By definition, relocation is: to move to a new place and to establish one’s home and/or business there.

As an employee of The BOSS Group, I recently had the opportunity to experience first-hand the pro’s and con’s of relocation, moving from the company’s established Metro Atlanta office to our new Metro Chicago office.

The relocation process is a very emotional time that takes a lot of preparation. It requires flexibility in order to adjust because the process can throw you curve balls. It reminds me of one of my favorite books, The Alchemist, written by Paulo Coelho

The Alchemist details the journey of a shepherd boy named Santiago. Santiago’s belief in a reoccurring dream he has takes him on a journey to Egypt to find treasure. Along the way, he encounters love, danger, opportunity and disaster, and learns a lot about himself and the ways of the world. During the course of his journey he meets an old king who tells him about discovering his personal legend and he says, “When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.”

When I think of my personal challenges during relocation, I think of Santiago and his venture into the unknown. Just like Santiago was afraid of leaving his homeland, I was afraid failing in a new role and adapting to a new environment having lived in Atlanta, GA for most of my life. Despite my fears, I knew that this was the best move for my family and me. I had to take a risk, step out of my comfort zone and just do it. Now having lived in Chicago for an entire summer, I know this was the right move for me.

So for all the Santiago’s out there willing to take on a new journey, here are a few tips to include in your steps to relocating:

The Preparation– In my opinion, this is by far the most important part of the relocation process. One of the things to take into consideration is the cost of living in your new location. Personally, the cost of living was like night and day when comparing Atlanta, GA to Chicago, IL. Consider housing, schools (if you have kids), parking, transportation cost and the cost of food and entertainment. Knowing how to adjust your budget is key to this step. If you are married or in a serious relationship you should also take into account career opportunities for your significant other.

The Migration– Depending on your relocation package, this is a very important step because the relocation can’t happen without knowing how you are going to get there. This can get pretty tricky based on your current situation. For example, being married, having kids or a pet can complicate matters. Communication with your employer as well as your friends and family is key when determining how long it will take for you too. Don’t forget to add in the cost of driving, hiring movers, car transport or plane. The key here is to stay organized, shop around for vendors and keep all receipts for tax season.

The Adaptation- This step can prove to be the most complicated out of the three because a house is only a home if you make it that way. Having family members or friends in your new location is an excellent value-add. There may also be an element of culture shock. Give yourself at least eight months to a year in order to become adapted to your new environment. As you continue to adapt, embrace your established relationships and find ways to create new ones. This helps expand your network and in a new city you are only as good as your network. I was fortunate enough to have family and friends in Chicago and it is certainly a plus that I joined an all-around amazing team in Chicago.

According to the Holmes-Rahe Scale, relocation is one of the most stressful events that you can experience in life. My advice is to embrace the change, as it seems to be one of the only constants in life. Become your own Santiago and know that during relocation you will experience many of the challenges he faced in his travels. However, the most rewarding part is finding your “personal legend” and learning so many exciting and new things about yourself along the journey!

I recently saw the movie “Friends with Benefits,” which I assumed to be your typical chick flick, however, I was pleasantly surprised to see a fresh, modern spin on this plot and an exciting connection to the creative staffing industry! Mila Kunis plays a sharp and aggressive Executive Search Recruiter from New York City and Justin Timberlake plays the candidate role of a talented Interactive Art Director from Los Angeles.

The first 15 to 20 minutes of the movie are about how the recruiter meets her candidate at the airport in order to take him to his job interview at GQ Magazine. She has to sell him on accepting the position in New York before midnight, when the job offer expires, or she won’t get her bonus. I won’t ruin the movie for those who haven’t seen it yet, but this movie shows a fresh perspective on the thrilling life of an Executive Search Recruiter.

As regular readers of the blog know, we are big fans of Executive Search Recruiters here at BLR Portfolio companies. The BOSS Group is home to many Executive Search Recruiters (the Mila Kunises of the world), who work with creative and interactive professionals (the Justin Timberlakes of the world) to place them with our top clients (the GQ Magazines of the world) in competitive markets for creative talent in the United States (like NYC).

Historically, the “headhunting” profession has been known to have a negative connotation associated with poaching candidates; however, it’s becoming more mainstream to embrace the many positives of the exhilarating profession. Like me, the viewers of “Friends With Benefits,” which grossed over $26.5 million across 2,926 theaters in its first week in the box office, would agree that life as a direct hire recruiter certainly has its upsides:

1. You help companies fulfill organizational missions while simultaneously helping candidates to land the career opportunities of their dreams
2. You have full ownership of your desk—from business development to selling to recruiting “A-list” candidates
3. It is a fast paced industry, in which no day is the same as the prior—interviews are unfolding, candidates are calling, as are the clients
4. Since you run a full-cycle desk you are able to fully reap the rewards of all of your hard work… and a nice commission at the end of the day

If you’re interested in one of the hottest growing industries (marketing, interactive and creative) and think you have what it takes to be an Executive Search Recruiter, read about our current openings!

