Progress

 

Progress! On the home front we have the shingles dropped for the roof and are waiting for the permits to be approved.  It’s nice to see progression and a relief to get this process started. Our neighborhood is getting cleaned up slowly and everyone is in the process of repairing their homes.   

Workwise we felt a slowdown a few months before the election and heard about a lot of real estate construction projects being put on hold or scrapped and sold. Now I’m hearing that the market is freeing up. I’m hopeful that since we are past the election cycle we can all get back to work! 

Helene and Milton

 

Whew - we made it through Helene and Milton. Most of our clients and candidates were very understanding about our situation.  Getting prepped for a hurricane is a lot of work and the clean up after is a lot. We were lucky that there was minimal damage to our property.  My sons patched the roof and added a tarp until we get a new roof put on. Our neighbors got hit hard with two rounds of flooding – all their possessions were on the curb. My town hadn’t been hit by a hurricane in 100 years.  

We’ve all been trying to show grace to everyone. We’ve been helping neighbors and they've helped us. Thank you to our clients who understood our situation.  Interestingly, we discovered some people don’t have any grace. One of the people we were working with at The AG with was upset that we couldn’t get back to them during this emergency. I found their lack of empathy shocking and it’s not anyone we’ll be sending to a client. 

Dave always had a saying framed and it was the only picture on the wall that got wet. Here's what it says - 

“It’s easiest enough to be pleasant,

When life goes by like a song.

But the man worth while is the man,

With a smile when every thing goes

Dead Wrong.”

Dave Retires

 

Dave is retired from The Ankenbrandt Group. We’ve spent over 30 years working together recruiting, arguing, negotiating, and laughing about work while managing the firm. I remember my first recruiter job description written on a napkin from a local coffee shop, my first deal closing and all the months of work to get to that point. Since then, there’s been lots of deals and many ups and downs, but we’ve always held our standards high at the firm and continued our good work.  The family company has been a challenge and a pleasure for me.  I’m excited to take the helm and continue to recruit for our amazing clients.

Dave will be missed but for us he’s just a phone call away – unless he’s offshore fishing.

Who do you know?

 

So, you’ve been using the power of YES to reach out to people. That’s positive networking and it is key to finding a new job. It’s all about who you know. How many applications have you sent into companies with no response? Some people have sent 100’s.  You must get in front of the hiring managers and LinkedIn is a great place to do that.  How to find more people to connect to?

1.     Research companies within a commutable radius of your home.

2.     Find the hiring managers at those companies and send them a connect.  Most people are nice and will accept a connection. 

3.     Follow up with a quick elevator pitch about you. 

This may not always work but it’s a quicker way to get in front of Manager/Director/VP than going through their application process.

Grace

 

So, life moves on and things get back to normal.  It’s odd to say but they eventually do. Works is back to normal, daily life - pretty normal. 

I’ve learned these last few years to give lots of grace to myself and others. As we head into the holiday season remember to give grace. It doesn’t take much to be kind and gracious to others. 

Pass on the grace and have a very happy Thanksgiving.

Salary Swing Dance

 

So, California passes a law stating as an employer you can’t ask salary history which is supposed to protect the future employees from losing money and unfair discriminating practices. From my understanding the company can ask salary expectations. Most people believe that it’s against the law for me to ask salary expectations.   I’m a recruiter working with multiple companies and a variety of salary ranges. I’m also not the employer.  The CA rule has been making difficult for recruiting due to this misunderstanding. 

It’s like this weird salary dance between candidates and me.  I’m the in between – the person negotiating to make both parties happy, the company and the candidate with the offer. Usually, I’ll get a range but occasionally the person won’t give me one which makes it awkward to work with them because every time I present a job it’s another guessing game and we're dancing around the salary. It's exhausting. 

Hey candidates, take advantage of a recruiter looking to negotiate a great salary for you – give them your expectations for salary! Keep it easy! They will get you more money.  It’s all in the same realm of questions we ask about, commuting, remote work, healthcare, vacation, salary etc. For a recruiter is just another item on our check list to make sure you take the offer – if you get an offer.

How are you doing?

 

So, I get asked often, “How are you doing?” It’s a loaded question and one I have a standard answer for. I say, “We have good days and bad.” 

Grief is complicated. It’s made for some very awkward moments with our candidates and clients.  It’s also made for some amazing moments of kindness and offers of prayers.  So, we are doing the best we can. Our days can be sad, awkward, bittersweet, happy and sometimes joyous. 

Some people ask how they can help? My answer to that, “Support our businesses.”  Hire us for recruiting, - we’re really good at it! Call me when you need new clothes and I’ll do a pop-up shop at your house or an online fashion show! Hire my son for his mowing service – he’s such a hard worker.  Keeping us busy and productive is one of our corner stones to getting through our grief.

Faith, Hope, Work and Family.

Have a great three-day weekend with your family!

Need to get some attention with your resume?

