RTS Labs online newsletter for September 2018
SEPTEMBER 2018
RTS Tech Journal PRIORITIES
What Actually Matters
One thing I am most passionate about is making a positive impact on people’s lives. I believe the best way to make a lasting impact is by helping people take their lives to the next level. Reaching that next level can be a struggle, because there’s an infinite list of things we want to do and a finite amount of time to get all those things done. As an entrepreneur, I have learned that the best way to deal with the limited amount of time we have is by focusing on the things in life that actually matter. This is easier said
steps include running 5 miles every week and eating healthy. So, if someone comes in and says, “Well, if you really want to look good, you need to improve your style and buy nice jeans,” I can look at my five steps, see that nice clothes really don’t have anything to do with getting fit, and put that distraction aside. This isn’t to say everything that doesn’t fall into the five steps to get fit is a distraction. I can have other goals that may revolve around spending time with my family or
improving my company. These goals have steps of their own, and I will periodically look at the steps and ask, “Are these steps still getting me closer to my goals?” If not, then they get moved to the noise category. This is how I prioritize within the five steps, because reaching your potential is never a one-and-done mission. At RTS Labs, helping people reach their potential by teaching them this life hack of prioritization is a big part of what the company does. I have worked with CEOs of massive companies, brand new startups, and members of my own team who didn’t come from a software background but still had a passion for tech. In many circumstances, I’ve seen people excel when adopting this strategy of prioritizing their life. I’m not saying this is easy by any means or suggesting that, by prioritizing your life today, all your dreams will come true tomorrow. But it’s a good start. We can’t change how much time we have in this life, but we can determine how to use our limited time to the best of our abilities.
I have learned that the best way to deal with the limited amount of time we have is by focusing on the things in life that actually matter.
than done. Even if a person knows what things are important to them, life’s clutter tends to get in the way. When it comes to cutting through all the clutter, I fall back on my favorite life hack: prioritize, reprioritize, and prioritize again. Right now, one of my goals is to get fit. In order to reach this goal, I have to determine the five steps I need to follow. This is how I prioritize what matters. Anything outside of these five steps becomes a distraction and gets put in the “noise” category. For example, in order to get fit, I’ve determined that some of my
-Jyot Singh
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FINDING BALANCE Talking With Nathan Shurte, Software Developer
Simple Recruitment Strategies That Wow Candidates
Winning customers over from industry giants is the eternal struggle of small businesses. But once you do get those customers and need to grow your company, an even bigger challenge becomes apparent: recruitment. You want the best and brightest employees representing your brand, but winning over top-tier recruits from big business can be daunting. The good news is that getting your business to stand out against multinational conglomerates with enormous recruitment budgets is not impossible! By getting a little creative and leveraging the qualities that make your company unique, you can generate buzz and win over excited new team members. Here are a few ways to stand out in the job market. Run a Competition Why not tap into recruits’ competitive sides? Designing a contest around the skill sets you’re looking for can be a great way to garner publicity and attract a pool of talented, eager candidates. The ad agency Ogilvy & Mather made waves by issuing a challenge over social media: Sell us this brick and win a chance to be part of our sales team. Video submissions answering this quirky call to action flooded in from around the globe, and Ogilvy got their pick of the most creative, outgoing sales candidates on the market. Be Mysterious Some of the best recruitment campaigns leave room for the imagination. When you implement ways to pique the interest of your hiring demographic, qualified recruits will do the work to search you out! Tech companies as large as Google have run enigmatic campaigns by disguising URLs as equations, daring tech-savvy minds to decode the message and end up on their recruitment site. One restaurant took a less mathematical approach and published an ad stating, “ I fin al avvv won moh befaw ah go ome .” The ad then asked any experienced bartender who could understand this sentence to apply. Embrace Your Quirks Company culture and work-life balance are huge selling points for modern candidates, making small businesses an attractive option over stuffy corporate gigs. Small businesses with vibrant cultures and personalities have leaned into this with their recruitment strategies. Entrepreneur Amy Rees asked her employees to create 6-second home videos of themselves performing their “dumbest talent ever.” These were then cut into hilarious 15-second ads that ran at a local theater, ending with the tag, “What Is Your Elite Talent?” and directing moviegoers to her URL. Rees’ company didn’t just talk about their culture; they found an affordable way to showcase it!
