Comrise Blog

Bringing on Some New Faces!

2011-10-13T16:52:00.003-04:00

Comrise is doing it again!

We're looking to hire some new faces for the next iteration of our Leadership and Mentorship Program! We're looking for aggressive folks, probably relatively recent graduates (or December 2011 grads), for entry-level Account Executive and Recruiter positions! We want some energetic and enthusiastic people to come in here and sweep us off our feet - really prove that you want this opportunity and you're going to take it and make the most of it!

See below for the official job description. Anyone interested can send their resume as an attachment to Campus@Comrise.com to apply!

Our Leadership & Mentorship Program is designed for recent college graduates (Spring 2011 or December 2011) who are interested in pursuing an opportunity within a challenging, collaborative, fast-paced, and entrepreneurial environment. We’re looking for highly motivated self-starters that want to grow with our business and will be committed to our mission.

Comrise will be interviewing recent college graduates for immediate hire. Individuals hired will:

Work full-time in our Hazlet, NJ office

Be self-motivated and be able to multi-task

Possess a strong work ethic and be very career driven

Have the opportunity to earn up to double their base salary in additional commission and bonuses

Be trained in the Business Development and Recruiting operations of the company

Possess excellent interpersonal and written communications skills

Have a BA/BS Degree (all majors considered, IT or Technology related majors are a plus but not required)

Be enthusiastic about having regular contact with clients and building client relationships

Be proficient with the Microsoft Office Suite

Applicants selected for our Leadership and Mentorship Program will be trained and mentored by members of Comrise’s Team including Senior Technical Recruiters, Sales Account Executives, and Comrise Management.

Hired associates will begin with technical recruiting and working alongside Senior Technical Recruiters to get a hands-on overview of the core Comrise’s business function, and will have the opportunity to grow into multiple positions within the company, including both Account Executive and Technical Recruiter positions.

The Power of eMarketing....Conference

2011-10-07T15:41:00.000-04:00

With the week coming to a close, I wanted to let the members of the Comrise Community know that Mohamed Ali,Director of SEO for Comrise Technology, Inc., will bemoderating two panels during next week’s “The Power of eMarketing” Conferencewhich is being held in Providence, Rhode Island on October 12^th and13^th.

The first panel which will be moderated by Mohamed Ali is focused on "Search Marketing - Best Practices," and the topic for second panel is "Key Elements to Organic Search Results." The panels which Mohamed Ali is moderating will be heldon separate days with the Search Marketing panel on day one of the conference and the Organic Search panel to be held in the morning of the second day.

The eMA is an association of emarketing professionals. Members include governments, companies, professionals, and students involved with the emarketing arena. The eMA provides marketing resources, services, research, certifications, educational programs and events to its members and the marketing community. The eMA works with a number of organizations, companies and governments on issues related to eCommerce, multi-channel marketing and legislative issues. The eMA has members in over 40 countries around the world, and sponsors or manages over 30 events a year.

If you or know of anyone who has plans to attend, let us know! In the mean time, have a great weekend and thanks for stopping by!

Too Much Data to Handle?

2011-09-16T17:52:00.001-04:00

If that's the case with your organization, we cordially invite you and your team to an upcoming meetup in your area to learn more about LexisNexis's HPCC Systems.

HPCC Systems™ fromLexisNexis® Risk Solutions offers a proven, data-intensive supercomputingplatform designed for the enterprise to process and deliver Big Data analyticalproblems. As an alternative to Hadoop and mainframes, HPCC Systems offers aconsistent data-centric programming language, two processing platforms and asingle architecture for efficient processing. Customers, such as financialinstitutions, insurance carriers, insurance companies, law enforcementagencies, federal government and other enterprise-class organizations leveragethe HPCC Systems technology through LexisNexis® products and services.

Over the next month, Comrise will be sponsoring a couple of meetups for LexisNexis HPCC Systems in Dayton, Ohio and Washington D.C. to provide a comparison between Hadoop and LexisNexis HPCC Systems. Specifically the presenters will discuss the four key factors that differentiate HPCC Systems from Hadoop, followed by and ending with an open discussion regarding solutions (oh and did I mention there will be food and drinks?)

Click on the link(s) below to see further details and the agenda for the meetups!

LexisNexis HPCC Systems - Dayton, Ohio Meetup

Wednesday,September 22nd, 2011

LexisNexis HPCC Systems - Washington D.C. Meetup

Thursday, October 5th, 2011

Thanks for stopping by! And let us know if you plan on attending!

Summer Picnic 2011 Video Recap

2011-09-01T14:56:00.001-04:00

We can't believe that the end of the summer is already here and that it is over 2 months since we held our annual summer picnic!

Well with the summer coming to an end, we wanted to pass along our memories of Summer 2011 with a video recap of our Summer Picnic which was held in mid-June at Black Bear Lake in Millstone Township, New Jersey.

Although it was not the sunniest of days, we had a blast with our families and members of the Comrise Community from across the country. Thanks again to everyone who attended the picnic and we hope you enjoy the video below! For those who were not able to attend this year, we hope to see you at next year's picnic! (And if you want to see what you missed at this past year's summer picnic...check out the video below!)

Hope everyone has a safe and enjoyable labor day weekend! Enjoy!

At Comrise Diversity Makes the Difference

2011-08-29T11:04:00.002-04:00

As a leading minority-owned IT staffing company, Comrise has always been committed to the principle of diversity as a core part of our operations and mission. It is this commitment that sets Comrise apart and allows us to serve our clients around the world.

Comrise celebrates diversity, and recognizes its strength for our employees, clients, and suppliers. We continue to seek new opportunities to work with companies that value our minority status in forging new business relationships. And Comrise is also committed to passing on the same benefits to its own network of suppliers through our Comrise Supplier Diversity Program.

This is why were especially proud to be recognized as an industry leader on diversity when Staffing Industry Analysts—the global advisor in contingent work—included Comrise on its 2011 Diversity Staffing Firms list.

For more information on the announcement, please visit our website to read the full press release.

Comrise is a people-oriented and relationship-driven company. We attract and retain quality and talented professionals because we value and appreciate their contributions. Our team operates with the highest standards of integrity when it comes to our clients, consultants, and employees.

Become part of the Comrise difference by joining our winning team today. To view the latest open opportunities, visit our job board today.

The Era of Big Data Is Here

2011-08-15T15:31:00.004-04:00

We live in a constantly evolving IT landscape, and one of the most exciting recent developments is undoubtedly the complete explosion of data.

With the emergence of ever-more sophisticated and powerful technologies, businesses and organizations of all types have access to an unprecedented amount of raw data. The ability to efficiently process and analyze these massive amounts of data and to implement applications previously thought to be impractical has enormous implications for addressing some of science and society’s most pressing challenges.

Yet many organizations are struggling with their inability to process all the information available to them in order unlock its full potential. They must first implement the tools that will allow them to manage their data in useful ways. They must first confront what has come to be known as the Big Data Problem.

Comrise is poised to be part of the solution. That is why we are especially excited to announce a new partnership with HPCC Systems, a leading open source, high performance computing cluster platform used to solve customers’ Big Data problems. HPCC’s unique architecture and simple yet powerful data programming language (ECL) makes it a very attractive solution to companies worldwide.

As an HPCC Systems Partner, Comrise is leveraging its global network of talent and resources to provide HPCC-based business solutions to our domestic and global customers—allowing them to unlock the full spectrum of HPCC-related services, such as HPCC Consultation, ECL Training and Implementations, and 24x7 HPCC Support.

For more about HPCC and how Comrise can provide you with the tools and talent to help you unlock its full potential, visit our new partner page at http://www.comrise.com/asp/hpcc.asp.

To Consult or Not to Consult?

2011-08-09T14:25:00.008-04:00

The decision to pursue a consulting opportunity versus a permanent position is often accompanied by a host of questions and concerns. There are a number of factors to consider--including opportunities for career advancement and training, compensation, and career mobility and flexibility--and job seekers must weigh the pros and cons carefully based on their own particular needs and priorities.

As a firm with nearly 30 years of experience in putting people to work, we hope to share the benefit of our expertise to help you in this decision-making process. That is why we are especially pleased to offer our new white paper--"Weighing the Benefits of Consulting vs. a Permanent Position"--at no charge. We hope it will be a helpful resource when considering the next step on your career path.

You can download this white paper for free by clicking here.

At Comrise we are always looking for ways to assemble the latest research and information on contemporary issues facing the staffing industry and to share these resources with hiring managers and job seekers alike. This new white paper marks the first in a series that will appear at our new Comrise White Paper Resource Center. We hope you will check back frequently as we continue to add new resources.

And--as always--we hope you'll continue to visit our job board for the latest openings. There you can easily apply online or set up personalized email alerts to make sure the positions that best fit your skills and interests are delivered to your inbox as soon as they become available.

At Comrise, we look forward to being your partner—not just in a specific job search but in charting your desired career path!

Layoffs

2011-08-01T16:03:00.005-04:00

It's all over the news. HSBC is planning on laying off 30,000 people worldwide. Merck has announced plans to lay off about 12,000. Whether due to actual budgetary issues or perceived threats imposed by changing economic climates, companies are shedding jobs left and right. And of course, all the while U.S. economic growth is still slow, the market is still recovering from the downturn, and all too many American workers are unemployed or undemployed.

While Comrise is always working to find appropriate jobs for qualified job-seekers, 42,000 newly laid-off job-seekers is too much even for us to handle all at once. Folks who find themselves in this unfortunate situation (or fear they may shortly) should remember to check out Comrise's Career Advice Center, full of handy (free!) tips for job-seekers. If it's been a long time since you've had to update your résumé, don't worry - you can find plenty of information and advice regarding résumés, interviewing, and the job search process in general. And for those who're still working currently, it never hurts to have your resume up-to-date.

We sincerely hope that everyone reading this never has to worry about "cost-cutting", "downsizing", "restructuring", or any of the like. But if you're looking for your next opportunity, voluntarily or otherwise, Comrise is here to help. Good hunting!

The Heat Is On....

2011-07-15T11:19:00.004-04:00

Like the temperature outside, the competition for the top IT talent continues to heat up this summer.

A recent survey of hiring managers and HR professionals shows an increase in the percentage of employers who plan to engage contingent workers to meet their hiring needs in the second half of 2011--up to 12% from a reported 9% one year ago. Moreover, a full 50% of employers pointed to a current shortage of skills within their own organizations--citing the most acute needs in the areas of information technology, customer service, and communications.

The race for the most skilled IT professionals is on. And Comrise is poised to help you navigate this marketplace to find the best fit for your skills. Whether your expertise is Java, SEO, or .Net, our seasoned team of recruiters can help you find your ideal job today.

Visit our job board to see all the latest openings for IT positions such as these--among many others. We look forward to working with you to take the next step on your desired career path.

What's In A Name?

2011-06-24T16:59:00.002-04:00

How much do job titles matter, anyways? A Systems Administrator by any other name would do just as much work.

Think back, think of your most ridiculous title. Almost everyone can think of a title they've had (or seen) that was downright absurd, or had no relation whatsoever to the job's actual functions. Sometimes job titles are so vague as to be meaningless. Others are simply meaningless inflation, either to assuage workers in want of a raise or to mask the fact that there is no room for upward movement. It's not a rare occurrence that someone is "promoted" from Senior Director to Executive Director with no change in job responsibilities.

To stick with our first example, how many titles can you think of that apply to the maintenance and optimization of an office's computers? System Administrator, Network Administrator, LAN/WAN Administrator, Network Support... I'm sure you can think of more. While sometimes in very large organizations these can be different roles, most people who have these titles have near in-differentiable job responsibilities.

Confused about what your title might be if you were working at another organization? CompTIA has a TechCareer Compass to help IT folks narrow down just what title (most classically) applies to them, or discover the job functions that are most normally associated with a job title (no matter what you might actually be doing).

