It’s human nature in the work environment to loosen up a bit when the boss is not around.  To be fair, most employees do their job effectively whether or not the boss is around.  Most people strive to do their very best at the task at hand.

So what happens when the task changes?  What happens when the pressure sets in and deadlines are approaching? What happens during the rocky times that all businesses go through from time to time?  Who’s is ultimately responsible?

You.

Here is another cliche that is fitting and proper “if you want something done right, do it yourself.”  This is not to imply that one should not delegate.  Being a successful manager or employer is all about delegating even the most important tasks.

Having said that, an employer needs to keep a constant “finger on the pulse” and never let up even if you are getting complaints from whining employees about being micro-managed.

Micro-managing is a vital part of an employer’s job.  An employee’s work environment is not a popularity contest.  It’s about successfully fulfilling the ongoing tasks at hand in the way in which you as the employer sees fit.

Some people work better if they are micro-managed and are held accountable all day long.  Other’s do not need as much hand holding but nonetheless, micro-managing assures you that a job is getting done the way that you want it done.

You’ll know if you need to back off if you are putting too much pressure on an employee- the employee will tell you- and then back off, but just a bit. 

Too bad if micro-managing is insulting to an employee’s self esteem.  If you can’t take the heat, get out of the kitchen.

In summary, never feel the need to justify your micro-management style.  If you are the boss or a business owner than you risk the most.  You have to micro-manage to ensure success.

What are the ramifications of not micro-managing and constantly holding people accountable?  Why find out?

Any questions or comments? I am Bernie Reifkind, CEO and founder of Premier Search, Inc.  I can be reached at 1(800) 801-1400 or email at ceo@psihealth.com

Dear President Obama,

I am a private business owner in Los Angeles, California operating a health care executive search firm, Premier Search, Inc.  We are in the employment business assisting health care organizations nationwide in finding staff. 

Although the current economic conditions have affected my business, I think that it is important to share with you some bright spots with regard to employment that might not show up in national labor statistics.

In the past two weeks alone my firm has been responsible for securing employment for more than 12 Americans.  That number might not seem a lot, but I assure you that there are 12 families whose lives have been changed.  We anticipate similar, if not higher numbers in the coming months.

In essence, my firm is directly responsible for putting Americans back to work.  

There is a message here that our fellow citizens urgently need to know.  There needs to be more of a spotlight on small businesses just like mine that are directly making a difference in America not just in employment, but the economy.

Small businesses are the foundation that America was built upon and the lifeblood of our economy.   I began my business from my dining room table in 1987, a classic American story.

It has been written that helping someone find a job is the greatest charity of all.   My firm course is not a charity but it is symbolic of what America stands for: opportunity.

Mr. President, I would welcome an opportunity to meet with you at the White House as a positive symbol of a small business that is directly putting America back to work.  Americans need to feel inspired about the future.  I would be honored to help put forth this message.

Yours truly,

Bernie Reifkind, CEO/Premier Search, Inc.

Any questions or comments? I am Bernie Reifkind, CEO and founder of Premier Search, Inc.  I can be reached at 1(800) 801-1400 or email at ceo@psihealth.com

According to the Assisted Living Federation of America there is some extremely relevant employment health care news:

“With the data-collection phase for the latest census well underway, the U.S. Census Bureau has begun releasing detailed reports and trends from the 2006 census. Among the analyses and reports is a close look at the nation’s boomers, who make up 26.1 percent of the U.S. population. Boomers are a pivotal group for senior living companies – many are helping parents settle into senior living communities now, and down the road, they’ll make up a major segment seeking long-term care.

There are 78 million baby boomers in the United States. Classified as being born between 1946 and 1964, boomers are predominantly white, married, have some college education, and were employed in 2006, according to a USA Today report. Additionally, 86 percent of boomers were born in the United States; 14 percent were born in other countries.

“Knowing a lot about the age group will help identify demographic and social trends,” Carrie Werner, a U.S. Census Bureau statistician said in a USA Today interview. Werner has work specifically on tracking trends among the baby boomer population.

Here are some other 2006 findings from the U.S. Census Bureau, specific to baby boomers.