When it comes to employment opportunities, it is rare to find a place that can be called both stable and flexible. An organization with a great deal of stability often demands strict behavior from its employees. Meanwhile, a more flexible company can feel like it’s on the verge of collapse each day. With a family at home to take care of, Nathan Shurte has often erred on the side of stability. was stability in spades, but when Nathan realized certain management changes just weren’t his cup of tea, he reached out to a recruiter who just happened to be acquainted with Jane Holmes, our people services manager at RTS. Jane reached out to Nathan, who proceeded to sail through the interview process. Nathan joined our ranks of software developers last April, and works primarily in Java, “What I like about RTS is that there’s a great sense of stability,” Nathan says. “I like that the company isn’t just five guys in their garage. The company is over 80 people and growing. At the same time, the team has a lot of freedom in the way we approach our work. We need to get the job done on time, but we’re free to employ our preferred work style to get there. Sometimes we have to put in late hours, but I can tolerate that. This is a pretty good group of people to put in those hours with. “Everyone on the team is great at what they do. Sometimes I can feel a little outclassed, but that just goes to show the level of skill RTS attracts. I get to work with a team of talented developers, and in the five months I’ve been here, I have really learned a lot. RTS is this balance of stable and flexible I’ve been looking for and I’m really happy to be here.” Before starting at RTS Labs, Nathan worked with a large medical organization that employed upward of 18,000 people. There focusing a great deal on the day-to-day nuts and bolts of a project.
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ANSWERING TRENDS
RTS Solves Problems in Financial Services
At RTS Labs, we have the privilege of working with all kinds of businesses. Even companies that fall under the same umbrella, like financial services, have unique niches they cater to, from insurance to managing back-end receivables for the transportation industry. However, though the companies are different and the solutions they need are unique, many organizations in financial services share similar struggles. When we sat down with financial services leaders, including the CEOs and CIOs of numerous organizations, we learned there are three major issues plaguing financial services today: • Fraud reduction/Fraud detection • Share of wallet • Customer strategization More often than not, financial companies have data stored in multiple systems across
the organization, but those systems don’t often intersect. This hinders collaboration on so many levels. Without the ability to pull data from across the organization, businesses struggle with transparency, are unable to personalize their clients’ experiences, and fail to gain a holistic understanding of the state of their organization.
By looking at data analytics, data science, and machine learning AI, RTS works with our clients in the financial industry to address these pressing problems. We strive to really get to know our clients’ companies, identify their problems, and determine the causes. Based on the knowledge of industry
trends and what we have learned about our client’s unique
These are very common problems, but the people within the organization are rarely able to
organization, we set up information structures, align data, build the tool, implement
step away from their day-to-day operations to dig into the matter.
it into the company, and follow up
They don’t have time to create and test new innovations — they have to keep the lights on! This is where RTS comes in.
to ensure our solution solves
the problem.
Sudoku
LATE-SUMMER PANZANELLA
Panzanella, a Tuscan favorite, is a salad that features hearty chunks of bread instead of leafy greens as its base. What could be better for a late-summer cookout?
• 1 small loaf French
• 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced • 1 cucumber, sliced into rounds • 20 basil leaves, chopped
bread, cut into 1-inch cubes (6 cups) • 3 tablespoons extra- virgin olive oil • 2 large tomatoes, cubed • 2 red bell peppers, seeded and cubed
• Salt, to taste • Vinaigrette
1. Place a large sauté pan over medium-low heat and add olive oil. Add bread and 1 teaspoon salt, and toss often for 10 minutes or until toasted. 2. In a large bowl, mix vegetables and herbs. Toss in bread and your favorite vinaigrette and mix again. 3. Serve immediately or let sit 30 minutes to allow the flavors to meld together.
Inspired by Food Network
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INSIDE This Issue
My Favorite Life Hack
Simple Recruitment Strategies That Wow Candidates Stability and Flexibility
The Biggest Problems in Financial Services Late-Summer Panzanella
Have You Heard About Mauritius?
MARVELOUS MAURITIUS A Secret Island of Adventure
Just over 1,000 miles off the southeastern coast of Africa in the Indian Ocean lies the small island of Mauritius. The island is often overlooked by the rest of the world. Most people are more likely to have heard of the island’s most famous extinct occupant, the dodo bird, than the island itself. This is shocking when you discover how much fun there is to be had in this tropical wonderland. Adventure Awaits Looking for fun in the sun? Start your trip to Mauritius with a hike up the lush Lion Mountain, or take time to snap a photo of the Seven Coloured Earths, where volcanic soil has created sand dunes of seven distinct colors. And what’s a trip to an island without the beach? Beautiful coral reefs surround Mauritius, keeping sharks away from the pristine beaches. Island guests and locals can fearlessly scuba dive around the brilliant reefs, swim with dolphins, kite
surf, and find lots of other ways to enjoy the warm ocean waters. Walk Through History More than a tropical escape, Mauritius is an island full of history and culture, so there are plenty of opportunities to learn about the island’s layered past. You can visit one of the historical rummeries or explore Mauritius’ two UNESCO World Heritage Sites. You can also check out Aapravasi Ghat, the Immigration Depot, and Le Mourne Brabant. Taste the Memories
heritage, Mauritius offers a vast menu of delicious dishes to try, from curry to dim sum. And the rich soil and bountiful ocean provide more than enough fresh fruit and seafood to go around. Despite its amazing vacation potential, Mauritius is all but unheard of to people in the United States. This means travelers can find amazing five-star resorts at unbeatable prices! With this in mind, isn’t it time you got to know the island of Mauritius?
A day spent playing on an island is always better with great food. Influenced
by its French, Creole, Indian, and Chinese
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