While this Compass can point you toward an apt title, it unfortunately can't direct you right to that next perfect job opportunity. Fortunately, that's where Comrise comes in. Happy job hunting!

Summer Picnic Success!

2011-06-17T15:40:00.011-04:00

Hi folks,

Sorry for the delay in this post, it's taken nearly all week to recover from last weekend, when we had our Summer Picnic. We invited our consultants and our clients to join us for a day of fun and games (and food! and a raffle!) at Black Bear Lake in Millstone Township, NJ. Despite the less-than-ideal (but at least not rainy) weather, over 200 people came out to relax and have fun with us.

For those of you who weren't able to join us, we had:

food and drink	beer and wine	funnel cake and sno cones
3 swimming pools	a lake	2 water trampolines
paddleboating	canoeing	kayaking
tennis	basketball	volleyball
a three-legged race	tug of war	water balloon toss

Shall I go on?

2 rock walls	laser tag	2 moon-bounces
segway rides	water slides	a 37 foot slip'n'slide

It was loads of fun, and we're glad we could share it with our clients and consultants! If you're reading this now and want to come join us next year, you know what to do - join us as either a client or a consultant, it's that easy!

For the rest of the pictures, check out our Facebook page.

Congratulations Orjon!

2011-06-10T09:57:00.003-04:00

Here we go again, another fantastic Comrise consultant getting recognized by one of our clients for his excellent performance and work ethic. Kudos to Orjon for consistent outstanding performance!

This of course was a great opportunity for Comrise as well to recognize and reward his accomplishments - so we did! Pictured below are Tony DiGiovanni (Director of Consultant Relations, left), Pat Hagen (Senior Account Executive, right), and our outstanding consultant Orjon (center). After an enjoyable lunch, we gifted Orjon with great tickets to a Yankee game!

Orjon, thanks once again for your excellent work. We sincerely appreciate it. Keep up the good work!

May 19th Consultant Happy Hour

2011-05-23T15:52:00.008-04:00

Another successful consultant happy hour! Thanks to all of those who braved the rain and came out to join us last Thursday. Despite the dreary weather, Comrise took over part of KatManDu in Trenton, a bar even more beautiful and welcoming than its reputation! For three hours (well, officially anyways, some of us may have stayed well into the night) we had food, drinks, and a generally merry time!

Kudos again to Director of Consultant Relations Tony DiGiovanni for organizing the event, and for personally calling up every consultant in a 35-mile radius urging them to come join us. Now that's dedication!

We're looking forward to keeping the momentum up and having an even better summer event! Stay tuned!

Jobs are Up!

2011-05-06T09:39:00.002-04:00

Good news, everyone!

If you haven't been keeping up, this morning was the announcement of the monthly national unemployment figures for April. Analysts expected the number to remain about the same as March, or even decrease slightly (as March had seen an unexpectedly large rise). And, indeed, as predicted, due to overall growth in the labor market with new graduates (it is May, after all) and other people returning to the labor market, the unemployment rate is now back to 9% from 8.8%.

This isn't quite so bad, though. Overall, the economy added 244,000 new jobs last month, far above the 185,000 that were forecast by most analysts. This makes April the third straight month of solid job growth, and makes us well on our way to overall recovery. Keep it up, economy!

And speaking of May and new graduates, there's good news for college grads as well. According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers, 2011 graduates are 4% more likely to already have an offer in hand than their 2010 counterparts. 42% of 2011 seniors who participated in the NACE survey reported having an offer, over 38% last year. You can read more about this year's survey here. Keep it up, employers!

If this isn't good news, I don't know what is!

Showing Our Pride

2011-04-27T14:38:00.005-04:00

Announcing Our New 'Community' Page!

It may be a little behind, but Comrise is proud to unveil our a new page on our website dedicated to our social outreach efforts. If you've been following this blog, you already know about our recent food drive, toy drive, and blood drive, and won't be surprised to hear that we'll be holding many more similar events down the line. Helping our community is important to us here at Comrise, and will continue to be in the future.

This new page will help us keep the world updated on our service projects, and will also serve as a message to the community and to the world that Comrise is here to help. We're proud to lend a hand to our community and we hope to serve as a role model to other organizations that sometimes have trouble seeing beyond the walls of an office building. We believe it's important to use the business platform not only to deliver a product or service, or to make a profit, but also to use the power of the organization to do good for others as well.

Comrise's dedication to the idea of Community has always been visible in our Mission Statement and will now also be visible on our website.

If you have any ideas for future community service projects, or would like to be part of our next one, please let us know! Leave a comment here or email community@comrise.com.

What are you doing to serve your community?

Congratulations Khevna!

2011-04-20T17:12:00.003-04:00

On behalf of the team here at Comrise, we would like to congratulate current Comrise Consultant Khevna Oza at Johnson & Johnson for receiving a certificate of recognition from Johnson & Johnson and WorkSense. Khevna has been recognized for her outstanding performance and continued assistance throughout critical projects and initiatives.

As a token of Comrise's appreciation for Khevna's tremendous efforts, Comrise's Director of Consultant Relations, Tony DiGiovanni, and Senior Technical Recruiter Latish Salian met with Khevna and her manager Randall Drisgula earlier this week to reward her with a pair of tickets to an upcoming New York Yankees game.

Khevna, once again congratulations and thank you for representing Comrise. We appreciate having you as a member of our team and look forward to continuing to work with you in the future.

- The Entire Comrise Team

Our Next Consultant Happy Hour!

2011-04-14T09:16:00.003-04:00

We had such a good time last time (on our March 24th Happy Hour), we decided to do it again! Officially announcing our next Comrise Happy Hour:

May 19th, 6-9pm, at KatManDu in Trenton!
Since the last one was up in Northern New Jersey, we're hoping this location will be friendlier to our friends in Southern New Jersey and the Philadelphia area. All Comrise Consultants, and their managers, are invited!

If you aren't familiar with the place, KatManDu is a pretty snazzy bar and restaurant, and we'll be having our own outdoor patio reserved just for Comrisers, complete with bartender and buffet! You can check out more information about KatManDu itself, or get directions, here.

If you're a current Comrise Consultant, please log in to the Consultant Community portal to RSVP. If you're a manager or anyone else, RSVP to Tony DiGiovanni, Director of Consultant Relations.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Comrise Facebook Riddle Contest

2011-03-30T17:43:00.002-04:00

Comrise is a huge fan of riddles. While sharing them amongst ourselves internally, we thought why not extend this out to our consultants and fans of our Facebook page. Since Comrise likes to reward, we would like to announce our Facebook Riddle Contest to all of you.

Riddle: You are given two empty jars and 100 marbles (50 red, 50 blue) to distribute however you like between the two jars. After you assign the marbles, you will be blindfolded, the marbles will be randomized within each jar, and you will pick one marble from one jar (without knowing which jar it is). With what distribution of marbles can you maximize your chances of picking a red marble?

Step 1: Become a fan of our Comrise Facebook page by “Liking” us
Step 2: Feel free to comment about the Riddle on our Facebook page
Step 3: Be sure to email: facebook@comrise.com your answer
Step 4: If your answer is correct, you will be in the running to win $100
Step 4: We will contact the winner by May 1st at the latest and send you your $100 AMEX Gift Card.

Deadline: May 1, 2011

We look forward to getting your responses and be sure to visit Facebook Comrise to learn more.

Comrise Consultant Happy Hour

2011-03-28T12:52:00.009-04:00

Comrisers sure know how to have a good time and last week we proved it. In-house employees and current consultants shared a good time at the Whiskey Bar in Lyndhurst, NJ this past Thursday (March 24th) for Comrise’s first ever happy hour. A big kudos goes out to Tony DiGiovanni, Director of Consultant Relations for putting this event together. Here at Comrise we know that keeping our consultants happy is every bit as important as keeping our clients happy, so we are working to provide our folks the best possible Comrise working experience.

The event was a great success, according to Tony. "It was so great seeing so many familiar faces and even better to be able to put some new faces to familiar names. I really appreciate everyone coming out, hope you had as much fun as I did, and look forward to seeing you at the next Comrise event!"

From food and drinks to conversation and networking, we had it all. This happy hour was just one of many events we will be holding for the rest of the year ahead. Visit our Comrise Consultant Portal for more pictures and to keep up to date with upcoming Comrise events.

Happy Hour

2011-03-21T12:22:00.012-04:00

Comrise is joining in on the March Madness and hosting a Comrise Consultant Happy Hour!

Consultants, come and join Comrise on March 24th with a Happy Hour at Whiskey Cafe in Lyndhurst, NJ starting at 6PM. This is a free event and we are look forward to seeing all of our consultants there.

Comrise has a dedicated and well-developed Consultant Relations Program headed by Tony DiGiovanni, Director of Consultant Relations. Tony makes it a priority to foster relationships and guarantee the best working experience for all Comrise consultants. We firmly believe in committing our time and efforts to our consultants and our Happy Hour event is only one of many steps we are taking to prove that.

We encourage all of our consultants to join us in celebration of your hard work and to just have a good time!

Who: Comrise Consultants
What: Consultant Happy Hour
Where: Whiskey Cafe in Lyndhurst, NJ
When: Thursday, March 24, 2011 @ 6PM
Why: To get to know each other and have fun!

For more information check out the Consultant Portal!

The Future of 4G

2011-03-17T15:51:00.004-04:00

Talk of 4G now inundates the airwaves; one can hardly watch TV or listen to the radio without hearing commercials for the latest 4G phone or the widest 4G network. Like any new technology, there are plenty of arguments about standards:

Does HSPA count as 4G? What about HSPA+? Which is better, CDMA/WCDMA or GSM? LTE or WiMax?

It's much the same as you might see in other technologies as they emerge.

DVD or Blu-Ray? LCD or Plasma? USB or FireWire?

It's looking, however, like this particular standards battle, namely that of Long Term Evolution (LTE) or WiMax might be coming to a head.
Normally I try to avoid discussing pure speculation, fueling the rumor mill, but this seems to be unavoidable, and therefore worth discussing.

Until now, AT&T and Verizon had their bets placed firmly on the LTE standard, and T-Mobile also has been moving toward LTE, although with a slower start than AT&T and Verizon (and it now seems as if they may struggle to compete in that space. Only Sprint has wagered on WiMax, and it is now looking like they might reverse course. Sprint's WiMax partner, Clearwire, is having some problems of its own, with three of its top executives jumping ship.

If these rumors prove true, and Sprint decides that it cannot rely solely on WiMax to compete with AT&T and Verizon, then what? There is some speculation that Sprint might acquire T-Mobile to take advantage of T-Mobile's 3G HSPA network, but of course there are those who doubt that. Furthermore, if Sprint does acquire T-Mobile's (or someone else's) LTE-compatible network, will they ditch WiMax entirely or will they invest in new dual LTE/WiMax chips which could allow them to make use of both their existing WiMax network and the LTE network which they seem likely to build in the future? The questions are numerous, overlapping, and their answers will have wide-reaching consequences for the entire telecom industry.

What do you think Sprint should do? What will be best for smartphone users? What will be the best for technological innovation? What will be best for you?

Leave a comment below and let us know what you think!

A Small Contribution Can Go a Long Way

2011-03-07T15:02:00.004-05:00

The month of February was definitely a short but very successful month for Comrise as our in-house employees participated in our first ever food drive. Whether it was picking up some extra food at the supermarket or sacrificing some goods from home, everyone was able to contribute to a greater cause.

That’s the culture at Comrise. We care about each other. We are rather fortunate to have satisfying jobs, to be able to provide for ourselves and families that being able to share a little bit of our gratefulness in the form of canned goods here and there is barely a sacrifice. This encouraged us to devote all 28 days of February to promote the Comrise Food Drive (in partnership with Monmouth Ocean County Food Bank).

