Prep List for Dinner out with a Potential Boss

Get a haircut, polish your shoes and clean up your nails.  Do whatever you need to do to look highly presentable.

Turn your phone to mute.

Remember your table manners.

Smile and relax this is supposed to be a nice social experience.   

When ordering food keep it simple with minimal to no substitutions.

Be polite to the wait staff. Nothing says arrogance like being nasty to the people serving you.

Only order an alcoholic drink if the potential boss orders one. Then keep to one drink max – it is a business meeting.

Let your potential boss lead the conversation but have a few good questions to ask.

Enjoy the experience and get to know your potential boss. Remember you want to find out if you can work with this person as much as they want to find out about you. My theory on dinners is they are making sure that if you all are stuck in an airport for 6 hours you get along well! 

What to Wear?

The questions we get a lot is: what do I wear to my interview?  Companies run the gambit from super casual, shorts and t-shirts (surf companies) to formality in full blown suits, ties and spit polished shoes (investment firms/private equity) to jeans and hardhats on construction sites. It can be confusing and hugely annoying to try to figure it out but, it’s all about knowing your audience. Here are a few tips on how to find out what to wear - 

• Check their website to get a feel for their formality or lack of formality.
• If you are working with a recruiter, ask them for clarification. We always ask our clients what their dress code is.
• Check their Facebook and LinkedIn pages to see what people are wearing.
• If it’s an athletic/sportswear company, professional casual is usually best. If you’re going to a bank, CPA firm, or investment firm get the suit, polish your shoes, and get a haircut. 
• If you are still not sure what to wear do a “drive by” in the morning, at lunch, or after work to check out what the people are wearing as they go to and from work.
• If you are still not sure, the best bet is a suit. If you are too formal, it’s easy to take the jacket off and tone it down a bit. 

Rookie Mistake

I had a great morning – made breakfast, did two loads of laundry, swam laps in the pool, kissed the kids goodbye and went off to work. I felt like I conquered all my mommy duties and took some time for myself.  Well, good thing my morning made me feel like a rock star, because my day turned a bit sour.

A CFO I’d known for years asked to meet me for lunch in Cypress. I planned for traffic, about 45 minutes, and got caught in some, but I was still on time and feeling good.  I got close to my destination and started following the directions I printed off Google. Problem was, I hadn't read the directions before I left. They were completely off.

I was heading into Cypress to a restaurant off Katella and the directions had me behind the race track in some residential community. I kept on thinking Google had to be right but it wasn't. The search engine of all search engines has failed me. Thank goodness for GPS on my cell phone and a patient client. I finally arrived at the restaurant, but not without my wounded pride. I felt like I had made such a rookie mistake.  I mean, I know better – review the directions and the map before you get in the car. It's step one. 

So to all you candidates I've lectured over the years:  know where you’re going to interview and be on time. And feel free to call me with a  - I told you so!  

Next time, I’ll double check my directions and or ask for specific directions. 

(To make amends I did buy my client lunch and they asked me to come back in a few weeks to talk some more.  It all ended well and I got a refreshed lesson on planning ahead and knowing where you are going.)

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.

The Handshake

What’s in a handshake? Should it be wet noodle, limp fish, or an iron grip? Is there a happy medium for a good handshake? Of course there is. When shaking hands, you are portraying your self-confidence, friendship, power, status, and self-worth. Your handshake says a lot about you. Make it firm but don’t squeeze the life out of the hand you are shaking. A good handshake bridges the gap between you and the other person. It should be a warm greeting, not a power play or an intimidation factor.

• Your handshake should be firm but gentle. Men -- firm does not mean squeeze the hand like it’s in a vice grip.

• Palms should touch, but not be compressed together. Again, don’t flatten out their hand until they are saying ouch.

• If you have sweaty palm syndrome, wipe your palms in your suit jacket/pants pockets, casually, before you shake hands. You can keep a dry Kleenex in your pockets to help dry your hands.

• The encounter should be long enough to make contact but not too long, usually two or three quick shakes or a quick count to three.

Shaking hands is a salutation, treat it as such. First impressions do matter – the handshake, the polished shoes, the clean shirt, well groomed hands. Make sure your handshake is part of the package that makes a great first impression.

How to Interview a Candidate for your Job Opening

1. Remember this is not a social event. This person is not your friend.

2. Remove your ego from the equation. Be genuine.

3. Especially in this economy, do not assume the unemployed person you are interviewing is second class. In fact, don’t treat anyone like they are second class.

4. Start with a plan. Write down the important questions you need answered and ask them. If you need to make a check list of your questions do it and then check them off as they are answered.

5. If they don’t answer directly ask the question again in a different way. Candidates are trying to avoid difficult questions as much as possible. They like to talk around things. Sometimes it takes a few tries to get a real answer out of them. Yes, this speaks to their character.
6. Take notes – write all over their resume.

7. Be real about your needs and wants. Understand the job you are hiring for.

8. Listen. Quit talking so much. Ask your questions and wait for an answer. Stop the chatter.

9. If you don’t like the person at all be gracious and kind when you exit the interview. That person could know the perfect person for your job and will refer them – if you are cordial to them.

10. If you think the person is fantastic don’t over sell the job or the company – again, be real.