2024 Hiring Trends

 I’m seeing a few trends in hiring right and it’s going to be interesting to see how this plays out –

  

A big push back with working from home, especially for anyone in the finance and accounting world. Employers want them back in the office with little to no work from home.

Hiring people over 35 is trending.  Yes, ageism is in reverse. I’m hearing the younger generation doesn’t want to work. They are on their phones more than working and have challenges with communication and interpersonal skills.

Employers don’t want to hire anyone who’s moved around a lot. Understandable if it’s been 10 – 15 years of constant change. But if they had movement during Covid it’s a hiring mistake not to talk to them. The average person moved 3 times during Covid.  A lot of people had to move jobs due to issues with their industry/company and it wasn’t by choice.

Fear – people are fearful right now because of the economy and the political climate. It’s been putting a damper on hiring. 

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.

Internet Black Hole

I get asked the question, “How do I get their attention?”, all the time from candidates looking for a job. They have trouble getting anyone at the company they are interested in to pay attention to them. Typically, it’s because they have emailed a resume or put an application in online into the internet black hole. 

It doesn’t work.

We all get too many emails and electronic communication – it’s overwhelming. Try something old school – mail your resume directly to the person in charge. If you are applying for a finance or accounting job – the CFO. Need an HR job – VP of HR, General Manager or often the CFO. Need a sales job – hit up the VP Sales.  No one gets mail anymore – USPS mail. Think about it? When you do get mail it’s the occasional medical bill. Go old school and mail that letter directly to the person you want attention from!  Then follow up with an email article that they might be interested in inquiring about your mailed resume. It works a good amount of the time! Now go mail that resume.

Leaving San Diego

No one leaves San Diego. It’s just a rule here at our firm – don’t even try to recruit out of San Diego.  It never works – NEVER. You’d need a pirate to go kidnap the candidate to move them. It’s a lifestyle down there that they won’t quit.  You can move them around San Diego but they won’t leave. You can promise them more money, moving costs covered, 100% paid insurance, a huge bonus and you know what -  99% of the time we still get a NO.  Can you blame them? Seriously, it’s amazing down there. 

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. 

Glass Balls and Sugar Shock

Once again, it’s Christmas time and it’s all about our boys and the family over the holidays. This year, shockingly, we got our Christmas game on early. The tree is up and the house is decorated.  Older kids who can help set up the decorations, make it all easier. Except, when it comes to the glass balls. 

The other night both boys were playing with the snow globes (which are glass) and a bunch of my Great Grandma’s glass antique ornaments. After asking twice to quit playing with it all I caught myself yelling in frustration, “Stop playing with all the balls!”, which was followed by hysterical laughter from all my guys.

This weekend is cookie making, per their request. The last time we tried cookie making too much flour was put in the batter and it was a total mommy fail.  

We’ll try the cookie baking again because it’s Christmas and they love to decorate. OK who am I kidding, they love to eat all the frosting and sneak cookies until they are in sugar shock. Maybe this year we should toast to great memories, glass balls and sugar shock! 

Salary Negotiation Tips

Focus on your value, not what you need or greed.

If you don’t have much of a work history, you need to be very flexible with salary. Employers don’t want to pay a lot of money to teach.

Pay attention to your tone. Attitude and tone can convey a lot during negotiations.

Research what the job value is online. Keep in mind the online salary tools are national averages.

Be honest with your salary if asked directly. Also, be honest about your expectations and when people ask salary they are typically asking base salary.

Don’t take the negotiations personally. It’s a business deal.

Consider other perks beyond base salary -- benefits, extra vacation, free meals, flex-time, stock, bonus etc. This only works for small to medium sized companies. Too big of company = little wiggle room. They are harnessed by Human Resources.  

Ask for an offer in writing.

You can counter offer but be prepared to hear no.

Most companies want an answer to an offer within 24 – 48 hours. It’s easy to stretch it over the weekend if the offer comes the end of the week. If you are putting off answering them is it the right job for you?

If you only have one offer and it’s not great but you need to get to work, it is OK to take the job. Some of the best educational experiences are from bad experiences.  Work is work it’s not called play. If you can find a job you can “play” at, you are one of the lucky ones. Most people understand that work only partially fulfills your life. You must find other ways at times to be happy. Work is not always flowers and fairies. You can learn anywhere and then take that knowledge with you when you move later.