Just when Monmouth Ocean County's pantry was down to just a few cans, Comrise stepped up at just the right time to fully stock the pantry now with an abundant supply of food for our fellow Hazlet Community Members. From healthy pastas to canned goods to pudding- we got something that caters to everyone.

By participating in the Food Drive, Comrise learned that great results only come through proper team work and we look forward to applying that lesson in all of our work related activities.

Take a look at our donations:

Stay tuned for our next community event!

Comrise Facebook Contest Winner

2011-03-02T15:42:00.003-05:00

2011 is all about goals for Comrise. We have set a number of goals for ourselves, crossing them off upon completion one by one. We set ourselves a goal of having 100 Facebook Fans by February and we were able to do just that. The 100th person liked our fan page on January 31st and gave us an opportunity to celebrate a little. Comrise is constantly looking for opportunities to reward people, whether it be in-house employees, consultants, clients or community members. Therefore, we took this to be the perfect opportunity to reward Jim Feighan, a Comrise Consultant, $100 Amazon gift card. Congratulations Jim, we are honored to give this prize to a Comriser!

Stay tune for our upcoming Facebook Contest #2, count on more prizes to come!

Click here and become a Comrise Facebook Fan now!

LMP2 Training Week 3

2011-02-25T12:46:00.004-05:00

The third week of training at Comrise was, in my opinion, the most interesting of the three. As the trusted Sales Support Associate at Comrise, I found the Account Executive aspect of this business rather intriguing. Recruiting is certainly the cream of the crop when it comes to the staffing industry, so learning about sales seemed like a breath of fresh air. Nonetheless, this was the last week of training for us LMP2s and we came out more knowledgeable about IT terminology than we’ve ever been. Basically, this week was all about dotting the i’s and crossing the t’s to see how the entire staffing process came together. We learned about the art of cold calling and that there did indeed exist a more friendly type of calling, known as warm cold calling. I found that the differences between being an AE and a recruiter are quite vast, though often run parallel. While being a recruiter requires being able to spark a conversation and build rapport out of thin air each candidate at a time, an AE’s focus is more on the long run, maintaining that relationship for future job reqs.

What I really liked about training was being able to shadow senior level Account Executive's and Technical Recruiters and see the different tactics and techniques everyone uses, making each style work for them. I find it so interesting and yet still ponder on how I will fit in that picture. I am looking forward to seeing what I can do to help further Comrise as a company and more importantly develop in my own career.

LMP Week 2

2011-02-18T13:12:00.008-05:00

Well it has been 2 weeks since we started the LMP2 program and we have officially gone through the entire recruiting process and I was able to see what I would eventually be doing while working at Comrise. We had sessions in the morning and then the afternoon was followed by shadowing the recruiters. This gave us an opportunity to see how different recruiters have different styles and tactics they use to find candidates for jobs. Next week we will get an opportunity to learn about what the account executives do which is the other half of the staffing business. All of this training will lead up to our final exam after which we dive right in and contribute to this fine company.

This past week was also a lot of fun because we had an opportunity to go a great Chinese restaurant to celebrate Chinese New Year. This was a chance to relax with the entire Comrise staff and get to know one another while eating some great food.

I am looking forward to starting my job as a recruiter and working with the entire staff here at Comrise. Everyone here has been very helpful and friendly and working with them will be a very rewarding experience as well as a lot of fun. The leadership and mentorship program here is definitely a great way to start within the company and will provide you with all the skills necessary to be successful in this business.

Comrise China announces new President, Robert Fonow

2011-02-16T17:09:00.005-05:00

Comrise Board of Directors announced this morning our new Comrise China President. We are happy to have Robert on board and have high hopes for him. He comes from a rather experienced background: Fonow serves on the board of three other Chinese companies and is a highly experienced international turnaround manager, executive troubleshooter and government affairs expert in manufacturing and services. Fonow graduated from The London School of Economics and then the University of Wales, following service in the US Air Force. Over the course of his career, Fonow has published several monographs and numerous articles on international telecommunications and management troubleshooting.

Working with Liana Pan, the company’s General Manager, Robert will oversee the organization’s efforts to rapidly expand in the growing China market, as Comrise plans to open five additional offices in China within the next two years.

On behalf of the Board of Directors for Comrise China, Sincia Liu said, “Bob was nominated and selected based on his track record and background in executive management and leadership with Global companies on their development and expansion efforts in the Asia Pacific regions. He will be able lead and guide the team to deliver best in class service in talent planning, acquisition, and management for our Multinational and local clients in China. We also expect closer collaborations between our US and China offices to enrich our customers’ experiences on both shores.”

Regarding his new position, Rob said, “The Human Resources sector in China continues to grow rapidly and this will provide Comrise with a unique opportunity to integrate operations into an organization with global reach and success. I’m impressed by the energy and capability of Comrise China staff, and look forward to helping Comrise continue its growth into a leading international HR and consulting firm in China and Asia – beginning right now!”

We love Robert's high spirits as it fits perfectly with the Comrise environment.

Welcome to the team Robert, we are glad to have you on board!

Happy (Belated) Chinese New Year

2011-02-11T17:09:00.005-05:00

One of the best Comrise traditions that we like to celebrate as a company is ringing in the new Chinese year. Although we are a diverse group and may not have always celebrated this tradition with our own families and previous roles, it is a Comrise company tradition I've personally come to enjoy.

2011 marks "The Year of the Rabbit" (beginning on February 3, 2011). This Chinese zodiac, one of 12, is most well known for velocity and agility. As a company, Comrise hopes to take on the year with motivation and adaptability. We're excited about many new successes and projects that are sure to emerge during this year. Even better - the last "rabbit year" was 1999 which brought many companies economic group at the height of the dotcom boom. We know this year will not disappoint!

Our entire US team took time to celebrate this upcoming year by sharing a luncheon together at Crowne Palace in Marlboro, NJ. What better way to ring in a new year full of hopeful prosperity and luck?

1st LMP training week

2011-02-09T17:32:00.003-05:00

My first week as a LMP associate was an eye opening experience with an intense training program; to effectively prepare me for my future career endeavors within Comrise. The staff and management took the time to instruct concise, informative lectures and programs. In the first week the conductor of the class was a former LMP associate, Todd Snider. He took on the challenge to revamp and extend the LMP program, while making it a more detailed training program. Our first week topics were the recruiting and sales process, a formal introduction to Comrise and effective candidate screening. As the weeks follow, I am looking forward to learning more about negotiation tactic, closing deals, time management and maintaining good relations with our clients.

The Comrise management team is also one of the warmest and kindest staffing team anyone could ever meet! Comrise has truly invested their time not only into their clients and consulting, but to their LMP associates as well. They prioritize solid relationship with their LMP associates because they truly want to see us succeed develop in our new careers here at Comrise.

P.S. The next LMP Class has a great path in front of them. No matter what they do, they will grow! No “mess-up” is a mistake…it’s a real life learning experience!

Looking Back - Part 2

2011-02-09T11:13:00.002-05:00

I am a recent May 2010 graduate from Rutgers University who was brought onto the Comrise team as a part of our LMP Class 1. I began my career here with Comrise learning the core of the staffing business as a recruiter. I then went on to further learn about Sales and Marketing. I primarily serve as the Marketing Associate along side as the Supplier Diversity Coordinator, Community Chair, and Business Development Associate. I enjoy serving in many areas within the company and find that working in all of these functions has allowed me to fully learn about the business world, staffing in specific.

A further look into what I’ve worked on while at Comrise:

- In the marketing arena, I currently carry out all marketing duties including: creating marketing material, website design, working closely with our e-marketing initiatives, etc.
- I fully embraced the importance of diversity and was given the privilege of attending the NMSCD Supplier Diversity Conference in Miami. I was able to leverage the contacts I made to build trustworthy and fruitful business relationships with Fortune 500 companies.
- I have also held many community events, including: a blood drive, toy drive, food drive, while many more community outreach events are on the way.
- With my sales activities, I was able bring in a new client, allowing Comrise to break into the European Market.

To read about Todd's experiences, please see Looking Back - Part 1.

Looking Back - Part 1

2011-02-09T11:09:00.002-05:00

I joined Comrise in June 2010 as a fresh college graduate, entering the Leadership and Mentorship Program. After training in multiple aspects of the business, I now serve in multiple roles throughout the company. I am a member of the Data Team, keeping a watchful eye over Comrise’s proprietary database, running reports and looking for ways to increase efficiency in how the database is used. I serve as an Account Executive for several clients, with a focus on financial firms in the tri-state area. My primary role is to lead up the new Mobility Practice that Comrise is launching, developing a specialization in mobile technologies. This role includes new business development as well as technical recruiting in that area. I have also recently begun leading the training of more recent college hires, ensuring that future classes of college graduates receive the best possible training upon joining the company.

I look forward to ensuring the continued success of Comrise in the variety of roles that I perform in the company.

To read about Mansi's experiences, please see Looking Back - Part 2.

Comrise Food Drive

2011-02-03T16:11:00.001-05:00

At Comrise we hold high expectations for ourselves when it comes to community efforts. We confidently pledge to serve our community in all areas possible and for this month of February when the shelves at the food bank are at their lowest level Comrise will be holding a much needed Food Drive. We will be partnering with the Monmouth Ocean County Food Bank to collect non-perishable food items to fight hunger one family at a time.

WHO: Comrise In-house NJ Team, Clients and Comrise Consultants

WHAT: Food Drive for the Monmouth Ocean County Food Bank in Red Bank, NJ

WHERE: Comrise Headquarters in Hazlet, NJ

WHEN: February 1st - February 28th 2011

We would like for our community base to support us in our endeavor of being a local company working towards a global scale. If you have any input or food items, please share with us.

100 - Our Lucky Number!

2011-01-31T14:15:00.007-05:00

Social media is everywhere, quite literally. Comrise has fully embraced social media and is looking to broaden our online community. By February, our goal is to have 100 Fans on Facebook. One person will be drawn as a winner and we are always looking to show our gratefulness to our community members.

Facebook, serves as a vital information portal for Comrise where you can learn about Comrise the company, Comrise the culture, events, news and so much more. Take a moment to "Like" us on Facebook and take a peek around our profile. We always have a lot of exciting events and news to share you. Plus, stay tune for more fun contests to come!

Help us reach our "100 Fans" goal, by the end of this week one of our fans will be winning a $100. Only 9 more fans away from a winner!

Click on the link below and “Like” our fan page!

Comrise on Facebook

2011 Kick-Off!

2011-01-28T16:09:00.002-05:00

Okay, so it's already a few weeks into 2011, but snow storms kept interfering with our scheduling plans - so this week, Comrise (finally) held our Kick-Off Celebration for 2011! The entire in-house staff met to discuss the lessons we've learned in 2010, our plans and goals for 2011, and — most important — to re-energize!

We've set an aggressive company goal for this year, and only by supporting each other and creating a feedback loop of energy and motivation will we be able to reach it. Now, thanks to the Kick-Off, we're focused, we're invigorated, and we're ready to tackle the new year! Bring it on, 2011!

Let Freedom Ring

2011-01-21T17:12:00.002-05:00

Check out the following email that was sent out to the Comrise Staff on Martin Luther King Day in celebration of his efforts:

It was 48 years ago that one black man stood up on behalf of all colored men for justice. In 1963 Martin Luther King Jr. gave one of the most famous speeches in American History, "I Have a Dream." It serves as a pivotal moment in our history marking the dawn of a new era, an era which we experience today with equality, brotherhood and complete nationalism. As a country we have come a long way, yet we have far to go. Today on Martin Luther King Day, lets take a moment to show our gratitude to King by adopting his dream as our own. Comrise being a minority owned company is at an advantage as we already pride diversity as our number one strength. Take a look at the excerpt below from King's "I Have a Dream" Speech and share your thoughts on how we can better implement King's vision here at Comrise or even our personal lives.

"I say to you today, my friends, that in spite of the difficulties and frustrations of the moment, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal."

