However, interest in personality tests, especially among small businesses, appears to be on the rise.  Proponents for these types of tests argue the impact of hiring the wrong worker for a small business has a disproportionate negative effect on the organization.

“When you’re an entrepreneurial organization, you especially need to make sure you hire people with a broad range of styles,” says Stephen Shapiro, author of four workplace innovation books and the developer of Personality Poker.

Personality Poker features a combination of tests and exercises designed to pull together a broad range of talent to support a business.   “So instead of weeding out people that don’t fit, the recognition today is that different roles require different characteristics,” said Shapiro.

Do you use personality tests to find the right fit for your company?

Technology has made access to these tests easy and affordable.  Before you go ahead and ask a candidate to take a test, do your research.   The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has guidelines regarding the design and evaluation of testing.

Dr. Todd Harris at PI Worldwide says his company’s tests can determine if an individual is a fit on multiple levels.  Test results, he says, would show if a person would get along with peers, supervisors and company culture.

“The data is unequivocal,” says Harris.  “If you use a consistent, well-validated approach versus a gut decision, you will make better hires over the long run.”

How do you feel about using personality tests?  Would you spend your money on them?

Web Security is a top concern in 2011.

No one can dispute that technology is good for business.  Rapid advancements have enabled businesses to work faster and smarter while extending their reach to new customers around the world.  However, as reported in EnterpriseMobileToday.com, the proliferation of Web 2.0 applications has exposed vulnerabilities within organizations who have not beefed up their security infrastructure.   Companies need to step up and implement multiple layers of protection in order to thwart virus attacks, malware and phishing.

The projection is Internet risks will increase for the foreseeable future as businesses continue to grow their mobile workforce and data is accessed from both corporate and personal devices.  Fifty-four percent of organizations interviewed in a CheckPoint survey expect their number of remote users will rise this year, thus increasing the opportunities for attacks.  In addition, a large number of businesses will be migrating to Windows 7.  And, according to the piece, “Businesses may find that Windows 7 migration will be an opportune time to reduce the number of security vendors they use and to consolidate endpoint security solutions.”

A company’s sensitive data is a potential target as the workspace continues to expand and information is tapped from multiple points.  The 21^st Century enterprise expects a full-service workplace that can adapt to their business requirements – a safe and secure IT infrastructure is essential to their success.

What has your business done to improve its security?

 We here at OfficeLinks are rather fortunate to have Tim Fielding, a thought-leader in the world of mobile media, as a client in our Bryant Park office location.   He and July Systems know a thing or two about mobile media.  In fact, July Systems is a true pioneer in the mobile media industry.  July Systems helps companies extend into the mobile environment via platforms on mobile phones through mobile Internet sites and applications.  Simply put, they help businesses make an app for that – and keep that app going. And it is Tim’s job to work with companies to create appropriate mobile strategies, developing a series of mobile properties and then keeping the mobile properties going.

The July Systems’ client roster is rather impressive – to say the least.  The firm powers more than 80 major media and sports brands globally, including some of the most popular brands in the United States, including CBS Sports, Vh1, Fox Entertainment Group – Fox Mobile, Fox.com, Fox Reality, FX, Speed, National Geographic, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon, NBA, NASCAR, PGA Tour, GOLF.com, Indy Racing League, NBC Sports, Travel Channel, Travel & Leisure Magazine, Lifetime Network.  

 This all sounded fantastic to me – but the OfficeLinks team was wondering who should incorporate mobile media into their marketing outreach.  Tim explained that there are companies who see mobile tools as something they can push off – something that others can pioneer and that they can come around to later on down the road.  Obviously traditional media still has its place but, if done right, mobile media as a key component of a firm’s marketing outreach is a powerful tool for businesses today – allowing consumers to have up-to-the-minute information, buying opportunities and customer service at their finger tips, on a piece of equipment that is omnipresent with consumers. 

Who is doing it best? According to Tim, the sports, financial services, retail banks, food and wine businesses and traditional brands (think NIKE) are sectors that are most effectively utilizing mobile media.  Some apps he suggests you check out: Lonely Planet (travel section), Kraft (food section), CBS Sports (and ESPN deserves a nod, too). 

 Looking to tap into the power of Mobile Media to help your business thrive?  Check out July Systems.

Despite the challenging climate, we have found businesses are willing to invest in relationships with partners, suppliers and, yes, office providers, that will enhance their business, boost their productivity and put them in a position to succeed.  Our newest location in midtown Manhattan at 1140 Avenue of the Americas is a perfect example of this.  Businesses could have easily secured space in another part of town with fewer amenities and a less desirable address – especially with the amount of space available in New York.  However, when they weighed their options, our clients made a purposeful decision to secure space that meets their complete business needs – from floor plan design, to technology and from location to amenities.
As the article said, most businesses require an office at least some of the time to conduct business.  Companies just need to secure the one that best matches their needs.