Information about the Metro Philadelphia office…

Address: 2 Bala Plaza, Suite 402 Bala Cynwyd, PA 19004

Public transportation: The 44 Septa bus has a stop right outside of our building.

Companies Represented: The Metro Philadelphia office houses The BOSS Group.

Number employees: Our Metro Philadelphia branch is one of The BOSS Group’s biggest locations with a total of 11 employees.  The company President has an office in the Philadelphia office. The company’s testing development is based there as well, as this is the home of the company’s Instructional Design and Assessment Specialist.

History of the office: Our Metro Philadelphia office opened in 1999 as the second branch of The BOSS Group. Over the years, it has grown to become the company’s top billing branch.  Most of The BOSS Group’s top 10 accounts are based in the Metro Philadelphia area which covers a territory spanning from the Philadelphia suburbs to Wilmington, DE to the Princeton, NJ corridor.

Best spots in Philadelphia for client meetings:

• Chops Steakhouse
• California Pizza Kitchen
• Chili’s

Quick bites around town:

• Pei Wei
• Shangri-la Inn
• Tommy Gunns
• Dalessandro’s Steaks & Hoagies
• Manny’s Place
• Hymie’s Delicatesse
• Potbelly’s
• Qdoba

Happy hour favorites:

• Manayunk Brew Pub
• Kildare’s
• Anywhere in Manayunk (less than 10 minutes away) or Center City (less than 15 minutes away)

2011 marks the five-year anniversary of the launch of The BOSS Group’s popular CreativeConnects happy hour events. This is a program that I am personally proud of our organization for offering to the creative community.  Every other month, across seven cities simultaneously, hundreds of creative professionals come out to CreativeConnects to meet and mingle. When I attend an event or look through post-event pictures, it continues to give me satisfaction to see The BOSS Group’s ability to act as a central connecting force in the creative industry.

We started our CreativeConnects events in northern New Jersey in 2006, where local networking events were either hard to find or poorly attended. We wanted to offer an alternative to the traditional trade association event formula of a lengthy training session followed, or preceded, by a brief period of networking. My thought was that meeting industry peers for happy hour would have more appeal after a full day of work than sitting through a work-related seminar, and that networking is where the real professional value is anyway.

Seeing the roller coaster ride the economy has taken many individuals on over the past few years, one thing that continues to resonate is the importance of having and continually nurturing a network of meaningful contacts. CreativeConnects provides creatives with an avenue for building such a network. Perhaps that’s why the American Staffing Association recognized the program with a VOICE award in public service. CreativeConnects also provides a forum to take time to enjoy our colleagues and the industry that we’re in. While the events are open to anyone in the creative profession, they are frequently attended by clients and talent partners of The BOSS Group.  It’s impressive to see the representative attendees and realize the impact our talented professionals have on many major corporations throughout the country.  With over 40 events a year and an average of 50+ attendees each, CreativeConnects is a reflection of what The BOSS Group is all about—connecting people with opportunities and solutions. Join us for our next CreativeConnects, on Wednesday, July 13^th. Here’s to another five years of cocktails and camaraderie!

About the author:

Jenna Stone is Sr. Marketing and Technology Director for BLR Holdings, Inc. where she created the firm’s marketing department and has directed marketing efforts for the firm’s portfolio companies for the past six years. Jenna led the rebranding of The BOSS Group in 2006, originating the name and the avante garde corporate identity package as well as a new series of offerings for customers, including the CreativeConnects events. Jenna led marketing efforts for the creation of two additional portfolio companies, Proposal Development Consultants and Cella Consulting, and in 2009 took over the IT department to spearhead implementing technology solutions to help the company achieve its mission.

In preparation for the holiday weekend, the BLR Portfolio companies would like to wish you a safe and happy Fourth of July! We have proudly served the United States for the past twenty-three years! Read about our current openings in our seven metropolitan offices.

By: Josh Stanley, BLR Holdings, Inc. Summer Intern

The past two summers I have interned at BLR Holdings, Inc. I’m not going to lie, I did most of the stuff no one wanted to do, but it had to get done. However, through my summer internships I have learned a lot about work ethic, what I want to do (and not do) when I am older, and who I can become with the right skills and education. I have learned that I don’t want to become an accountant, but I would like to study business and technology in college. I would have never learned any of this if it had not been for my internship with BLR Holdings, Inc. because I was allowed to shadow different departments like Marketing & Technology, Human Resources, Sales as well as The BOSS Group, PDC and Cella.