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at a table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a desert state, sweltering with the heat of injustice and oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day the state of Alabama, whose governor's lips are presently dripping with the words of interposition and nullification, will be transformed into a situation where little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls and walk together as sisters and brothers.

I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.

This is our hope. This is the faith with which I return to the South. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.

This will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with a new meaning, "My country, 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrim's pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring." ~Martin Luther King Jr.

Holidays serve as a reminder for us a collective Comrise group of what we can do best to celebrate this holiday. For us Comrisers, we look forward to truly implementing King's thoughts and beliefs in our work and personal lives.

Comrise's 2010 Consultant of the Year

2011-01-07T10:11:00.012-05:00

Congratulations to our all of our consultants who were nominated for this year's award!

We are pleased to announce our winners of the 2010 Comrise Consultant of the Year contest:

1st Place — Gail Gladson, CAPA Administrator/Specialist (Medical Technology)

2nd Place — Vikram Arora, Business Analyst (Medical Technology)

3rd Place — Jim Groff, Systems Administrator (Telecommunications/Electronics)

About Our Winner:

Gail Gladson was nominated by our client for a second consecutive year. Gail was born and raised in Cranford, N.J. She attended Kean University earning a baccalaureate in music. Afterward she attended Mason Gross School of the arts, earning a Master’s in Music. Additionally, Gail achieved certification from Pace University in UNIX and C++.

Gail currently works for our client as a Quality System Administrator.

According to a manager at our client-site,

“Gail has been a tremendous asset to our organization in 2010. Her professionalism, dependability, and positive 'can do' attitude has been well received, and an influence to others. When senior management requires immediate resolution to outstanding quality issues Gail gets the job done immediately. Overall I’ve been very impressed with her abilities, enthusiasm, and being a team player. By having Gail as a part of my team, I’m guaranteed another successful, and productive year in 2011.”

Gail serves as a reflection of our hard work and dedication to our clients. We firmly believe in delivering the best and look forward to the start of the Consultant of the year contest for 2011.

New Years Resolutions

2011-01-03T11:04:00.000-05:00

New Years is a time for looking back at whom we were in the past year, and forward to whom we’d like to be in the future. It’s a time for personal and professional resolutions for the new year. This goes not just for people but for companies, too. The question is, can we follow through?

As a professional, what will your career-oriented resolutions for this new year be? Will you propose that bold idea to your boss, even though it’s not been tried before? Will you be more active in seeking out that next promotion within the company? Will you take the leap to another position, even if there’s some risk involved? Will you proactively fix up your résumé so you’ll be ready when the right offer comes along? Or will you enroll in that course to keep your skills sharp and up-to-date?

As a company, we’re always working to better ourselves so we can better serve you, and New Years is no exception. Our pledge is to get even better at helping you achieve your goals. Our perpetual resolution is to improve our responsiveness and turnaround time, to help you realize your resolutions in this new year.

What are your resolutions for the new year, and how can we help you meet them? Let us know by leaving a comment!

Holiday Luncheon Pictures!

2010-12-22T10:17:00.009-05:00

Last week the annual Comrise Holiday Luncheon was held at Salt Creek Grille in Rumson, New Jersey. Our New Jersey team took a well-deserved break from work to celebrate the work we've done and reflect on the outgoing year. It may have been cold outside, but it was warm and friendly inside!

A special thanks goes to Susan Knudson and Fran Banks for arranging an entertaining and relaxing (and delicious!) holiday luncheon for the Comrise team.

Congratulations also go out to this year's winners of our annual in-house Comrise Awards, who were announced during the luncheon. In no particular order:

       "Funniest Employee of the Year" - Deb Chen

       "Rookie of the Year" - Todd Snider

       "Unsung Hero of the Year" - Susan Knudson

       "Teammate of the Year" - Aditi Jaitly

       "MVP - Most Valuable Professional" - Aditi Jaitly

As we prepare for the end of the year and gear up for 2011, we'd like to wish everyone in the Comrise Community Happy Holidays and a safe and successful New Year! We hope you and your families have an enjoyable holiday season!

For more pictures of the luncheon, check out our Facebook page to see the complete album.

Toys Toys Everywhere!!

2010-12-16T11:40:00.006-05:00

Imagine a school full of children…wait, ok so that’s pretty normal.

Imagine a school full of children accompanied by their parents, local companies like Comrise and other community members, all working together for a greater cause! That was the scene at the Beers Street School in Hazlet, NJ, on Monday night. Comrise joined the RAINE Foundation’s Toy Drive and Toy Wrapping Event and found ourselves swept up in rolls and rolls of wrapping with toys everywhere.

The school’s halls were packed not only with people but with more toys than a your typical toy store would carry. We began by sorting the donated gifts by age group and gender, and then began the wrapping! From Dora the Explorer dolls to skateboards, we wrapped it all and had a blast while doing it!

A gift is a perfect way to show someone you love them, but while some of us are able to do that without question, many cannot afford it. We felt it our duty as responsible community members to offer our dedication to our neighbors so they too can celebrate this Holiday Season. We hope you will join us at our next Comrise Community event!

Take a look at some of the photos from our night with RAINE below, and check out our Facebook page for more!

The Perfect Holiday Recipe

2010-12-12T22:55:00.004-05:00

It is that time of the year to cook up some Holiday Spirit and we wanted to share with you Comrise’s famous Holiday Recipe:

-1 cup of our time
-3 pinches of Holiday Spirit
-15 teaspoons of Comrisers
-200 pounds of gifts
-400 families in need
-And a whole lot of love!

Comrise’s dedication to its community is undeniably great. As stated in our mission statement, “We are responsible to the communities in which we live and work and to the world community as well. We must be good citizens – and support good works and charities.” Taking these words to heart, Comrise will be participating in the RAINE Foundation's Toy Drive and Toy Wrapping Event this Monday, (12/13/2010) at 6PM. We encourage all of our consultants, clients and community members to join us in our efforts of improving our world one step at a time. Being a local company that works on a global scale, Hazlet is our home, and our first step towards making our community a better place to be.

So come join us and stay tuned for an update on our experience.

Who: The Comrise Staff plus the Hazlet Community
What: RAINE Foundation Toy Drive and Toy Wrapping event
Where: Beers Street School in Hazlet, NJ
When: Dec. 13th 2010 @ 6PM
Why: Comrise is dedicated to serving our community and growing as a team while working together for the greater good.

Don't miss out on the fun!

Leadership & Mentorship Program 1.5!

2010-12-03T18:51:00.009-05:00

You heard right! Comrise will be launching its 2nd (well actually 1.5) Leadership & Mentorship program (formerly known as Leadership in Training) in the beginning of January 2011.

Originally the plans were to launch the 2nd annual Leadership in June of 2011, but because of the results produced by the 1st LMP class (Kudos Todd Snider, Mansi Patel, and Dhawal Kapadia), we are starting earlier in our recruiting process.

By mid-January, we will be bringing more bright, young minds on board to join the diverse and established Comrise team of Technical Recruiters and Account Managers.

Below is a brief overview of the Leadership & Mentorship Program. If you are a recent graduate and interested in applying for the program, visit our website and search:

à "Associate, Leadership and Mentorship Program 2011"

à under "Job Search"

à select "Apply."

Overview:

Comrise’s Leadership & Mentorship Program is a full-time opportunity designed for recent college graduates, who are self-starters interested in working in a collaborative, fast-paced, and entrepreneurial environment.

This is a program designed for Associates to begin by becoming fluent in the core competency of our business, which is technical recruiting. To ensure the professional development and fluency of our Leadership and Mentorship Program Associates, Comrise provides mentorship from our highly qualified and experienced technical recruiting and business development teams. By learning and experiencing the core function of the business, associates will facilitate their transformation into future leaders.

Qualifications:

Candidates must be have a Bachelors degree - All majors excepted (B.S. in Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering, or a related field is preferred)
Overall understanding of Information Technology (IT) is preferred.
Knowledge of Boolean search techniques and social networking such as LinkedIn and Facebook is strongly preferred
Demonstrated experience in internet based research
Excellent interpersonal skills required and experience with cold-calling or other professional phone call activity is a plus.
Ability to work in a team-oriented environment
Proficiency in MS Word, Excel, and Outlook is required

Questions or inquiries about the program? E-mail leadership@comrise.com

Potluck / International Thanksgiving - November 18, 2010

2010-11-23T08:53:00.002-05:00

Last Thursday, Comrise held its annual Potluck/International Thanksgiving day at the office in recognition of the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday, and also to celebrate the diversity within the Comrise team.

Each employee brought in a choice dish or dessert that was either prepared by themselves, bought from a bakery, or even prepared by a friend/family member (well, I guess that is the category I fall under).

The lunch included everything from traditional Chinese food to Hungarian food (Goulash).

For dessert, there was Tiramisu, fresh-baked cookies, and the fan-favorite Brooklyn cannolis.

Other items on the menu:

Indian - Chicken Biryani, Kachori, Samosas, Dhum Aloo, Lamb Seekh
Polish - Kielbasa
Italian - Vegetable Lasagna, Goat Cheese & Pesto Pasta,
Miscellaneous: Sweet Potato Crisp, Fresh Mozzarella, Broccoli & Cheese Casserole

A very special thanks to each Comrise employee for their efforts in making this year's Potluck/ International Thanksgiving Day a memorable and delicious event.

Looking forward to another great event in 2011!

Want to see pictures posted from the event? Visit our Facebook Page for the complete album

Top Ten Most Promising IT Jobs

2010-11-13T15:22:00.005-05:00

Nearly a decade ago, many industry analysts warned that IT degrees would not be worth as much as they had been during the unprecedented dot-com bubble. Well, it seems that they were wrong. So many IT firms (not just the biggies like Google and Apple) are in the process of expanding company operations and purchasing new offices for new hires. Companies in virtually every industry sector are in need of IT professionals and are luring them with competitive salaries and bonuses. Many of the big-name companies are bringing IT services in-house while smaller firms are relying on outsourced providers more heavily. Regardless of the size of the company, almost all of them are in need of IT professionals.

Based on government statistics and industry averages, there are trends that show the following 10 jobs to be the most promising and in-demand for companies over the next 10 years:

1. Information Systems Manager. The primary roles and responsibilities for this position does vary based on employer, however IS Managers are in charge of determining the “big-picture” technology strategies for firms. These individuals must combine their educational/computer training with business savvy and make decisions about things such as servers, bandwidth, and desktop tools for their respective companies.

2. Database Administrator. DBAs are in charge of ensuring the security and accessibility of information for customers/clients/employees. They design, implement, and maintain any given organization’s database. These requirements are very in-demand, primarily because of the difficulty to fill them.

3. Operating System Developer. It is somewhat of a myth that very few companies would hire or require “operating systems” managers, however, they are now needed for more devices apart from just PC’s. Manufacturers of automobiles, cellphones and refrigerators are truly reliant on skilled graduates of IT degrees to develop custom software platforms. So, the next time you drop a coin into a fancy-looking soda machine, you should remember that machines as simple as this could need operating systems too!

4. Application Developer. It is undeniable, that one of the most exciting fields for recent grads in Computer Science degree programs, from the employee-side is to build applications. Sometimes they could be working for large companies, or even working for third-parties on a contractual basis.

5. Computer Systems Analyst. Computer systems analysts essentially would work closely with information systems managers. These individuals would focus on digging deeper into the kinds of tools that companies use to solve their computing challenges.

6. Computer Systems Designer. Many computer systems designers spend their time focused exclusively on a single function or on a particular section of a larger software project.

7. Data Processing Specialist. While managers and administrators provide platforms for company data, teams of specialists would ultimately assure the accuracy of that data. In large organizations such as banks and high-transactional brokerage firms, skilled data processing specialists would handle complex tasks like backups or data transfer.

8. Web Hosting Technician. A decade ago, it probably might not have seemed very probable that web hosting would be as universal and as reliable as electricity or running water. There are so many companies and individuals that rely on their online promotional sites, applications, and photo libraries and it truly is important to have solid web hosting technicians.

