Why should you choose Frank Risalvato
as your mentor?

It was late summer 1987.

I had just received a gleaming review from the president of the company I was working for in New York City.

“Kid”, he said “I consider you a Junior Executive with all the makings of someone that will rise high within this organization.” He went on raving about my cost savings strategies that had increased profitability in full presence of his top level Vice Presidents, as if to seal my fate with all pertinent witnesses present.

I was feeling great!

Then came the stock market crash of October 1987.

By November, our company’s sales had plummeted like a soufflé that has been sitting out too long. I was called up to a meeting by a low level superior (one who technically I was supposed to be a peer to) and given the news that my services will “No longer be needed.” The president himself … who hired me … was apparently lacking the fortitude to handle the dismissing himself, so he had a peer level supervisor do the dirty work for him.

There I was on a cold, gray, overcast day in November confronted with the bleak prospect of having to start a job search just when I was looking forward to the upcoming Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday season and my bonus check (which I never received). No severance. No year end bonus in advance. And no multi-million dollar golden parachute like Fortune Corporation executives frequently get.

I received next week’s pay check and that was the end of my glorious career.

Poof. It was all gone.

I was 28 years old. This was my second layoff resulting from “economic forces beyond my control”. At both jobs I had received praise, promotions, and rave reviews. Both ended in layoffs. The result of my dedication and staying at work from 7 am to 7 pm did not result in what I had hoped.

This was not what I worked so hard during college and sacrificed everything to earn my degree for years prior.

I decided enough was enough.

No one was going to ever have a chance to layoff or fire Frank ever again.

I read books such as “What Color is Your Parachute” and others. However, when applying the methods mentioned in the books I found myself reaching brick walls quickly. The book stated “You should network with all friends, family and colleagues rather than keeping your unemployed situation secret”. But coming from a small family I quickly ran out of luck.

My step sister couldn’t help as she was just a college student at the time. A distant nephew was no help as he held a job with the smallest of small companies and had no valuable or worthwhile “Black Book” of contacts to refer me to.

My older uncle was semi-retired. What I learned from “What Color is Your Parachute” is this: I was on my own. If I was going to succeed it was totally in my hands and in my hands alone and I could never, ever rely on anyone ever again as that recipe proved a failure twice in a row.

I decided the only other field that I had some familiarity with was the staffing profession. I had been placed into two positions by personnel recruiters prior. Both times with exceptionally positive results and excellent coaching … the likes of which I never received from family or friends before.

I also had experience using search firms in my most recent position for hiring staff. Armed with a small list of contacts I already possessed in the search industry, I began to arrange appointments for myself with search firms.

When I interviewed with these firms … I paid close attention to the office environment, method of operations, etc.

I jumped into the industry that same November of 1987 … and as I write this … I have never ever looked back or harbored any desire to return to working for a corporate environment where my future would be in the hands of others.

I know what it is like to start from “zero”.

I came from nothing and built a significant search empire through hard work, toil, and endless dedication and passion to our industry’s craft. Many enter the search industry and leave soon after to be frustrated as soon as they reach a small “speed bump” in the economy.

But with dedication … being an executive recruiter or staffing consultant can and will provide far greater wealth, job stability, and quality of life than any corporation can ever provide for you.

Here I am 19 years later after firing the corporate world from my life and choosing professional staffing as my new career. I must have made a good decision as I’ve had more fun then I could have ever dreamed of nineteen years ago!

In 1991 I created IRES, Inc. … my first search firm.

I created this from practically nothing. Perhaps you’ve heard of “buying real estate with no money down” books? I never borrowed one cent from anyone. Not from the government. Not from the small business administration. And not from any bank.

I never had one cent I inherited from anyone and every dime of assets I had I created on my own along with my wife’s help.

I conceived and founded a company with no money down but for a few thousand I tossed onto a credit card! I can’t help but think of the recent Vonage IPO which has been called by some analysts one of the greatest IPO fiascos in recent history. That company spent tens of millions on advertising … with not one dime in profit.

For contrast I was profitable my first 12 months in business … and spent not one dime on advertising: The complete opposite approach of what many high glamour dot-com companies have engaged in. My “Secrets” Book reveals some of the techniques I used.

In 1994 I created my second company.

I then created IRES Temps in 1994, while adding several specialty groups to IRES simultaneously over the ensuing years including:

• Pharmaceutical/Research/Formulation/FDA
• Scientists/Biologists/Cosmetic Chemists
• Legal/Paralegal/Insurance Claims
• Insurance
• Marketing/Brand Management
• Accounting/Finance
• Information Technology (referred by various acronyms from M.I.S. through E.D.P. over years).
• Office Support
• Insurance staffing
• Contract help in all the above (through the IRES Temps entity)
• … and more

I attracted Top Talent from inside the corporations I wanted as clients:

Along the way we succeeded in hiring outstanding talent from outstanding companies.

Our Director of Scientists/Cosmetic Chemistry recruiting came from the ranks of an Ivy League Cornell University graduate who had headed up chemistry departments such as L’Oreal and Avon.

Our Pharmaceutical recruiting head was the former director of Warner Lambert human resources (now American Home Products as I write this).

An executive Vice President of a fortune insurance company was brought in to head an insurance practice. Etc. Etc.

Each milestone brought new perspectives

While attracting industry insiders was an enormous boost each time we succeeded in recruiting these individuals … I learned more sophisticated methods years later. For example … managing such strong-minded, temperamental, ego-centric individuals can be an enormous challenge.

A challenge that is often not worth the revenue/profit residuals after all the headaches are said and done.

Years later I learned a new system which produced similar results of drawing revenue industry insiders could generate … without hiring such high level recruiting managers thus eliminating the associated headaches (you’ll have to read Kentucky Fried Secret Recipe to Recruiting Millions© to learn more about how I accomplished this).

During each step of the way I continued to learn methods and hone systems that maximized revenue, increased profits all while minimizing headaches and inter-office bickering and bantering.

The “Kentucky Fried Secret Recipe to Recruiting Millions” will reveal many of these methods.

As I write this story today, I’m using “secrets” and methods which will not get revealed to industry peers until sufficient years have transpired and I decide to release such material.

Today, many of my recruiting articles, techniques and methods are frequently featured in print, online publications , and even presented to Trade & Staffing Associations.

Among such are:

The free material presented to the above forums and media is only a small example of what I provide during my coaching sessions.

While there’s plenty of “free” material I disseminate semi-annually …. I can assure you that is only the tip of the Iceberg.

You will derive FAR GREATER benefits from calling (973) 300-1010 and investing one hour or so of your time to find out what we’re doing TODAY rather than waiting five years from now to learn what we are currently testing and discovering in our research lab.

If that kind of powerful, robust material generates national interest … and is released free … imagine what you can learn from investing in a few hours with the “wizard” yourself!

Call us at (973) 300-1010.

Frank G. Risalvato, CPC
(973) 300-1010