Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah and Happy New Year! ⛄🎄🕎 Tips on Taking Better Photos

Tips on taking better pictures this holiday season -

Just walk. Stroll with confidence toward or past the camera to catch some natural movement.

Hold something in your hand.

Relax your body by casually leaning against a wall.

Wear comfortable clothing: Choose outfits that fit well and make you feel confident. 

Relax your body language: Avoid stiff postures, slightly turn your body to the side, and shift your weight naturally. 

Engage with your surroundings: Interact with people around you, look at something interesting, or use props to feel more relaxed. 

Natural smile: Focus on smiling with your eyes, not just your mouth, to appear genuine. 

Find your best angle. Take photos of yourself. Use the idea of a clock and turn your head while taking selfies. Find your best angle. Mine is at 10.  

Don't overthink: Embrace the moment and let go of trying to perfect every pose.  

Merry Christmas! Happy Hanukkah! Happy New Year! ⛄ 🎄🕎

New Roof, New Office and New Market!!

 

The new roof is on!  It’s truly a relief to have a solid roof over our heads. I’m excited to build out the damaged room into my new home office.  I’ll have a lot more room and a quieter location.   My town is slowly cleaning up - homes and businesses are being fixed.

The people of Florida are resilient and incredibly strong-willed, and we’re excited to work with them. Our firm is continuing to expanding into the Florida market. We’ll always work with our client/candidate base in California, but it’s been exciting to connect to new companies and people.

Happy Thanksgiving to all our friends, family, clients and candidates from Coast to Coast. May your Thanksgiving Day be filled with love, laughter and joy.

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! 

No Notes and a new recruiter at our firm!!!

 

The last two months I’ve had the opportunity to talk to a lot of Dave’s clients and listen to their stories about him. It’s been awesome to hear how many people he’s helped over the last 30+ years.  Dave has helped people since they first graduated from college until now!  A funny musing anyone he knows well he never kept notes on them – he’d just remember everything about them. So, it’s been an interesting process with no notes – I’m interviewing people that the firm has known for years just to complete their file – we like to get as much detail as possible, so we place them at a great company!

Exciting news - we have a new recruiter at the firm, Sharon Ryder. She has over 25 years of experience recruiting and is excellent with sales, marketing and biz dev people.   Call us, she’d be happy to assist any of your recruiting needs.

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.

Flow

 

Wow! I’m blessed that had a great year last year both with my business and personally.  The business had a good start to 2023. Now I’m sitting in a slump – my flow is gone. I tried to work harder, create new approaches to recruiting and just push hard. Still no flow. Getting out on the boat over the weekend was relaxing but still no flow. So, all the trying to attempt to create flow- it’s not working.  My solution - I’m going on vacation. I feel like I should still be slugging away at work, but the Universe seems to be telling me it’s time for me to take time off and chill. So, off I go to an island for some rest and relaxation. I’ve found real downtime energizes me. 

Looking forward to reenergizing and coming back to a great work flow! 

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. 

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. 

Stand Up Desk Excitement!!

I'm SUPER excited about my stand up desk!!!  My work is interesting and there is never a dull moment but the sitting all day, after all these years, was driving me nuts. A few weeks ago  I totally whined and complained to my sister and she said, "Get a stand up desk." So, I did. 

My desk was delivered yesterday and I felt just like a kid at Christmas!  I am so happy with my new stand up desk!!   

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!

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! 

LinkedIn Recruiter Connects

Last month, one of my business associates sent me a note about constantly getting contacted on LinkedIn by recruiters. I thought her comments on what they are doing right and wrong are relevant to anyone trying to expand their network on LinkedIn.  Here are Bridget’s thoughts, including a compliment to me. Always have to keep those in right? She wrote:

You know I think you're the cat's meow as a recruiter, but have you noticed how some of your kin in your industry are not as savvy as they should be when it comes to using LI (LinkedIn) to recruit?

This year, I've come in contact with three recruiters who have no previous connection to me, yet they've sent me canned candidate search e-mails via the "InMail" feature, and they're usually mis-categorized as an "expertise request."  The most recent one sent me this long, chatty request to reply to her to inquire directly about and available position at her company. I responded right away, since she specifically asked me to get back to her with a time when she could call me to tell me more about the opportunity. I hear nothing back for two days, and then she replies with a single link to the position on their website.

The sad thing is, these recruiters were legit - in my case, all of them were HR department employees of the companies with positions to fill. Just a little anecdote for you that illustrates how the poor homework isn't always the fault of the candidate, LOL.

Some common issues I've noticed with recruiters using LinkedIn:

1. Spelling/grammar errors. Really?  If I'm taking the time to spell-check and punctuation-check an inquiry before I hit send, why can't they? 