9. Computer Support Specialist. Microsoft was once famous for its vision statement, "a computer on every desk." Now that we have mostly realized that dream, computer users require an unprecedented amount of technical support which these Specialists would provide.

10. Desktop Publisher. Not every hot technology career requires a bachelor’s degree. Many small companies rely on print shops and commercial printers to give their material a professional polish. Larger companies rely on staff members with computer training to produce internal documents like reports or employee handbooks.

Missing any jobs from the list? Please comment below and let us know!

Happy Halloween from the Comrise Team !

2010-10-29T17:47:00.006-04:00

On behalf of Comrise, we’d like to wish the Comrise community a happy (and a safe) Halloween!

Comrise kicked of the holiday earlier today with some inner office trick-or-treating (actually mostly treating )

It was an interesting day at work as many of our employees came to work dressed up in costumes.

One colleague came dressed as a human spider web, another as a Halloween hallmark card, and another employee came with a monkey on his back..literally. He was the man with the yellow hat from Curious George! See some of the pictures below!

For those of you not familiar with Curious George, here’s the link (http://pbskids.org/curiousgeorge/)

Anyways, for those of you in need of a last minute costume idea, we decided to include some costume ideas, however, be wary, these are not your traditional costume ideas; these are what we like to consider the top 10 “Halloween IT Costumes” (broken down by theme) Enjoy!

Oh and if you have any other creative costume ideas..IT-related, feel free to leave a comment! Happy Halloween !!!!!'

Official Mascots:

the Linux penguin
the Drupal drop

Unofficial Mascots:

the Apple colorwheel (spinning colorwheel of death)
the Microsoft paper clip
the BSOD (blue screen of death)

More Personalized:

Your Favorite Relational Database
Your Favorite Programming Language

More Abstract: (bonus points for difficulty!)

Object-oriented languages
Inheritance
Open-source

Comrise goes to NMSDC Conference

2010-10-29T15:55:00.000-04:00

The National Minority Supplier Diversity Council (NMSDC) held their annual conference just this past week in Miami. My experience at the conference increased my awareness of diversity in the work place. It was so great to see thousands of faces that represented all different and unique backgrounds with the purpose of fostering mutually beneficial business relationships.

Revisiting some highlights of the conference, I especially recall Scott Page, a well known and admired professor from University of Michigan, who provided insight on diversity in the work force. Professor Page emphasized the importance of diversity over ability. Diversity in the work place gives birth to different views and ideas as well as challenges people to think on a higher level. Not only is diversity the right and moral way to live and work, but it brings real measurable profit to the workplace. At Comrise, we fully embrace this concept and make full use of the diverse nature of our staff. It is this diversity of people and ideas that makes Comrise so successful!

It is for these same reason, many companies are increasingly turning to diverse vendors for resources, such as talent acquisition or marketing and promotions. After having attended the NMSDC Conference, I better understand the importance of these Supplier Diversity Managers and see how they serve as advocates for improving the quality of their respective workplaces.

All in all, the conference was a complete success for Comrise and we look forward to being more involved in the NMSDC - we have lots of work ahead of us!

Job Search V. Self Search

2010-10-15T17:46:00.002-04:00

The raging flood of unemployment is still drowning many Americans in a land of hopelessness. The unemployment rate still rests at 9.6% with what seems like no intention of improvement. Those of us who are lucky enough to have a job in this current economic state certainly have something to be grateful for. As for those individuals that are fighting for their chance to get their foot in the door, hang in there! The stresses of job hunting very easily takes over people’s mind as pressure from family and society builds up and a sense of failure begins to define them.

But wait…

We somehow have forgotten the bigger picture in life. Some may recall being in that ever-lasting 9.6% of people unemployed and waking up every morning with the thought of, “Oh my God, I am unemployed, what am I doing with my life?” But how about turning that anxiety into a sense of excitement of, “How can I use my free to time not only job search but also self search?” Many times we get caught up in the actions of searching for a job that we forget to think about our careers and life goals.

Here are some helpful tips in making the most of these tough employment times:

Define or redefine your career path to remind yourself why you became interested in it and how you can excel in it.
Create a target list in terms of what kind of position you are looking for and with what kind of company you would want to work for.
Put together a schedule of how many applicable positions you want to apply to and stick to it.
Equally important: define your life goals and make sure your career is in line with it.
Then, ask yourself if the job you are applying for will serve as a tool to help you move further OR if you are signing off to become a tool for your job.
Most importantly… just enjoy life! We often get caught up in the thoughts of being unemployed and the actions of applying to jobs that we forget to make the most of that time we have to ourselves.

I’ll leave you with this note: introspection is one of the most important steps of job hunting. “Your work is to discover your world and then will all your heart give yourself to it.” - Buddha

Stuxnet and the Tech World

2010-10-01T15:04:00.009-04:00

Alright, so, Stuxnet. If you haven’t already heard about it, it’s the hot (tech) topic of the day, and it’s pronounced just like you think [stʌksnέʔ]. Stuxnet is a computer worm, a piece of malware that was apparently engineered to target energy infrastructure systems. It’s been reported in India, Pakistan, Indonesia, and most notably Iran.

I won’t discuss the ethical or political implications of Stuxnet and the imitators it’s sure to inspire, nor will I talk about Myrtus or 19790509 embedded in the code. I will, however, touch upon the technical implications of the worm and what it means for the computing world, including the job market.

First, the nature and scope of the architecture of Stuxnet seems to indicate not the work of a single or even a handful of individuals, but a highly-organized team of developers. Imagine your team, or a team you’ve seen, a team of 10 developers. Maybe some pair programming for specific functions, and you’ve got a team of highly-intelligent developers creating a complex and sophisticated piece of engineering explicitly for the purpose of infecting computer systems. This is a significant escalation – you’ll notice that the words used in the press and online to describe malware are the same as are used to describe nuclear weapons – in the production process, in the ‘malware arms race’ as it were.

What does this mean for the tech industry? Time to invest in Symantec*. Or start studying computer security. If the offensive side of malware production has kicked it up ten notches, then the defensive side is sure to attempt to catch up. For every one virus that’s out there, there are hundreds of companies with systems and databases that they’d like to keep secure. And now that malware is targeting not only software but also industrial control systems, there are going to be lots of companies out there who’ll be willing to pay more to keep their systems secure. And companies like Symantec are going to have to adjust (probably in size, certainly in sophistication) to keep up with these new technological demands.

Second, Stuxnet infects not only systems connected to the internet and internal networks, but also isolated systems via USB drive. Turns out all those spy movies and TV shows where someone like Sydney Bristow or Michael Westen breaks into a secure facility and then all they have to do is insert a thumb drive into a computer to steal files or plant a virus are more accurate than I usually give them credit for.

What does this mean for you? If you work in a secure facility (whether it’s for the military or for an investment bank or a pharmaceutical company – any facility with information on the inside that isn’t supposed to be on the outside), and you see a USB drive in the parking lot or in the lobby, don’t put it into your computer. Curiosity not only killed the cat, but it also shut down the uranium enrichment facility. If you just can’t stand the suspense, do it on your personal, isolated, not-connected-to-anything laptop, and then be prepared to clean and patch it diligently.

What will the actual consequences be? Only time will tell. But this will probably go down as a significant moment in the history of malware, and is certainly a significant moment right now for the field of cybersecurity.

*Disclaimer:
This is a technology blog, not a finance blog. Please take any financial advice presented here with a grain of salt and at your own risk.

Comrise Blood Drive

2010-09-27T08:59:00.005-04:00

Kindness is a language of its own that can be expressed in innumerable ways. Upon learning of the lack of blood units needed in the Hazlet community, Comrise immediately spoke the language of kindness by organizing a blood drive. Facts like every two seconds someone in the U.S. needs blood or how four lives can be saved by donating just one unit, truly encouraged many Comrise in-house employees to want to participate in the Comrise Blood Drive.

The blood drive was most definitely a big stride for Comrise in becoming a more active member in our Hazlet Community. We were successfully able to have 22 volunteers donate their time and in total collect 15 units of blood.

Despite the busy work, employees from management, recruiting, sales and our support staff took out the time to help our fellow community members in need. There was a certain sense of excitement in the air as my fellow colleagues along with our neighboring companies lined up outside the Central Jersey Blood Truck waiting for their turn to donate.

The Comrise Blood Drive is certainly only the beginning of our charitable acts in our community. Look out for our further opportunities to participate in our Hazlet Township Community in the next months to come. We encourage all of our past and current consultants to join us in our commitment to our community.

Comrise Referral Contest!

2010-09-22T14:05:00.006-04:00

One announcement to come out of last week’s Consultant Reunion Dinner – the first ever Referral Contest!

What’s that, you ask?

Comrise has a long-standing Referral Bonus Program in place that pays people for referring quality candidates who then get placed. If you recommend someone who gets hired, you get paid – that simple.

Now, however, in addition to the Referral Bonus Program, we’re introducing a Referral Contest open to current and former consultants. The rules are as follows:

Send us resumes.

That’s it. Send us quality resumes. Whoever sends the most resumes wins. Simple. So start asking your friends, family, neighbors, anyone who works in or around IT for their resumes, then send them to referrals(at)comrise(dot)com!

And the kicker is, whether you win one of the prizes associated with the Contest or not – and they’re awesome prizes, I mean, who wouldn’t want an iPad? – every single resume sent our way is still eligible for the Referral Bonus Program. If they get placed, you get paid. So not only do you get closer to winning a sweet prize by submitting more resumes, but you also increase your odds of reaping the benefits of our Referral Bonus Program. You can win twice, or more!

Consultant Reunion Dinner - A Review

2010-09-20T12:20:00.006-04:00

Despite the freak storm (and tornado!) on Thursday, the dinner was a great success! We were afraid the downpour would keep some of our guests from attending, but the vast majority of them toughed it out and joined us, some coming from as far as Virginia and Connecticut to celebrate. These current and former consultants were rewarded for their bravery with warm conversation, delicious authentic Shanghai cuisine, and even some karaoke! We, in turn, were honored by their presence and were happy to recognize them for the hard work they've done for us over the years.

By the end of the night, the Comrise In-House Team was all smiles:

Did you attend? If so, what did you think of the night? Did you have fun? What would you like to see in the future?

Couldn't make it? Tell us what sorts of events you'd like to be a part of for next time!

Any and all comments are welcome. Just click the 'Comments' link below...

Comrise Technology Consultant Reunion Dinner

2010-09-15T08:53:00.001-04:00

Here at Comrise we believe in working hard, but this week we plan on playing just as hard! Comrise has planned a much-anticipated event this Thursday, September 16th. We wanted to acknowledge our consultants for their hard work and have organized a dinner and reunion for former consultants from two clients to show our appreciation. We’re looking forward to reconnecting with everyone, some of whom have worked with us way back in the early 90’s and some just more recently. We believe in investing in our consultants, for it is because all of them that we have been successful for 26 years, and going strong!

Things our guests can expect this Thursday:

- The best Chinese cuisine in the state of New Jersey
- An opportunity to network and reconnect with former colleagues
- Karaoke - a Comrise favorite!
- Most importantly, a night devoted to honoring your hard work

We look forward to seeing these consultants and having a memorable night! Stay tuned next week for an update on our event, and keep an eye out for similar ones in the future! We plan on including more of our former and current consultants in other industries and with other clients; our goal is to successfully treat every one of our consultants to their much deserved rewards.

See you there!

Sales 101

2010-09-03T16:19:00.005-04:00

Sales has a bad reputation in the world of business. Sales associates have been stereotyped as people who could possibly go to the extent of selling their souls to make a sale.

The general manager of Comrise Technology, Thomas Liou, describes sales as the “frontline of the economy,” and a successful sales executive as “a facilitator between an opportunity and a candidate.” In more simpler terms, sales is merely the act of selling products and services in return for money – which is what the economy depends on!