Resume Tricks that Actually  Work  - 

Bullet the top of your resume with as many of the skills you have that match the job description. Be specific to what the company needs.  


All very important information needs to go on the top half of your resume - not the second page or the third page.  Fold your resume in half to make sure that everything important - top skills, email address, phone etc fits up there. The top half is the prime "real estate" section.  

Don't forget your phone number and LinkedIn profile link! I've had resume sent to me with no contact info. It's about the details.   

Mail  - Don't just email your resume ---  USPS mail your resume. No one gets actual mail anymore so you have a better chance of getting some attention if you actually old school mail it.  Seriously when is the last time you got a real letter? 

For resume format ideas go to our Pinterest page - https://www.pinterest.com/ankenbrandtg/

Laid-Back

I traveled to the South East recently and wow what a difference in manners.  People opened doors and held them open, people were gracious, driving was pleasant and overall it was just such a relaxing and friendly experience. Our manners out here in Southern California have become almost nonexistent. People cut off each other driving, don’t stop at stop signs, doors rarely get held open, people don’t say hi or even give a friendly nod when you walk by.  It’s changed here. The once laid-back surfer style has become more of a city style.  I prefer the laid-back friendly pace of the past. Let’s try to bring it back.

Happy 4th of July!

Happy 4th of July! 

We live in a city where everyone goes crazy on the 4th. Fireworks blanket the sky and the kids and adults light them off ladders in the street and ride bike with sparklers flying off them - it's a lot of crazy fun. 

We hope you have a fabulous holiday with lots of fabulous fireworks too!!! 

God bless the USA! Happy 4th! 

Texting a Job Offer

Since my blog post in 2012 about not texting offers – it’s happened a lot – texting an offer. And it works.  To make a text offer go smoothly the key is to make sure as a candidate, that you’ve had a detailed communication with your recruiter/HR representative/potential boss about salary, benefits, vacation, bonus etc.  Seems obvious, but in this age of minimal phone calls and even shorter texts - good, solid communication is ideal.  Have that detailed talk sooner rather than later.  

Spring has Sprung

Spring is here! How do I know this --  our desert tortoise is out and about. Indy, the tortoise is similar to Punxsutawney Phil with Spring predictions but, he’s the Southern California version of him. 

Once Indy is up we know Spring is on its way.  So, get out there and enjoy the weather before it gets crazy hot again! 

Asking for advice – There is an art in asking for advice and maybe these tips will help.

Call during normal business hours.  Ask if it’s a good time to talk.

Once you’ve got my attention – LISTEN. Stop talking and start listening and write down the advice I’m giving. I can’t tell you how many people don’t take notes and then expect me to repeat myself again when they call back days later. There is nothing wrong with taking notes – take them!

Be humble, gracious and polite.

If you don’t like the advice, don’t argue with me about it. You asked -  I gave you my opinion. Take it and use it or don’t use it. Or just use what works for you – it’s your job search.

Don’t assume I’m a miracle worker – it’s you who must do the hard work finding a job.  Most people don’t get placed by a recruiter -they have to find their own job. 

Cringe worthy pictures on LinkedIn

Ugh – what is happening to LinkedIn? Lately when I go on it, I cringe, waiting for whatever tasteless picture pops up in my feed. Being a recruiter, I am connected to a lot of people, professional people, but, I’m starting to worry about some of these "professional" people.

Last week the first picture that popped up was an XX, a larger guy with without a shirt. Right after that, a cow jumping on a trampoline and then a silly math problem to answer. Today, it was a dead dog – I saw that horrible image twice, then a girl in a bikini and the final straw that sent me complaining to customer service was a girl in a top that was showing her nipples. Really, is that image okay at work?  If that was put up in the break room would that be acceptable? Maybe at a bra or lingerie company, but not at most professional establishments.  

There is a lack of professionalism happening on LinkedIn. Getting a point across can still be tasteful and professional. I don’t want a bloody, dead dog picture to interrupt my day at work. I see enough bikini clad gals and topless guys at the beach when we go surfing. Can we please keep it a bit more professional? I wonder what will be up there next? 

Merry Christmas

For the first time in a long time I’m ready for it – I think, OK, I hope.  It is the middle of the month and the interior and exterior of our house is decorated.  The tree is up and decorated with a ridiculous amount of ornaments just like my Great Grandma Veary’s tree.  Her tree was the most decorated tree I’ve ever seen – it had so many ornaments on it you couldn’t tell it was fake!   Our Christmas cards are done – addressed, stamped and mailed! Thanks to my husband, most of the gifts are ordered and being delivered. I’ve even started wrapping the presents.   This year I actually feel in control of the madness and I’m not so stressed.  I have even planned to make cookies with the boys this weekend.  Cookies from scratch!   I have a sense of calm this year and which has led to organized holiday fun. It’s a good feeling, a Christmas feeling and I’m going to roll with it!


Merry Christmas!