Yes. Times are tough and we have to streamline travel costs…But there IS a very positive flip side!

We all know it.  Globalization, the easing of governmental rules and regulations, technological evolution and an increased competitive landscape has torn down geographic barriers to entry – forever.   Whether you are conducing business in your home city, the next state over or across the pond, the fact is nothing truly replaces the power of face time with customers, prospects and team members. Today, business travel is not just an option, it’s a necessity.  And it’s not cheap.  But the forecast isn’t all that dark and gloomy.  OfficeLinks has a client who holds the secret we all want to hear about.  Work with them and they’ll cut costs – and still have you dining at “the” restaurant, flying business class and even taking holidays on a private yacht!

Yes, we said it. It is possible.  Altour Travel, an OfficeLinks client located in our Willis Tower office space location in Chicago, knows that now, more than ever before, companies and individuals alike are seeking help to streamline costs but really don’t want to give up all the pleasures of travel – even if it is for business.  It’s Altour’s job to get people traveling while monitoring expenses, cutting costs and still enabling them to enjoy.  If they can do that for business travel – just imagine what they can do for your personal travel!  Let’s face it – we want to be able to hop on the plane, close our eyes, and reach our destination without fretting about travel details and costs.

Altour has earned a name as an unparalleled expert in business and leisure travel. Consistently recognized by top industry critics as a savvy and sophisticated leader, Altour blends the convenience of modern technology and worldwide networking with old world attention and personal relationships with clients and hotel, car and airline partners.

So what’s their secret? A love for travel, a system to measure travel costs and the inside scoop into exactly where the deals are and how to take advantage of them.   It’s true, the Altour team knows travel. They love travel.  And, they pride themselves in listening to their clients needs and mapping out the ideal travel program that is second to none.   In addition, Altour has created a proprietary system that allows clients to track all spending on travel. Their reports break out costs, allowing clients to see where money was spent and areas for optimization. Top all of this off with the fact that Altour is able to negotiate discounted rates on behalf of their clients – enabling them to save them money. A single word comes to mind: smart. Working with Altour is just plain smart.

Edward Roque, Altour’s East Coast Operations Manager, recently gave me some tips for my personal travel that I thought you might appreciate:

-          Book international travel 14-days in advance (We know, it takes a little spontaneity out of it, but it’ll help you save – and a little planning can’t hurt!)

-          Always have a Saturday night stay (Bet we don’t have to twist your arm on that one!)

-          Look at alternate airports (For example:  Check out Gatwick vs. Heathrow)

-          Utilize low cost carriers (Southwest is an example)

-          Don’t be afraid of Train Travel – its making a comeback!  (Edward swears!)

-          For anyone who is traveling to Europe or abroad for long period of time – you can get longer term tickets really cheap.

-          People get caught up with frequent flyer numbers, so a lot of times people have frequent flyer numbers with every carrier.  Consider picking up one carrier – depending on what city you are from – and staying with that one carrier.   Same thing with hotels and car companies.  Sometimes your airfare might be more expensive but if you calculate your miles you can get a free ticket – it pays off.

-          Air is consolidating – be aware of them because acquisitions consolidate miles.

-          When you travel internationally buy insurance.

And, if you ever have the desire to charter a private, staffed, 19-foot sailboat for a Mediterranean cruise where you can bask in the sun by day and sleep under the stars at night – just ask Ed.  He knows from personal experience how to put that trip together for you!

For more smart travel tips from OfficeLinks’ client Altour Travel, click here.

Click Image for a Jazz Retreat

Welcome to Washington Square Park – if you haven’t been there lately, it’s worth a stop.  A place where you can sit back and relax and watch the world go around. Just a short stroll from OfficeLinks.

• Thursday, September 2 at Millennium Park: 12 – 4 pm
• Friday, September 3 at Chicago Cultural Center: 12 – 3 pm
• Friday, September 3 at Millennium Park, Jay Pritzker Pavilion: 4 – 9:30 pm
• Saturday, September 4 & Sunday, September 5 at Grant Park: 11 am – 9:30 pm

The Chicago Jazz Festival is less than a mile from OfficeLinks’ Chicago office location and a wonderful way to wrap up the summer and kick off the fall.  Click here  for more information about the Chicago Jazz Festival.  You dig?

Art has New York City as one of its greatest sponsors.  With seemingly unlimited access to the creations of renowned artists from all over the world, how should New York companies looking to have their work environments designed select from such a vast artistic pool?

For my company, OfficeLinks, a New York City office space provider of next generation workspaces, it was an obvious choice.  We recruited a local artist, Andrei Petrov, who has developed a unique, identifiable style that can be described as “layered abstract painting.”