The members of the Leadership in Training Program at Comrise Technology are quickly transitioning into the next rotation – Sales.
In our first training session we learned about the challenges and dynamics of sales. It is a discipline which requires innovative and benevolent individuals, who are prepared to lead fast-paced lives. The following are few points which can make a great recipe for success for great salesmen:

- Initiate: A good salesmen is one who takes the initiative to meet with clients for face-to-face meetings to not only build, but also maintain relationships.
- Driven: Sales is all results driven. The most motivated salesmen are ones with the drive and ambition to hit the target for success.
- Imagination: It is a salesmen’s instinct to find what their clients need, and not just sell something that’s on the plate. This leads into the next point…
- Work Ethic: A good salesmen’s self-confidence in their products and services, as well as their team, plays a key role at work. If salesmen do not have faith in their team or the products or service they are selling, they are bound to fail. Moreover, it is important to be honest and genuine with clients. The job of a salesman is not to fool clients into buying a product or service that needs to be sold, but to provide products or services which are needed by their clients!

Time, there just isn’t enough of it…

2010-08-27T17:43:00.000-04:00

Having graduated from my student life and now entered the real world, I’ve come to notice the vast shortage of time in my new life. From making my own schedule to following a set work schedule, having to more carefully manage one’s time is a difficult change but one worth making. This week at Comrise, we Leadership in Training Associates seized onto our “Time Management Lunch and Learn Session.” We learned all the different ways in which we waste our time and how we can properly allocate the precious 24 hours we are given in one day. Randy Pausch, a well known and respected scholar who passed away in 2008 due to pancreatic cancer, didn’t leave without sharing his helpful insight in his last few months. General Manager Tom Liou is a big believer of Randy’s philosophy on efficiency and took this opportunity to expose the Leadership in Training Associates to the secrets of time management.

Here are a few highlights that I personally liked that can help one be more organized and time effective:

1- Create a to do list
2- Buy yourself a calendar or organizer
3- Ask yourself which tasks are more important rather than simply due sooner
4- Turn off your T.V. for a week and see how you can allocate your time differently
5- Always write stuff down, it takes up less of your brain power to have to go back and remember it again

These are a few simple yet effective ways to better manage your time and be more efficient in your day. Take a look at this link to get the full scope of Randy’s lecture on time management to see how you can better use your time and thus accomplish more of the important things in your life: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oTugjssqOT0.

Main valuable lesson for me: Time is the most valuable thing you can give to someone, because it is the one thing you’ll never get back. Use it wisely, whether you devote your time to yourself, your family, to work, or to the community - just never waste it!!

Job-Sectors with Recession-Proof Pay

2010-08-22T14:27:00.001-04:00

I was passed along this article by a colleague last week about 5 job-sectors for which the average salary barely dips, in other words is "recession-proof." With the economic recovery slowly but surely occurring, this article could be valuable resource to both recent graduates who have entered the job-market and unsure about which industry to target, as well as professionals with past work-experience in different industries, perhaps thinking about a career change.

As for the professionals already working in the job-sectors listed below, well it seems like you made the right decision (based on upon average salary trends in a strong vs. weak economy).

According to Yahoo Finance, the 5 industries that "recession-proof" pay are 1) Healthcare 2) Government 3) Military 4) Accounting and 5) Information Technology.

If a recession-proof salary is what you're after, consider these industries for your new career path. And specifically for the professionals within the IT world, you can view Comrise' IT job openings here

Here's the link to the complete article

-SG

The Art of Intrapreneurship

2010-08-13T16:41:00.006-04:00

So you're probably wondering what an intrapreneur is? An Intrapraneur is someone who does entrepreneurial things within an existing corporate context. A Change Agent. A visionary who can also drive the change he/she sees. Someone who brings new possibilities into reality - not for their own purposes, but to build, grow or improve an existing company. In the staffing industry, constant innovation and intrapreneurship is definitely a mechanism that be put to greater use to help companies avoid stagnation and foster consistent future growth and success. Comrise does.

Most firms are able to create competitive advantages by finding new and better ways to compete in any given industry and staffing firms are no different. Agreed, that companies such as Comrise are not really creating a “product” that they can innovate, however, the fundamental values at the core of intrapreneurship can be undoubtedly applied to staffing firms and their employees to help improve performance and business processes– starting with inventive changes from the inside.

These are the top 4 characteristics that I believe make the foundation of the intrapreneur:

Creativity. This is one of the most important attributes of intrapreneurs. They don’t see what is but what could be. This translates to always having the “creativity” switch powered on. Such a mindset allows the intrapreneur to consistently superimpose a view of the future on the present.

Agility. Intrapreneurs must be willing and able to roll with the punches and be quick enough to find new directions and opportunities to make progress. It definitely helps to take the initiative and do some independent research in order to avoid being slowed down by learning curves, etc.

Persistence. It is not always important to hit a “home-run”, so to speak, in every discussion or presentation. I have realized that it is much more important to be bigger than any one day or any specific (crushing) decision. Listen to and accept feedback/criticism, and use it to improve yourself and ultimately, the company.

Commitment. Something I recall from one of Guy Kawasaki’s speeches, is that an intrapreneur must be infected with “a love for what the team is doing”. It is important to hire and retain people in a business that actually “get it” and “love it”.

Employees should continuously build their personal entrepreneurial toolkit by learning on and off the job. By taking on multiple, multi-functional, challenging jobs within the company and by learning the art of taking calculated risks (frequently), not only will the company benefit, but the employee may also benefit a great deal. After learning about the complacent attitude and conservative approach taken by many other staffing firms within the industry, I am glad to see Comrise is taking measures to embrace and foster this intrapreneurial thinking and subsequently use it to drive its ambitious growth strategy.

Personally speaking, the intrapreneurial drive is one of the keys to keeping me focused on innovation in the workplace. If I’m not doing something innovative, the intrapreneurial urge kicks in and starts driving me in that direction. For young and dynamic companies such as Comrise, mastering the art of intrapreneurship is very important, and we do realize that. If implemented the right way, it will undoubtedly help many staffing firms such as ours to establish sustained profitability and powerful market presence within an industry that has always been characterized as having a very wide-open playing field.

A True Summer Internship Experience

2010-08-10T15:12:00.008-04:00

I just wrapped up my summer internship here at Comrise, and as I brainstormed what to write in my last blog post (spontaneous writing is not my forte), I had trouble settling on one topic since I was so intent on finding one that would allow me to create the perfect, final entry. If you recall, last time I wrote a post, the Comrise team had just come together to work on several particularly difficult job reqs, so it was simple for me to choose something to write about. As luck would have it, however, the Comrise team came together once again last week, and even if the occasion doesn't lead me to write the perfect post, at least I'm staying consistent with the underlying themes of unity and togetherness.

This past week, we had our Town Hall, and it was the first time I saw all the Comrise employees gather in one setting. The topic of discussion centered around what our Comrise culture was and what we wanted it to be going forward. A Town Hall, in its traditional sense, is generally known to be an opportunity to vent any frustrations and offer suggestions for improvement, so not surprisingly, I expected to see just that in our meeting. However, this was not the case. As we went around to share thoughts, some praised their fellow colleagues for their contributions, some explained how they pitched our close-knit culture to other companies as a key differentiator, and some simply expressed how grateful they were for everything Comrise offers its employees. Sure, we all recognized that we faced significant challenges in our industry, with the economic situation, various governmental reforms, and the competitive landscape, but we were optimistic--optimistic that our culture and the way we operated would lead to success. "We are in it to win it," our manager repeated.

I am not saying that Comrise is perfect; we have our share of problems like anyone else. The difference is that we as employees, no matter our rank or job title, can voice our concerns freely, and our management cares enough to resolve them as quickly as humanly possible. It's not uncommon to see our manager or other directors walk around the office and ask how everyone is doing and how they can be of service to us. Because of this, we can share our problems as they come; we don't need to wait for a Town Hall to throw out suggestions and frustrations, and that's likely why our meeting went as smoothly as it did.

The Town Hall was a truly humbling experience and the perfect way to end my internship. I felt privileged to have spent my summer at a place where I could apply my knowledge and have ownership over my projects. A place where I was mentored and allowed to mentor. A place where I was challenged and pushed to think. And of course, a place where I could laugh, joke around, and have a good time. For all this, I thank the Comrise family for daring to invest in me as an intern, for patiently watching me learn and guiding me along the way, and for giving me the opportunity to use my skills and experience to excel. Thank you, Comrise.

New U.S. Visa Fees to Hit Indian Firms

2010-08-06T18:03:00.000-04:00

Just yesterday, in order to raise funds for security measures to curtail illegal immigration on the U.S./Mexico border, The U.S. Senate passed a measure that will raise visa application and renewal fees for companies whose workforces are more than 50% foreign workers. Fees will be raised to the neighborhood of $4000 for applications and renewals of H1-B and L1 visas. Passed in the Senate, this bill will now go to the House for approval.

While this won’t directly impact Comrise, this measure (if passed) will be a major blow to other IT Staffing firms like Tata and Wipro, who specialize in helping to bring foreign skilled laborers to the U.S. companies who need their skills. With the majority of their eggs in one basket, these so-called “H1 shops” will have to reconcile these new costs with their existing financial schemes. While they’ll surely try to pass some of these new costs onto the visa holders themselves, these higher fees will certainly impact their business models and their bottom lines.

But, more broadly, what does this measure mean for the American workforce and marketplace, specifically in IT? Will this measure make more room for U.S.-born skilled professionals, as Senator Schumer has argued? Or is an overly protectionist measure, and therefore against WTO regulations, as the staffing firms most directly impacted by this measure argue?

Another question raised by college statistics as they’re released every year, are there even enough American skilled laborers in the market to satisfy the needs of the marketplace? Or is this measure going to force out H1 candidates who don’t even have American counterparts to replace them?

Well, dear reader, what do you think? Good move? Bad move? Irrelevant move? (This isn’t a rhetorical question – discuss below!)

Should this measure pass the House, it seems it’ll only be a matter of time before the answers are revealed…

"Why aren't I getting hired?"

2010-07-30T15:30:00.003-04:00

Let’s say you apply to an average of 70 jobs a week, which results in only three interviews and NO callbacks. You might then ask yourself, “What am I doing wrong?” In the country’s current economic state, the employment rate is sluggish, which becomes evident when job-seekers are putting in the effort to find employment but employers seem to be just not hiring. Having been on both sides of the coin, I can understand how frustrating this situation can be for a job-seeker. Speaking from a recruiter’s standpoint, we are simply looking for qualified individuals who are hard workers and who fit our clients’ requirements. Sounds simple, right?

Well, it turns out that despite your best efforts in looking for jobs, your chances of getting hired can in fact be slim. Yahoo News takes a further look into this issue and summarizes the top 5 reasons you may not get hired.

Here are some helpful hints from Comrise on what you can do better to succeed in the job application and interview process, both with companies and recruiters:

1- Be yourself
-Let your charisma and intellect speak for themselves, rather than misrepresenting yourself. Plus, if you get hired under false pretenses, it is only a matter of time before they figure it out…

2- Go into your interview prepared
-Research the company for which you’ll be interviewing. See how their goals and values line up with your own, then focus on those parallels. Shared values and goals are more likely to get you hired than a glowing reference.

3- Only apply for those jobs for which you are suited
-If you can tell the sort of experience level a job requires, don’t apply for any positions that are too senior or too junior for you. You’ll end up wasting your own time and finding yourself frustrated when it doesn’t work out.

4- Network wherever you go
-If you share a cab with someone or strike up a conversation on line for a latte, take a second to introduce yourself. A quick business card swap might just be your golden ticket. In IT as much as anywhere else, it’s all about who you know.