What Makes a Candidate Not Place-able

When trying to work with a search firm you may hear, “I can’t place you.” There are a variety of reasons why that may be true. Keep in mind that it’s not personal and you can still find a job but that specific recruiter can’t help you. Bottom line: the client is paying the recruiter a fee so they get exactly the person they want.

• You are out of the recruiter’s specialized field
• You want to move into a new job or industries – most of our clients want people straight out of their industry – they want the industry expert
• You’ve job hopped too much. Clients don’t like to pay a fee for this type of background
• You have no degree. In tech recruiting and some project manager jobs degrees don’t always matter but most of our clients want that basic skill
• You have a very unusual background/skill sets that are niche 

Chapman People

I’m a graduate of Chapman University and have had the opportunity to volunteer for the Chapman MBA program as a mentor since 2010. It surprised me that I've been participating in the program for so long; the time has really gone by fast! I think one of the reasons the time has flown by is because of the amazing people I have met.  Ralphie (far left) calls all my mentees my “Chapman Children”. When my Chapman crew gets together it does feel like one big family and they have become a great part of both my professional and personal lives. Over the last 5 years, I've had the privilege of placing a few Chapman grads. I've also become good friends with a few of my mentees. They've showed me support when my husband battled cancer, they've hung out with my boys, counselled me in business matters, and most often, keep me current with new trends. It’s been fun to see babies born, people getting married and careers taking off! It’s really a true “win-win” situation. I teach them a few things from my years as a recruiter and I get their new and innovative perspective on business.

So I guess this post is to say thanks to Chapman University and all my Chapman people! 

Help A Friend

One of the great things about being a recruiter is making people happy and finding them a great new job. I work for my client (the company) and I talk to a lot of people. Not every candidate is happy with me because I can’t place everyone I talk to. This time, luck was on my side by placing a friend happily in a new job. I’m usually wary of working with friends because losing the friendship over a search gone sour would be horrible.   A friend is more valuable than the placement but this time it all felt right and ended up with a great result.

My friend had not been happy in her job. We’d talk on the blacktop at school (It’s a recruiter habit to keep tabs on what everyone does for a living) and her eyes never lit up when she talked about work. She’d recently transitioned to a new career and missed her old career. She needed a bigger challenge and wanted to get back to a corporate job. A few weeks later I took a job order and it was a great fit for her. It was perfect timing and a perfect fit. Her placement made me feel great because I know she’ll be happier at work which translates to a happier home-life too.  

We’ll be going to dinner soon to celebrate and I'm be excited to hear all about her new job. It’s a good day at the office when you can help a friend. 

Speaking Dave

Dave, the owner and founder of The Ankenbrandt Group has his own language. He speaks and writes in quotes and short clips.  Sometimes it’s a challenge to take his thoughts and get them written down in understandable English. It’s like his brain is going too fast to get it all on paper. I try to make it all work for TAGBit’s  so I thought I’d give you a peak at how I transform his quotes and clips -  

Below is copy he sent me for October’s TAGBit's and his column Ank’s Angle. This is what he sent me –“Fall is upon us and winter is coming – we need rain - and Halloween is right around the corner. There will be a tomorrow – sure wish that we had leaders in this good old US of A…Seems the problems just keep stacking up. Had a boss one time – if there was a problem you would had to come up with a solution. Back in the day when people had manners.. Maybe go back to those days….”

And this is what I turned it into – “Fall is upon us, winter is coming and Halloween is right around the corner. There will be a tomorrow, but I sure wish that we had leaders in this good old U.S. of A. It seems the problems just keep stacking up for our “leadership”. I had a boss at one time who taught me if there was a problem you would have to come up with a solution but that was back in the day when people had manners, good work ethics and respect.  Maybe we should go back to those days….”

I’d leave it in the original form but then we get too many people calling us telling us we have typos and grammatical errors in our newsletter.  There really is only so much explaining we can do so I change it but still try to capture the essence of Dave. 

Multitasking Mama shops while working

I read an article about sitting too much and the blogger doing business while hiking instead of sitting.

Now, Hiking during a business meeting is serious multitasking and it got me thinking about how much I multitask. I multitask often and in fact I had a multitasking lunch today. I needed some warmer clothes since the temperature out here in sunny SoCal is below 60 degrees and I’m freezing.

Problem, I hate to shop.  

A few weeks ago a friend of the firm, Ralphie, asked me to meet him at South Coast Plaza for a business meeting/shopping trip. At first I thought he was crazy, who shops while working? But I went ahead and met him. I would never have thought that you can combine a trip to the mall and business, but it worked. Meeting at the mall is so convenient! Yeah you’re all thinking duh, but seriously I hate to shop and I avoid malls at all cost. 

So, today being cold won out and I did it again. I met one of my clients at the Nordstrom café. We ate, chatted about business, and I got my clothing! It seems so simple but I like simple and I like multitasking. I’m thinking maybe even the hiking while working thing could work for me. I should add it to my multitasking repertoire. I walk every morning and maybe one of these weeks I can incorporate a business meeting in my daily walk! Be warned: I do walk far and fast!