that monies in the RTA earn no interest.
In your retirement, you, the owner/employee, receive pension benefits from the RCA Investment Account, and monies held in the RTA are refunded to the retiree through the trustee. It is only at this point that you pay income tax on the benefits received.

Highlights:

• Contributions made by the employer are tax deductible.
• Allows the corporation to exceed the maximum benefit and contribution levels applicable to registered plans for selected employees (e.g. Only for key employees).
• Allows buy-back of past years of service for the RCA to deliver the desired 70% pre-retirement income, regardless of when established.
• Avoids administrative compliance standards and fees applicable to registered plans.
• Represents a commitment from the employer.
• Since assets held in RTA are not invested, they are not subject to market fluctuations.
• As the RCA is a trust, it may be creditor protected.
• Not subject to probate with named beneficiary.

Important considerations:

• Before considering RCA, you should ideally be 35 to 50 years old with a minimum of 10 years to retirement.
• Your business should be generating earnings above the small business limit.
• Your annual compensation should be above $75,000.
• You should be maximizing registered retirement and pension options.

Richard Bruton, B.Comm.(Hons.) MIAC, Canaccord Financial Services Ltd.
Tel. 416-867-6006, Toll-free: 1-800-382-9280 x 6006. Discover the value of Independent Thinking.

A. Can't make up your mind? Maybe your subconscious can help you.

Before going to bed, think about your problem and the various choices you could make. Think about each choice clearly in your mind. Tell yourself you're going to make the decision while you sleep.

You may not name the solution the next morning but if you keep trying, you will eventually awaken with your mind made up.

B. Sit down with a pencil and paper and make some lists.

1. List your options.

2. List the consequences of each option.

3. Write your response(s) to this question: What will happen if I don't choose at all? If you don't make a decision, that's a decision in itself and it also has consequences. Once you realize that something is going to happen whether you make a decision or not, you may find the decision easier to make.

If procrastination causes stress in your life, learn to stop putting things off. People don't do their best work under pressure. However, some people convince themselves that if they do so they can avoid dealing with their habit of procrastination. Make a weekly schedule and fill it with lots of time for leisure as well as work. That way, you'll enjoy your playtime because you'll be doing it at the right time, not when you should be working. And when you are working, you won't resent it because you'll know that your leisure time is coming up soon.

People who haven't learned to delegate often feel needlessly stressed. Some are poor delegators because of too little or too much ego. Delegating isn't a matter of dictating to others; it's asking others to assist you by doing tasks they can handle. This gives you more time to do those tasks that perhaps only you can do.

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!

Career Support Specialist
Cathy Cheng
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.

"Humor is a spontaneous, wonderful bit of an outburst that just comes. It's unbridled, it's unplanned, it's full of surprises."

Erma Bombeck

Never say it at work
THINGS YOU'LL NEVER HEAR AN EMPLOYEE TELL HIS/HER BOSS

1. Never give me work in the morning. Always wait until 5:00 and then bring it to me. The challenge of a deadline is always refreshing.

2. If it's really a "rush job," run in and interrupt me every 10 minutes to inquire how it's going. That greatly aids my efficiency.

3. Always leave without telling anyone where you're going. It gives me a chance to be creative when someone asks where you are.

4. If you give me more than one job to do, don't tell me which is the priority. Let me guess.

5. Do your best to keep me late. I like the office and really have nowhere to go or anything to do.

6. If a job I do pleases you, keep it a secret. Leaks like that could get me a promotion.

7. If you don't like my work, tell everyone. I like my name to be popular in conversations.

8. If you have special instructions for a job, don't write them down. If fact, save them until the job is almost done.

9. Never introduce me to the people you're with. When you refer to them later, my shrewd deductions will identify them.

10. Be nice to me only when the job I'm doing for you could really change your life.

11. Tell me all your little problems. No one else has any and it's nice to know someone is less fortunate.

Source: AHAJOKES.COM., www.ahajokes.com/office_jokes.html

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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

Subscription Contact:

Cathy Cheng
Career Support Specialist
Fulcrum Search Science Inc.

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Personal Career Management Newsletter.
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