Welcome to Executive Network Group's new website.

You may not see a big change in the site for now ... This is a good thing, as our desire was to make this transition as painless as possible.   However, there are huge changes underneath all the visible pages, and you will see a few wrapper changes (such as the "New Stuff" and "Logout" buttons in our header).

You have been directed here, (eng.NextHwy.com) because of inherent delays in the world wide web for changes related to the name translation and the server IP addresses. Eng.NextHwy.com is a temporary domain name during these delays, provided by our new host www.NextHwy.com, it enables the world to still access the ENG website, while the name translation tables educate themselves to a new location.

If you are uncomfortable sending or updating information to any URL that is not www.engchgo.org, please come back to us soon as this transition should not last for more than 48 hours.

Don't change any Favorites, or links you may have, while they won't work directly right now (they'll show this page) any Favorites or links you have will automatically fix themselves in a few days (the magic of name translation in the world wide web).

In the meantime, this website at eng.NextHwy.com is fully functional (or at least it should be, please note we may have missed something and thus the "Report Page Error" button). If you were directed to this page by some automation, please feel free to use the menu in the header to navigate to your desired location.

All databases have been ported ... and inserting or working with the data from these pages is 100% valid and up-to-date.

Come back to this page often (by clicking the "New Stuff" button in our header) to keep up-to-date on all the exciting changes that ENG is implementing. These changes are not just the website, we are updating all the process, services, and increasing the benefits of membership.

Make it a great day,
The Webmaster

December 28, 2006

Dear Fellow Members

Your newly expanded and restructured ENG Board of Directors is in the midst of developing improvements in services available to members at networking meetings and in web-based materials available through mailing to members and on the website at www.engchgo.org. We encourage you to look for announcements of changes designed to maintain ENG’s position as the Chicago area’s premier organization for six figure executives in transition. Some of the resultant changes are known now, while others are still developing.

Karl Randall, our Executive Director for more than 3 years will complete his tenure at the end of 2006 to allow him to devote his time and energy to teaching and his other activities. Karl has been a tireless “public face” for ENG and we are greatly in his debt for his work. We wish Karl well, and a bit more relaxation, as he enters this next phase of his life. Barrett Peterson will become interim Executive Director in January 2007 until a permanent Executive Director is identified.

For the past year or so, we have enjoyed meeting at Oakton Community College which gives us attractive meeting space and good parking, although public transportation is much more limited than it was in Evanston. The change has, however, required substantial resources be devoted solely to space needs. We have found space with comparable facilities and parking and with easy train access to Downtown Chicago and close proximity to major highways with an enormous reduction in resources required to support space needs. We will meet in the Hendrickson room at The Arlington Heights, IL Library, located at 500 North Dunton which began with our December 14, 2006 meeting. Metra rail service is available two blocks south of the Library. Route 53 is about two blocks west.

Please note that meetings will be monthly starting in January, 2007, still on Thursday afternoon, and generally on the second Thursday of the month. There will be infrequent exceptions, including February when we will meet on the 15^th, the third Thursday.

We anticipate the freeing of resources from space needs will enable improved, higher value services for our membership. We are evaluating our meeting format to encourage expanded member participation, as well as improved web based services and communications.

I look forward to seeing all of us land in 2007.

Barrett Peterson
Interim Executive Director

Saw your post on the "how many interviews" question. As someone who has done hiring, I make it a practice to (a) be current with the law as to what is legally correct and (b) be current with my own scruples as to what is good business.

So my first comment is that if this is the way they conduct business, you may want to run away.

However, if we assume for the moment that this is an aberration, then you need to become a politician. Just watch CNN (if you can stand it anymore), or CSPAN or listen to NPR when politicians are asked the tough questions. They answer them without answering, but they don't toss them back into the face of the questioner.

For example, I might respond as follows:

Q. How many interviews have you been on?

A. Since I made the decision to make a move, I have been very busy reaching out through my network of associates and looking for recommendations of places that might make a good fit. Of all the interviews I have had, this one has peaked my interest because I was told that the company has a reputation for ethical business practices and treating customers well. Would you agree with that statement?

Your questioner should see that you politely dodged the question, affirmed that you have been talking to a number of people, and have been digging into the characteristics of the firms you want to work with. Finally, you turn the tables on him in a way that sets him up to boast about what an ethical company they are while at the same time making an oblique reference that ethical companies wouldn't ask such a question. In other words, you maintain control.

Q. How many offers have you received?

A. The last time I decided to make a move 3 years ago, I was pleasantly surprised by how in-demand my talents were and how perceptive my interviewers were about my core values and their assessment of how I would fit into the organization. I am early in the process this time, and I can assure you that I do not enter into "bidding wars" like some candidates. When I look at the value of an offer, compensation is only one factor. The quality of the employment is very high on my list. Consequently, it is not my intent to line up "X" number of offers and pick the best one. Your company seems to offer a lot in the way of job satisfaction. Do you measure that in any way?

Again, you've set the stage for the irrelevancy of the number of offers with the value proposition, while at the same time hinting that the last time you did this you got a ton of offers. You're not looking to give him quantitative values on which he can make an ill-informed judgment; instead you are giving him qualitative characteristics that should make him stop and desire to have you based on how you approach the work experience. Again, you're in control.

It's a fine line - you can't answer in such a way as to throw it back into his face. You should always end your answer to these kinds of questions with an affirmation that you believe his is a quality company and then ask him to expound on that fact.

Finally, if you get a sly or belligerent interviewer, you can take the direct approach and say "I'm really sorry, Mr. Patterson, but I don't disclose this kind of information because I don't find that it reflects the character that I want to present. I hope you understand." It's important to look him directly in the eye and use his name.

If he doesn't understand, you are better off not being there. If he just turns into an ogre, you should politely end the interview and walk out. In the end, you need to maintain control over your piece of this turf or you've just sold yourself as meat.

Just my opinion.

R. King
Sugar Grove, IL

MySpace Nation

What's really going on with social networks? Is MySpace Evil, or just drawn that way? We just took an objective view of the entire social networking space to sort the truth from the strum und drang. What did we find? Our Social Networking analysis <click here> has all the details, including a comparison between the big sites, how you can get more of what you're looking for, and more.

Copyright © 2006 Ziff Davis Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Ziff Davis Media Inc., 28 East 28th Street, New York, NY 10016
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One huge quote inside these articles:

"Kathryn Shantz will be the first to tell you that social networking isn't just for kids. The 39-year-old has tried TagWorld and dabbled on MySpace, but LinkedIn keeps her coming back. Since joining the site in 2004, Shantz has built up rock-solid connections across the business world. Her LinkedIn profile—which amounts to an online résumé—links to dozens of close friends and colleagues. They, in turn, link to their friends and colleagues. And if you're in sales, you can use the site to help potential clients find you online."

A sub article How To Get Started: Tips From The Insiders is available at : http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1895,1979381,00.asp

In this CareerJournal article, Cheryl Soltis warns about the dangers of stretching the truth.

But these days, employers check backgrounds with eagle eyes -- and don't look kindly on candidates who falsify their credentials. In an August 2004 survey that the Society for Human Resource Management did of 2,500 of its members who are HR professionals, 96% said their companies always check references, credentials or both.

We all know we should be honest in our resumes and interviews, but it's so tempting to move a data point, embellish a credential, or puff an accomplishment. Resist the temptation because it's both the right thing to do and, if you get caught, the cost will be more than you want to bear.

We can make the case for older workers: Value. Now we have a report to refute most of these myths. AARP has funded a recently released report by Towers Perrin. The report documents that there is an inverse relationship between motivated workers and cost of goods sold.

Read the article.