Do not take an offer and then not show up because you got a better offer somewhere else. SoCal is smaller than you think and word does get around. Don’t burn bridges. 

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!

Take me off!

We send out an email list almost monthly. The list is taken from our database of candidates and clients we've talked to. We don’t buy lists we don’t send out spam. If you've sent us a resume or have corresponded with us, that is how we got your email address. We keep great records and we know when you want off our newsletter.  Each time we send out TAGBits we get a report on who wants off and we make a note in your file and take your email address off the list.

Understandably we all get too much email, but it’s not very forward thinking to have us take you off the list. You’re better off just deleting our emails and letting us think you’re reading them. When working with a recruiter you want to nurture a relationship not cut it off.  Who do you think gets called first for a job? It’s not just the person that fits well, it’s the person who has kept in touch, who occasionally reads our emails and responds.  We champion the people we like.  Yes, playing favorites is part of the game so think and act like a favorite.  

Oh No! My Klout Score is Low!

Last Thursday night Colin Kapp, Assistant Vice President and Marketing Manager at Commerce National Bank in Newport Beach (like that plug Colin!) invited me to a Social Media for Small Business Seminar. I like to learn and like to hear new ideas. I was hoping I’d learn something new so off I went to the bank to hear Niklas Myhr, Ph.D. and Global Social Media Professor at Chapman University. 

I was very pleasantly surprised and I had a great time. Professor Myhr was funny, highly entertaining and educational – gotta love learning while you’re laughing.  The one thing I learned that will impact me the most is his view on blogs --  they don’t have to be perfect and that  a blog should focus on serendipity, satisfaction, service, sustainability and sharing. He also said to be happy to make up your mind and happy to change your mind.  I think I’ve been over thinking my blog and making it more like a boring business blog. Good business is my style but boring business isn’t.  In the future I’ll plan on trying to keep his 5 S’s in mind while writing. 

Next I learned to check my Klout Score – which is low a 10!  Obviously they don’t consider me an influencer.  Some of the reason I think my score is low is my FaceBook is not for business (do you really want to see pictures of me sledding with my kids?) and our YouTube videos are connected to Dave’s email and his FaceBook, not mine. So eventually I’ll sort out our media and with the all the tips Professor Myhr provided, maybe up my Klout Score to a reasonable number.  Hey Twitter worked for me this week after 2 years of using it – I’ll get my score up eventually.

Call us yourself!

If your spouse, girlfriend/boyfriend, sister/brother, cousin or any other SO (significant other) needs a job don’t, call a search firm for them. At Ankenbrandt we are happy to give advice, coach you a bit and lead you in the right direction but call us yourself.

If you’re looking for a management job you should be able to pick up the phone and call me, shoot me an articulate email and do a Google search on job hunting - yourself.

Attention all you well-meaning spouses, siblings, and cousins don’t “help” by phoning us. These people are not children. You calling us for them diminishes them in our eyes. If they can’t handle a phone call or make time to chat with us, how are they able to get a job done? How are they going to find time to interview? It sets up a bad first impression. Stop “helping” and let them do it themselves!

Box of Chocolates

Some days I just love my job! This week I was cranky because one of my clients keeps on changing the job description of what they need. It makes me crazy – when I keep on having to change my search. I’m like a lion out for the kill. If you tell me what to go get – I’m on it. But I need to know what I’m after. Changing the job as the search progresses is part of the recruiting game, but it’s a part I don’t particularly like.

So, one of our favorite Marketing VP’s, Michelle, called in – if you need a good VP she's available – and I started ranting - OK it really was complaining about my day. I admit it was totally unprofessional but she is a good friend of the firm and she gets my sense of humor. I went on about how I’m being sent all over kingdom come to find a specific type of person only to find out my client changed up the job AND…. I ran out of CHOCOLATE. This was bad.

To the rescue! About an hour later Michelle showed up with a 2 lb. box of See’s candy. Happiness!!!!! What a fabulous person to take time out of her day to go out of the way and be nice. So I got my chocolate and got back on my search.