5- Be confident in your skill set and clearly express what you have to offer
- Have a healthy amount of self confidence (but don’t come off as arrogant!) and be to the point in expressing yourself (but don’t leave out pertinent details!). Make sure to emphasize how you can bring value to your potential employer.

“You’re going to be a recruiter? You’re going to be GOD!”

2010-07-23T18:18:00.003-04:00

A few weeks ago when a recruiter called me, I didn’t like them! I felt like they were lying to me about jobs, or finding ways to trick me into paying them; I just did not trust their motives. I didn’t think they cared enough to actually screen my credentials to find me job.

I was one of the many students ready to graduate, but without a job opportunity to secure my future. I was one of the many who felt the stress and pressure of unemployment. I was one of them few weeks ago… and then I got a call from Comrise Technology!

When I shared the news with one my friends and described my role in the company her reaction was, “You’re going to be a recruiter? You’re going to be GOD!” I obviously laughed at the time, but at the end of my second work-week I realize that being a recruiter is no joke. We are not here to cheat anyone. We, as recruiters, are just doing our job and helping others get jobs – it’s that simple. However, the process isn’t.

My second week started this Monday with a recruiter training session, which briefed us about sourcing and finding candidates. The following days of the week I practiced sourcing which included identifying candidates who matched the job requirements, screening them, and following up with my senior recruiters. I felt the pressure of the industry when I just couldn’t find the right candidates who matched the requirements, didn’t call back or respond to my email, or had an amazing resume but no contact information. And finally on Friday I managed to forward some good candidates to my seniors, which felt like a big achievement and definitely prepared me for the weeks to come.

Lessons learned so far:

Understand the job requirement and job boards.
When in doubt, just ask.
Work SMART, not hard!
...and we are not God, not trying to be; we’re just trying to help.

Game-Changing Technology

2010-07-19T19:16:00.003-04:00

According to the Macmillan Dictionary, "game-changing" is defined as completely changing the way that something is done, thought about, or made. As a sports fan, when I hear the term "game-changing," I think of an interception in an NFL game, a home-run in a MLB game, and a steal in a NBA game, because of each these events can have an instant impact on the outcome of the game (of course depending on how competitive the game actually is.)

Likewise as technology continues to expand its presence in our personal and work life through things like the iPad and Smart Phones, there are a distinct set of technologies that have evolved and will now lead the way for how we communicate and interact with technology in years to come.

Here is a link to an article written by an Instructor for Global Knowledge about ten IT technologiesthat have proven to be "Game Changers."

What are your thoughts about these "Game Changers." Do you think there are any other technologies that should be included in the Top 10 ? Leave us a comment...

We Too Can Think like Computer Scientists

2010-07-09T16:32:00.005-04:00

You glance at your watch. The end of the work week is fast approaching. The recruiters in the office are rushing to find that last resume that they need to submit to the hiring manager. Meanwhile, the account executives continue trying to get in touch with a few more hiring managers. As you fill out your timesheet, you receive a notification that someone has just sent you an email. Ahh, yes… the “Thinking like a Computer Scientist” email that a member of our office sends out every Friday. The email contains a difficult brain teaser to keep you thinking like a computer scientist over the weekend.

As you drive home from work, it just refuses to leave your thoughts. The puzzle must be more difficult than last week’s riddle! You attempt to do a few calculations in you head: what is 2¹⁰? Or what happens if…? But every path you take seems to lead to a dead end. When you finally figure it out, you think back to all of the seemingly silly methods you had previously tried. The answers always seem so simple, yet it always takes you forever to find that solution.

Unfortunately, when you arrive back at work with the answer, you notice someone has already solved the problem. It is their name that is on our “Kudos” board, not yours. Disappointed, you open your project from the previous week and pull up the Internet. Searching endlessly for another resume, you decide to switch up your Boolean searches. The resume you just found is a perfect fit. Why didn’t you adjust your search earlier? It’s seems so obvious; so simple, just like the solution to the brain teaser.

A Recruiter's Insight on "Recruiting"

2010-07-01T16:23:00.007-04:00

We thought it would be a great idea for our readers to hear from one of our recruiters on a more personal level. Here is a short, informal Q&A with Senior Technical Recruiter Tony DiGiovanni.

Why should a candidate work with a recruiter throughout his/her new job search?

As we all know, presently the job market is a crazy competitive place. That understood, I feel it is essential for candidates to create relationships with certain recruiters. I will define “certain” as people who have an excellent reputation as pertains to professionalism. Candidates for the most part get absolutely flooded with inquires from many kinds of agencies (both contract and fulltime). It is the candidates’ advantage to deal with the recruiter to obtain an edge in regards to the position. A good recruiter will have knowledge of both the job and the client. It is much more advantageous to the candidate to work with the recruiter as opposed to just submitting to various online systems where resumes do not always get reviewed. We are the “pushers” in the process along with account managers to convince a client to review, interview and eventually hire a strong candidate.

Why do you think recruiters get a bad rep?

We get bad reps from the unethical recruiters that are in this business. I can go on here, but in short there are many unethical practices, for example - lack of respect and consideration for the best interest of the candidates. The bottom line is that it will eventually catch up to those who act unethically, and the ones who don’t will reap the benefits of dealing with more of the quality candidates and clients that are out there.

What is your favorite part about being a recruiter?

I have to say the best part about being a recruiter right up there on the same level of earning a living is the fact that you are helping people make and secure one of the bigger decisions they have in life. This of course relates more to the full time side as opposed to the contract side, however there is still a rush of putting together the deal and bringing it from start to finish and then getting the rewards both monetary and professionally! There really is nothing better….in my opinion.

If you are seeking a new job opportunity, browse our Open Jobs.

Teamwork with a Hint of Luck

2010-06-25T18:04:00.007-04:00

Julie here, bringing you another week of LMP updates. I technically started out as an intern early June, but I've officially become more and more of an LMP member (recently added onto the email listserv!). Anyhow, I can't talk about my experience at Comrise without describing the culture and the people. From day one, the GM, Tom, stressed to us the value of teamwork, telling us we'd have to be leaders and followers, always ready to step up and make the star plays on the court and to sit on the sidelines and hand water to our teammates as they made those game-winning shots. Since then, I've seen how that value has been internalized in our culture; everyone has been so willing to help each other, whether one's on maternity leave, out sick, or just another new employee like me. Simply put, the people here are awesome to be around. Plus, they all have diverse backgrounds and interesting stories to share (maybe a perk to being a minority-owned company!).

As I wrap up my third week of sourcing, there's an interesting point I'd like to share about it. Sure, there's a lot skill and experience needed, whether in understanding the technical requirements, creating the perfect Boolean string, or snuffing out the bad resumes, but there's also a hint of luck involved. Sometimes, you're given a straightforward job requirement (shortened to "req") with simple keywords to put in the search box and candidates responding promptly to your calls and emails, and other times, you're hit with a crazy req filled with rare skills and candidates that just don't feel like picking up their phones that day. As job seekers, we're always worried about bad luck coming our way and having that one recruiter read our resume that was having a bad day or simply didn't like our interest in classical music. Well, on the flip side, we as recruiters worry about bad luck and having our ideal candidate accidentally skip over our email or get an offer the minute before we call.

Either way, how do we avoid this bad luck? We can't. But we can increase our probability of success. Remember that great thing called teamwork? This week, we received several difficult, somewhat impossible reqs, but we sat down together as a company and decided that we'd all be working together, full-force, since we understood the importance of fulfilling these top-priority reqs. Immediately after dispersing from the meeting, everyone jumped onto job boards, called former connections, and brainstormed new ways to find candidates. It was amazing to see how when faced with a company-wide challenge, we all quickly dropped our tasks at hand and adapted our schedules to focus on our new priority. Undoubtedly, having the entire team work together helped us get more submittals than a few recruiters could have pulled off alone. Hence, we saw firsthand the importance of teamwork (mixed with a bit of luck) and why it is one of our core values.

“Teamwork must be at the core of the Comrise culture, and we should strive to be as collaborative as possible. This teamwork shall be built on the principles of mutual trust, mutual respect, effective communication, accountability, candor, and integrity.”

On the Other Side of the Résumé

2010-06-18T18:56:00.008-04:00

Just a few months ago, I was hard at work perfecting my résumé, researching for job fairs, and practicing for interviews. I was a set-to-graduate college senior with no plans ahead of me. I read guides on résumé-crafting, I compared with friends’ templates, and did my very best to make that document as clean, professional, and impressive as possible.

And now I’m on the other side of the résumé.

My name is Todd, and I judge résumés.

Sure, I’m still in the training process and I’ve got a whole bunch of side projects, but my current day-in-day-out is résumés. Reading, scanning, analyzing, judging. I used to be a nervous aimless applicant, and now I play the part of the first sentinel on the road to being hired. That average 10-30 seconds a recruiter looks at a résumé before deciding to pass or pursue? Those seconds add up to make my day. Too many spelling or grammar mistakes? No thanks. Too far from the job site? Next. Wrong past job titles? Pass. Not enough experience with a skillset? Moving on.

It’s quite the change in perspective, but what can I do but try to make the best of it? If I’m going to do it, I might as well do my best to do it well. So review I do. Eventually, the absurdity will surely wear off. But until then, I’m working hard to let myself get more comfortable doing this job, a job that has to be done. My reassurance comes from knowing that, for those people whose résumés just might be good enough, I’m the first step on the way to employment. And what could make you feel better than getting someone hired?

Our Continued Experience with Comrise

2010-06-11T17:35:00.009-04:00

Hi my name is Mansi Patel and I am a fresh graduate from Rutgers University. I graduated with a degree in Communication and Psychology as I humbly find myself in the staffing industry. My previous internships have allowed me to walk into Comrise Technology's doors with some experience on my back. I spent one year at Masala Communications as the PR/ Marketing Intern and later almost ten months at Liz Claiborne Inc. as their Corporate Communications Intern.

After a well developed first week of training here at Comrise Technology, our more experienced recruiters allowed us to dive right into the most basic aspect of recruiting: sourcing and screening candidates. It is fascinating to now know the number of details that are considered in finding exactly what our clients are looking for. It was just yesterday that my recruiter and I submitted my first candidate (QA/UAT Tester); we are confident that our client will see the same potential in her as we did.

I think many of my colleagues can agree that Comrise Technology seems to offer a certain sense of satisfaction upon completing our workday. Not every young adult gets to say that they not only have a job themselves, but also played a major role in finding someone else a job. I am excited to see Comrise Technology grow in this turbulent economy and rise to exceed it’s perceived potential.

Check in next week to hear more about our progression with the company as LMP Associates!!

Leadership and Training Program Begins

2010-06-04T15:52:00.019-04:00

Hello my name is Dhawal – In terms of my educational background, I attended Rutgers University in NJ with a focus on Economics. Prior to this I attended Babson College in Wellesley, MA with a large portion of coursework in Finance and Entrepreneurship. I formerly have had experiences within the Financial Services, IT and Sales sectors which I have greatly enjoyed. I recently became a part of the Leadership in Training Program at Comrise and just on the fourth day, I feel that I am already immersed in the company’s motivated team environment.

The entrepreneurial and diverse community of Comrise has proven to be a good fit for me thus far. The learning curves for the industry as well as the operational components of the company itself are high in many ways. However, the accelerated nature of the program definitely makes it interesting to constantly be learning more. The in-depth exposure to the industry has been quite useful so far and the very approachable management team has also helped extensively along the way.

The first week has had more of an emphasis on ensuring that a fundamental grasp is made on factors such as industry data and internal details regarding the company as well as the program structure. Nonetheless, the Leadership and Training team has already started researching potential international clients while simultaneously expanding our knowledge of the industry and its many competitors. Definitely looking forward to future weeks - Stay tuned for additional blog posts as I get a bit more acclimated with the company!