Q: What did you learn about the different BLR Portfolio companies during your internship?

I got the opportunity to work with the companies that BLR manages: The BOSS Group, PDC and Cella. The BOSS Group is a nice group of people who are very talented with giving the clients exactly what they need. I enjoyed working with them because they use both hard work and a fun-working environment to make working there a great experience. At first I thought PDC might be boring to work at because they work with proposal professionals, but in fact they are really talented people who have worked very hard the past couple of years. I’ve had the chance to watch this company grow during my internships and it has shown me what a lot of hard work can do with the right minds. To my understanding, Cella basically gives advice to companies that need it. I had the opportunity to spend the day with them and I learned a lot about Cella’s growth from last year to this year.

Q: What was the most unexpected thing you came across?

The most unexpected thing that happened during my internship was how friendly everyone was to me. It was cool to see how everyone that works here basically is a family. That was something that was the most cool and shocking.

Q: What was your favorite part of the internship?

My favorite part of the internship was all the organizing I did—NOT! I actually really enjoyed shadowing the different companies and seeing how each one works. It gave me a much more in depth view of everyday work. I also enjoyed all the special lunches I had.

Q: What department interests you the most?

I was really interested in all the outward facing jobs. I liked working with The BOSS Group the most though. Even though my work wasn’t the most exciting I actually felt like that is where I helped the most. I worked on a project for a day and a half organizing and analyzing all of their contracts with different clients. I knew it was an important project that needed to get done!

Q: If you come back next year what are you most interested in doing?

I am really interested in doing more challenging tasks and maybe helping out someone with their daily job so I can see what it is actually like to be working at these companies. It would really give me a perspective on what it takes to work here.

Lastly, I just want to say thanks for everyone that spent time with me and found things for me to do because I know that you are all busy. I really enjoyed finding out more than I already knew about the three different companies and the people that took time out of their days to tell me more about each company. Overall, thank you to everyone!

Josh has a love for computers…

but he’s not quite as big of a fan of accounting…

Information about the Metro Atlanta office…

Address: Atlanta Financial Center — 3343 Peachtree Street, Suite 210 Atlanta, GA 30326

Public transportation: Our office is located right behind the Buckhead station of MARTA rapid rail system.   MARTA passengers couldn’t ask for a better location!

Companies Represented: The Metro Atlanta branches for both The BOSS Group and Proposal Development Consultants are housed in this location.

Number employees: Our Atlanta office houses a total of 8 positions all supporting temporary and direct hire staffing needs for local clients.

History of the office: The Atlanta office first opened in summer of 2010 as The BOSS Group’s sixth branch. In the Spring of 2011, it became the home to PDC’s second branch. We are excited to be celebrating the Atlanta office’s first year anniversary!

Best spots in Atlanta for client meetings:

• City Club of Buckhead
• Bones
• Chops
• Maggiano’s

Quick bites around town:

• Highland Bakery
• Fresh to Order
• Buckhead Pizza
• Blue Chip Café

Happy hour favorites:

• Lenox Square Grill
• Dantanna’s
• Cantina

Why join the BLR Portfolio of companies? Above are a few of the benefits and perks that are offered to employees. We embrace the work hard, play hard attitude and believe in a real work / life balance. Check out the jobs page for a list of current openings within our seven locations!

Information about the Metro DC office…

Address: 4350 East West Highway, Suite 300, Bethesda, MD 20814

Public transportation: Our office is three blocks off of the DC Metro’s Red Line Bethesda station. We love this location because it is easily commutable for employees and talent alike!

Companies Represented: Metro DC houses the headquarters for all four of our companies: The BOSS Group, Proposal Development Consultants, BLR Holdings and Cella Consulting.

Number employees: Our Bethesda office has a total of around 40 employees.

History of the office: The BOSS Group has been headquartered in the Metro DC area since 1988. We have had various office locations throughout the Bethesda area, but the Bethesda Towers have been our home for the past three years.

Best spots in Bethesda for client meetings:

• Mon Ami Gabi
• Jaleo
• Daily Grill
• Redwood
• Café Deluxe
• Black’s Bar and Kitchen

Quick bites around town:

• Brown Bag
• Booey Monger
• Sweet Green
• Taylor Gourmet
• Moby Dick House of Kabab
• Cava Mezze Grill

Happy Hour Favorites:

• Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery
• Tommy Joe’s
• Blackfinn American Saloon
• Flanagan’s Harp and Fiddle
• Relic Restaurant

Keep an eye out for future Office Spotlight blogs to come!