When Andrei first told me he believes “the brush is mightier than the pen,” I begged to differ as a writer.  However, after visiting his Lower East Side studio and observing this creative mastermind in his natural environment, I understand his mantra.  Over the past few years I’ve admired Andrei’s work in our hallways; colorful, abstract looking pieces which I now know are based on memories, more specifically moments of clarity and passages of distortion meant to trigger lucidity in viewer’s minds.  For some people, like me, writing is our source of expression.  But for Andrei, as evidenced in his work, visuals are more powerful.

Andrei’s career as an artist began at age five; he remembers copying cartoon characters as a child.  The talented artist honed his skills at Laguardia High School and SUNY Purchase University.  His mentors include his uncle, a surrealist painter, and his father, a set designer, which Andrei views as his father’s very own canvases.  Finding inspiration in moments, Andrei notices the way a puddle hits the curb or how snow melts or the essence of people.  A highlight of Andrei’s career was his appearance on Donald Trump’s popular show “The Apprentice.”  On air, Andrei led his team to victory by teaching them to sell his art which I wasn’t surprised to hear given the consultative role he took in the placement of his pieces within OfficeLinks’ work environments.  He uses all different scales and shapes and believes it’s important to know and understand the spaces where the art will be placed.  For example, Andrei suggested that the oil-based panoramas be positioned in the conference rooms and the vertical pieces in the stairways.

Outside OfficeLinks’ halls, Andrei’s art can be viewed at Hotel Plaza Athenee, The Anthem, The Four Seasons Washington, and of course private residences.  For more information about Andrei’s art or to get in touch with him, please visit Andrei’s website at www.andreipetrov.com.  I know Andrei would love to hear from you; he told me that one of the most rewarding aspects of being an artist is observing people taking the time to experience his paintings.

Located just over a block from the OfficeLinks Grand Central West office location and just 1/3 of a mile away from OfficeLinks Bryant Park office space location, you’ll find the Museum of the International Center of Photography at 1133 Avenue of the Americas at 43^rd Street.  The Museum of the International Center of Photography is dedicated to exploring photography through dynamic exhibitions of historical and contemporary work.  Since 1974, the International Center of Photography has presented over 500 exhibitions, bringing the work of more than 3,000 photographers and other artists to the public. 

Current exhibitions are on display until September 12 and include: For All the World to See: Visual Culture and the Struggle for Civil Rights, an exploration of the historic role of visual culture in shaping, influencing and transforming the fight for racial equality and justice in the US from the late 1940s through the mid 1970s, and Perspectives 2010: Carol Bove, Lena Herzog, Matthew Porter, Ed Templeton, Hong-An Truong, the inaugural installment of a new annual series focusing on significant recent works by contemporary artists, photographers and filmmakers.    

Upcoming Exhibitions are on display September 24, 2010 through January 9, 2011 and include: The Mexican Suitcase, an exhibition of images drawn from a famous collection of negatives from the Spanish Civil War that were considered lost since 1939 until they arrived at International Center of Photography in 2007 and Cuba in Revolution, an exhibition showing the tremendous influence of photography in recording and encouraging the revolutionary movement in Cuba.

OfficeLinks encourages you to visit the Museum of the International Center of Photography, which is open Tuesday through Thursday, 10:00 am–6:00 pm, Friday, 10:00 am–8:00 pm, Saturday and Sunday, 10:00 am–6:00 pm.  (Museum is closed on Mondays.)  General Admission is $12, students and seniors are $8.  International Center of Photography Members and children under 12 are free.  Voluntary Contribution Fridays 5:00–8:00 pm.

For more information, click here.

The Museum gives visitors an insider’s look at the history and traditions of the largest police force in the country and its role in the history of New York City. Visitors find out the reason police precincts around the nation are marked with green lights outside their doors, why officers are called “cops,” why their bosses are called “brass” and which came first, the Model T or the Highway Unit.

Opening on Tuesday, September 7, 2010, is The 9/11 Responders, a powerful exhibition of sketches and watercolors that depict first responders selflessly at work in the clean up and recovery efforts by Aggie Kenny, an Emmy award winning artist.

Other exhibitions, which are currently featured, include The Life & Legacy of Lt. Petrosino, Policing a Changed City, 9/11 Remembered, and The Police in our Community, a collection by three award-winning courtroom artists that is only open through September 2010.

The New York City Police Museum is open Monday through Saturday, 10 am to 5 pm.  Admission for adults is $7, for seniors, students and children is $5.  Children under 2, members of the service and Museum Members are admitted free.

This is a great local gem that OfficeLinks’ Wall Street location clients can walk to and enjoy on their lunch break – and bring friends and family back to on the weekend!  For more information about the New York City Police Museum, click here.