Interesting side note - the box is hidden because the men over hear eat more chocolate than me!!! Boys leave my box of chocolate alone! My gawd, the box is almost empty and seriously - I’ve only had 3 pieces.

Ankenbrandt Group Trivia

Browsing through The Ankenbrandt Groups' old TAGBits newsletter I found out some fun and interesting stuff about the firm -

• Our logo is over 10 years old and we still think it looks good – thanks Rikki!

• We’ve been preaching tech solutions to recruiting for over 15 years. We still love technology.

• We have shared loads of Christmas, Halloween, Thanksgiving trivia.

• We are continuing re-inventing ourselves. We have recruited in almost all industries – the only industry I know we have not placed people in is hospitality. Anyone want to change that?

• We have found fantastic quotes over the years which are posted on this blog.

• We have been through recessions, earthquakes, fires, floods, huge periods of growth, a relocation to a new office etc.

• Dave “retiring” and then coming back - it’s hard not to work when you don’t have a hobby.

• Dave won’t quit – ever.

House Rules

At my home we have house rules posted on the wall. These rules are simple but work and I thought they might apply in the work place too. So here is the home version and the work version:

Home:
Play don‘t hurt – not hitting, pinching, body slamming, tripping, etc.
Do as you are told.
No complaining/whining.
No name calling.
No foul language.
Be friendly and thoughtful.
Respect is earned, not given.

Work:
Play well for the team - don’t hurt the team.
Do what your boss asks you to do unless it’s illegal and unethical.
Find solutions to problems don’t complain about them.
No name calling. Has calling your co-worker a nasty name actually furthered your career?
No foul language – we all have better vocabulary than that. Do you really need to let out a f-bomb all the time?
Be friendly and thoughtful – works at the office too. It never hurts to be good to your team.
Respect is earned not given.

Internet Black Hole

Today while talking to a terrific, very smart USC MBA (he has a MS in engineering too), he mentioned the black holes of the internet: job/resume portals. He said they don’t work, on line networking doesn’t work and emailing resumes directly to HR doesn’t work. For the most part, he’s right. Our world of instant emails, instant gratification doesn’t always work for finding a job. So, note to job hunters – finding a job is very hard work and sometimes you have to go the extra mile. Finding a job is harder work than having a job. In order to not end up in the black hole you need to go the extra mile .

Create - a list of companies that interest you. Then find out who is in charge of what you want to do. Example, if you are a marketing person, find out who is the Marketing Director or Marketing Vice President. Then, send your resume directly to that person – after you customize your resume – see below for more on that. You can also send it to HR.

Tailor - your resume to fit the job you are applying for. Do not lie, do not embellish but do highlight those skills that are applicable to the job you are applying for. Your resume is a marketing tool. It helps you get the job but you need to get in the door to sell yourself.

Follow - always follow up a resume with a phone call. You can call twice and send one email, after that you become a stalker. You do not want to become a stalker.

Interview - When you get the interview remember your elevator pitch, know your resume and sell yourself. Know enough about the company to be able to explain why your skill set fits their needs.

Thank you – write a thank you note, don’t just email it. Personal well written notes are still a nice touch.

Got the job – great! Now get ready to work. Didn’t get the job – make sure you tell the people you interviewed with that they can forward your resume to anyone they think might be able to use your skill sets. Always stay on good terms with anyone you’ve interviewed with – you never know who they know. It’s best not to end up in the black hole of a burned bridge.

Working hard and in need of a raise?

There are many successful companies today, companies that are showing a profit. If you work for one of these companies and are thinking you deserve a raise - it’s OK to ask for one, but do it in the right way.

You are not entitled to a raise. You must earn one and demonstrate why you deserve one. Especially in this tough economic climate where cutbacks are the norm, you need to make sure you have all your preverbal “ducks in a row” when you go talk to your boss. Show, preferably using positive examples, why you deserve a raise. Your credit card bills, your stock market loss and your kids’ tuition increasing are not reasons to get a raise. Saving the company money, increasing the bottom line, and turning around a difficult situation to the benefit of your company – those are all reasons to receive a raise.

So, get your pitch together with all the facts, be genuine, and state your case. If they say no, at least your boss learned all the good you’ve done. If they say yes, celebrate!