Life As An Intern At Comrise

2010-05-24T17:12:00.004-04:00

My name is Brendan and I am working this summer as an intern at Comrise Technology. I am currently a senior at Holmdel High School and will be attending Colby College in Waterville, Maine this fall. I try to stay active at school and I am a member of the Holmdel’s varsity swim team as well as the school Jazz Band. As of today, I have already been working one week at Comrise, and so far so good.

Although this is my first job in an official office setting, I have really enjoyed it and I am looking forward to working here the rest of the summer. My first task here at Comrise is to revamp the Comrise Facebook page, so be sure to keep an eye on it and “like” our page if you haven’t already. Soon the Facebook site should include a brief history about the company and will include a few case studies. The Facebook site is my big project for the week, but check in soon for more updates.

Our Mission: Redefined.

2010-04-08T13:56:00.005-04:00

We're incredibly pleased to announce that the entire Comrise team has worked diligently to re-evaluate what we stand for, gather and structure that data, and produce a new mission statement and set of core values that we can stand besides for many years to come. Our mission comes from many days of careful research and thought about why Comrise is in business and what beliefs we will always resort back to.

Our mission focuses on our three main priorities: our clients, our employees, and our community. We also include a detailed note about what our management philosophy is and what it will be going forward.

This mission statement can be found at Comrise.com, but we hope you enjoy reading it here as much as we enjoyed being able to proudly release it. You may download a PDF here.

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Our Clients

We believe our first responsibility is to our clients around the globe who depend on us to deliver top quality human capital and solutions in a timely, cost-effective manner. The Comrise Customer Experience must be of the highest standards of quality and excellence. Our foundation must be built on trust, respect, and valuing long-term success over short-term gain.

We must always act as our client’s trusted advisors and most passionate advocate. To do so, we must cultivate strong business relationships with both our clients and consultants. We must always strive to be as adaptive and flexible as possible to meet our client’s ever changing needs. We must constantly strive to reduce our costs and increase our efficiency and effectiveness. Our client’s requirements must be serviced promptly and accurately.

Our Team

We are responsible to our Comrise Team Members, the men and women who work with us throughout the world. Everyone must be valued as an individual. We must respect their dignity and recognize their merit. They must have a sense of security in their jobs. Compensation must be fair and adequate. We must always provide a positive, fun work environment. We must be mindful of ways to help our employees fulfill their family responsibilities. Employees must feel free to make suggestions and complaints.

There must be equal opportunity for employment, development and advancement for those qualified. We must provide competent management, and their actions must be just and ethical. Teamwork must be at the core of the Comrise culture, and we should strive to be as collaborative as possible. This teamwork shall be built on the principles of mutual trust, mutual respect, effective communication, accountability, candor, and integrity. We must celebrate our accomplishments. Our diversity is our strength.

Our Community

We are responsible to the communities in which we live and work and to the world community as well. We must be good citizens – and support good works and charities.

We must encourage civic improvements and better health and education. We must maintain in good order the property we are privileged to use, protecting the environment and natural resources.

Our Management Philosophy

Our final responsibility is to our shareholders. Business must make a sound profit. We must experiment with new ideas and always seek to innovate rather than stagnate. Research and development must be carried on, innovative programs implemented, and mistakes paid for.

We must embrace technological innovation and seize the growth opportunities that it brings. Reserves must be created to provide for adverse times. When we operate according to these principles, the shareholders should realize a fair return.

Recruiting Leaders

2010-04-02T10:22:00.007-04:00

So far, our search to find a great 2010 Leadership in Training team has been a success. We had a very long, enriching Campus Recruitment season. Here is an in depth look at some of the wonderful candidates we had attend our Open House "super days" in March 2010. Thanks so much to all who attended and everyone who came out for campus recruiting, too.

They flew, drove, came by bus and train prepared to win a prized seat at Comrise. From Boston, NY, Pittsburgh and NJ they came, all ready to play the Comrise game. We threw down the gauntlet and off they ran. All dressed for success and well prepared, they shook hands, sat down, then ran around.

One arrived at 3 a.m. and laughed about his journey. He didn't miss a beat throughout the day. One explained how she wakes up at 4:30 to work out each day. Each person told a unique tale of leadership, accomplishment, and personality. They drew cities together without saying a word - debated social networks tie or win - recruited talent and revised budgets. Aside from very challenging classes, each talked about their work, their families, their faith, their activities and hopes for their future They explained how they could be an asset to the Comrise team

One story was better than the next - one played piano at Carnegie Hall - one graduates from Carnegie Mellon speaking Chinese and having already taught English in Shanghai. The piano player also skied moguls - to challenge himself. One owns an independent record label and clothing company. One was President of the Malaysian & Indonesian Students Society and in two years increased membership by 200% . One marketed the advantages of Newark, NJ to its business owners. One caddied - One campaigned for the President, One worked for the State's Attorney General. One was a member of the Women's Varsity Swimming and Diving Team.

They worked for MTV, Liz Claiborne, Rutgers Football, iCIMS, Thomson Reuters, Morgan Stanley, Pfizer, J&J, Becton Dickinson, The Boston Red Sox, Phillip Morris, Duane Reade. One works at Nobu and meets the stars.

They believe in service to others and live that belief. One raised $330,000 to send 650 students on Spring Break service trips to build homes in impoverished communities and also ran the college's financially independent newspaper, rescuing it from bankruptcy. Another raised $10,000O for a service trip to Mississippi. One adopted and worked to support a local grade school hoping to encourage kids to continue their education, and many more stories.

Together, they speak Mandarin, Maylay, Spanish, Latin, Hindi, Bengali, Hebrew, Urdu, Gujarati and English.

They attend: NYU, BC, Rutgers, and Carnegie Mellon,

If we listed all of their honors, they'd fill the whole page.

At the end of the day, each streamed out the door - with much of the energy they had coming in. Their enthusiasm was contagious. The hardest part is to select the best. We all look forward to their arrival in June.

Tossing Around Virtualization

2010-03-04T13:57:00.007-05:00

Here at Comrise, we hear the term "virtualization" tossed around an awful lot, whether it be by our clients, candidates, or industry competition. It is incredibly easy to lose the meaning to such a loaded term, so I thought it would be a great idea to kind of break it down and re-visit the basics of what virtualization stands for.

My favorite definition of virtualization comes from CIO.com:

"Virtualization refers to technologies designed to provide a layer of
abstraction between computer hardware systems and the software running on
them."

I agree with many experts that virtualization has been around for a while. IT administrators, like myself, have been partioning hard-drives for years. Personally, I think the best benefit to virtualization is the cost savings of not having unnecessary, redundant systems that eat up overhead costs. I love this video by VMware, available at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MnNX13yBzAU. The professional in this video makes great sense of the virtualization term.

Virtualization, in my opinion, became so popular and widespread to the abundant cost savings. Employing people and staffing projects to promote virtualization will save our clients money, since they're increased virtualization will save on server and overhead costs, as a very general example. We're excited and more than happy to help our clients with initiatives involving virtualization. I hope this short article has helped give you some insight into such a tossed-around, overused term.

Key Lessons from "Undercover Boss"

2010-02-19T20:09:00.003-05:00

Read an interesting article based on the new TV show on CBS "Undercover Boss"

The writer discusses key lessons that professionals in management and leaderships role can take away from the show.

To read the article click on the link below:

http://hrguru.monster.com/news/articles/3326-key-lessons-from-undercover-boss?utm_source=nlet&utm_content=hrg_c1_20100219_undercoverboss

Comrise Technology, Inc. Promotes Sincia Liu to President, Thomas Liou to General Manager

2010-02-09T10:04:00.002-05:00

From Comrise.com:

Announcement made on January 13, 2010, Hazlet, NJ

Comrise Technology, Inc. has named Sincia Liu as the President of Comrise; and Thomas Liou as the General Manager. Mr. Gwo Ching (George) Liou will continue to serve as the Chairman of the board.

Sincia Liu, who has been with Comrise for over 15 years, has served as the General Manager of Comrise since 1997. Ms. Liu joined the company to fill the roles of Contracts Officer and Account Manager during the first three years of her career, supporting both Federal Government contracts (ERSDSII & TIPSS), serving the US Department of Treasury and the FAA, and commercial consulting services. During her tenure as General Manager, she was responsible for business development and expansion as well as the operations of the company. Under her leadership, the company has grown from having 15 employees to 200+ today. She also serves as Member of the Board of Directors for iCIMS, a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) provider of Web-based Business Solutions. Ms. Liu holds a BA degree in Computer Science from Rutgers University.

“I am very excited to take on this new role and the ensuing challenges at Comrise as we continue to widen our footprint to meet our clients’ global resource needs in the US , China, and the Pacific Rim. Our mission is to provide the best possible experience to our clients, employees, consultants, and partners alike by bringing together innovative solutions and resources, while improving productivity and efficiency and reducing expenses across their organizations onshore and offshore” said Liu.

Thomas Liou has grown up with the company holding various internship positions. He graduated from Carnegie Mellon with a degree in Business and, more recently, from New York Law School. He is a Member of the Bar in both New York and New Jersey. Since joining Comrise as Corporate Attorney He has been involved in all aspects of the business and has demonstrated a keen sense of entrepreneurship. In his new role as the GM, he will be responsible for business development for US operations, formulating policies, managing daily operations, and resource planning.

Comrise Promotes 2 Former Interns to Management Team

2010-02-02T11:43:00.006-05:00

Comrise announced the promotion of Kelly Dingman to MIS/Director of Campus Recruiting, and Steven Grover to Director of Marketing.

Both Kelly and Steven began their careers at Comrise as interns, and now each will be managing individual departments. Kelly began as a MIS Intern in 2007 while attending Ramapo College of New Jersey. While overseeing MIS, Kelly is also now directing Comrise's Campus Recruiting efforts. Steven began at Comrise as a...http://comrise.com/asp/news02.02.10.asp

Associate Leadership in Training -

2010-01-04T00:32:00.004-05:00

Learn, Grow, Lead, and Succeed

Comrise is stepping out to Job Fairs, On Campus Recruiting, and other campus events in 2010. We're hoping to reach prospective individuals that would be a perfect fit for our business. For questions regarding our current campus initiatives, please call Comrise at 1-800-862-2330.

Program Overview

Comrise's Leadership in Training Program will include training in all aspects of Comrise’s operations. We're hiring associates who will primarily work in our Headquarters office in Hazlet, NJ. In the near future,We plan to include even more positions at both our headquarters and other locations.

Interested? Our team will provide you with the training and tools you'll need to succeed in our industry. There will be basic business training and rotational programs to familiarize you with our company, culture, services, and workflows. Our assosciates will work in the roles of marketing, sales, recruiting, and more.

Eligibility
If you have a passionate drive, a GPA greater than 3.0, and will graduate with a Bachelor's Degree by May 2010, we invite you to apply online or meet with members of the Comrise team at a job-fair nearest you. Our schedule for Spring 2010 is below. For on campus interviews, please apply through your career center to be considered.

American Workers working abroad in China

2009-12-24T00:23:00.002-05:00

American Workers working abroad in China

As the trend continues to rise for Americans working abroad in China, a colleague passed along a great article discussing the benefits and issues that exist with Americans working abroad in China.

In regard to the issues that exist, Ting Wang, 25, an associate at WildChina, a travel company based in Beijing.That imbalance does not go unnoticed by Chinese workers. “There is definitely the perception that Americans get paid more for the same work."

While styles of business may be different, it is a great experience for the short and long run to work an environment filled with diverse cultures.

For American Workers in China, a Culture Clash
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Use Your Social Networking Effectively

2009-12-18T12:15:00.002-05:00

"According to a recent survey of 148 private companies by the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth Center for Marketing Research, 43% say social media is "very important" to their business and marketing strategy, 52% are tweeting and 45% are blogging." ("Three Best Ways to Use Social Media," WSJ Online 2009)

Is your business or organization using social networking effectively? As stated in the article, using social networking varies with each business and/or organization.

Click on the link above to read the brief article, which will ensure that your social marketing efforts are effective and efficient.