Five states with the largest number of boomers

1. California
2. Texas
3. New York
4. Florida
5. Pennsylvania

Five counties with the most boomers

1. Los Angeles County, CA
2. Cook County, IL
3. Harris County, TX
4. Maricopa County, AZ
5. Orange County, CA

Racial makeup

• White only 82.2%
• Black only 11.6%
• Asian only 4.3%
• American Indian and Alaskan Native alone 0.9%
• Two or more races 0.9%
• Hispanic origin (any race) 10.3%
• Not of Hispanic origin 89.7%

Married status of boomers

• Married 65.6%
• Divorced 17%
• Never married 11.7%
• Separated 3%
• Widowed 2.7%

Education of boomers

• High school graduate 29.8%
• Some college 28.9%
• Bachelor’s degree or higher 28.8%
• Not graduated from high school 12.5%

Boomers’ employment status in 2006

• Employed 74.1%
• Not in labor force 22.4%
• Unemployed 3.3%”

So what does all this mean to you, dear reader?  It means that the senior housing industry is growing exponentially and will need the services that can only be provided by humans.  The Internet, high tech gadgets, computers, and digital everything is constantly being promoted as the next “big thing” to  our youth dominated culture.

But nothing will ever replace the care given by humans to our loved ones.

Any questions or comments? I am Bernie Reifkind, CEO and founder of Premier Search, Inc.  I can be reached at 1(800) 801-1400 or email at ceo@psihealth.com

As a healthcare executive recruiter with more than 20 years of experience, you might imagine the countless conversations that I have had with my clients- looking to fill job openings- and my candidates- looking for jobs!

After an interview I usually follow up with both the employer and the candidate to debrief and find out how the interview went.  My first question is usually to ask how long the interview went.  Obviously if the interview was less than 10 minutes long than chances are great that the interview was a disaster.

If however an interview lasts longer than an hour, that is a pretty good sign of some mutual interest.

There are so many questions that are asked by both candidate and employer during an interview as each party is learning about each other.  Some questions by employers are so completely lame that it is almost comical.

Here are the top 4 most annoying interview questions to a candidate:

1.  What are your weak points?- Like someone is really going to tell a complete stranger something incriminating about themselves.  Would someone really say  “I come to work late sometimes” or  “Sometimes I spend the entire day surfing the net” or “I am really lazy”? Of course not.

2.  Where do you see yourself in 5 years?- If you want the job bad enough you’re going to almost certainly lie and say something politically correct such as  “If it’s with your company, then where you feel my abilities will be of most benefit to the organization.”  Yeah, right.  Most people have no clue where they see themselves tomorrow!  It is such an annoying question.

3.  How would others describe you?- Well doesn’t that depend on who the “others” are in question?  If the “others” are your friends and family, they’ll say great things- they’ll would even lie for you.  If “others” are your co-workers, than each one would have a different description of you because each has had different experiences with you- and they too would lie for you.

4.  Why do you want to work here?- Wow, how original.  Another completely annoying question that does not provide for any useful information in getting to know someone at an interview.  Is anyone going to tell the truth and say “I’m unemployed and I’m broke- I couldn’t care less who I work for” or “I want to work here because I’ve been turned down by every one of your competitors”?

If you want some great responses to these difficult questions, feel free to contact me!

I am Bernie Reifkind, CEO and founder of Premier Search, Inc. I can be reached at

1(800) 801-1400 or email at ceo@psihealth.com

Recruiter, Headhunter, Counselor, Agent…….what ever you want to call us, the bottom line is that we are professionals that find outstanding people for our outstanding clients.  

Do I mind being called “headhunter”?  No of course not.  I think the name has some charm to it.  Most people feel very uncomfortable with calling me a headhunter because they think that the word has some type of derogatory tone.

Not at all.

In fact if you google the word “headhunter” you’re likely to get 3,370,000 results.  If you google the word “recruiter” you’re likely to get 17,900,000 results.

Clearly recruiter is a much more common term, but headhunter gets over 3 million search results.  So what is the conclusion to be drawn?

“A rose is a rose is a rose.”

When you need help in filling a critical job opening, contact a recruiter or a headhunter and please do not feel uncomfortable with the word headhunter!

Any questions or comments? I am Bernie Reifkind, CEO and founder of Premier Search, Inc.  I can be reached at 1(800) 801-1400 or email me at ceo@psihealth.com