2. Improper use of InMail. Only premium or enterprise account holders have unlimited InMail access - That feature gives you the ability to e-mail LI members without having to clear the hurdle of getting a connection first. The rest of us regular folk have to purchase the right to *send* InMail, so when we *receive* one, we tend to take it seriously. If you're a recruiter using InMail to attract a candidate, don't waste our time if you don't intend to contact us or formally ask for a resume. In addition, you're not asking me for my "expertise" or a "consulting request." If you can't find the right category to enter on the drop-down menu of the InMail recipient's contact preferences, don't use InMail. Make the connection request and scrap the generic LinkedIn greeting for a proper, personal introduction and request to connect.  

3. LinkedIn "party fouls." If you’re a recruiter that keeps lurking our profile and your settings aren't set to "anonymous," we can see the last 5 days worth of profile views without paying for a premium account. Quit being a creep and either make a connection request and CONTACT us, or stop stalking us! Seriously, it just gives a hungry job seeker a false sense of hope when you re-visit the profile, but take no action. :-)

4. If you are a recruiter who has already taken the time to become a first-level connection, ask for a resume, and perhaps even invite that connection to become part of the interview process, don't turn into a jerk the moment the candidacy process hits a wall or favors someone else. Case in point: I once had a recruiter "court" me from initial connection through five (YES, FIVE) in-person and phone interviews with her company, only to become a total cyber-ghost, failing to return any e-mails or calls about my status. 

I compare this to online dating. Sure, it's considered only slightly rude if you don't respond to a "wink" from a potential mate, but if you've taken the time to talk over e-mail/phone, or maybe even meet for a first date, it's rather tactless to vanish without a trace if you're just not feeling the love after the first meeting.  A simple, "Sorry, I think you're nice (sharp candidate), but I don't think we're a match (the right fit for what my hiring manager needed)," will suffice.

[Check out this video on You Tube - http://youtu.be/Ba6Igu1MvE0http://youtu.be/Ba6Igu1MvE0. It’s a funny parody on a Gyote song about lack of recruiter love.] 

Thank you. That concludes my little LinkedIn gripe of the day. :-) I'm sure you're not guilty of these moves, right? LOL

My response to Bridget: "Love your comments! I get a lot of candidate complaining about lame recruiters and how they use LinkedIn. Me, I’m just super direct on it – asking for help and stating exactly why.   I might check a candidate out twice but that’s it.  I think Dave has instilled in everyone over here to respect the candidates even though we don‘t work for them. Eventually they may become a client and/or a great source for information. Bottom line treat people with respect and kindness and it will come back twofold!"

Advice to the young professional

I've been working as a mentor for a local universities and I help coach our client’s kids before they head out to find their “real job”. I’m finding a few trends with the young professionals that need to be changed.

• To meet someone stand up straight, look them in the eye and shake hands.
• Sit up straight during the meeting don’t slouch and, again, look the person in the eye. 
• Don't chew gum.
• Don’t play with your pen, paper, or anything else your hands find. It's distracting.
• Turn your phone off or silence it.  Better yet, leave it in the car.
• Unless you have a photographic memory (being very sarcastic here), take notes during the meeting. It shows interest.(You know what, even if you have a photographic memory, take notes.)
• Show up to meet your interviewer dressed professionally. You don’t have to show up in a three piece suit but ditch the back pack, jeans and hoodie. You need to look like I can take you to meet a client.
• Ladies – do not wear “hooker heals” to a business meeting. If you love your high platforms, make sure they are on the conservative side, or at least the rest of your outfit is. Business dress is not the same as night club dress.
• Polish your shoes, brush your teeth, and wear minimal amounts of perfume/cologne.
• If you are going to a lunch or dinner, brush up on your table manners. Yes, the basics like putting your napkin in your lap and what fork to use when.
• Always send a thank you note after you've met with someone.

All of this seems simple, but it's surprising what some of the young professionals think is professional nowadays.  Recent grads, my final words of advice to you: keep it simple, be polite and show your interest in whoever you are meeting with! 

Resumes - Personal Statement vs. No Personal Statement

The latest resume question I've been getting is about the personal statement at the top of the resume. 

Just get rid of it! Put it in your cover letter. I don’t always read cover letters but many people do. The cover-letter-readers especially love reading a great personal statement that gives the client a good gut feel for who you are.

The newest trend in resume writing is bullets the top of the resume. It is a great thing to do.  It’s easy to change out and highlight what you want based on the company’s requirements. The top of your resume is valuable real estate and it should highlight all the reasons why the company should hire YOU - so use it well. 

If you do decide to stay old school with a personal statement make sure it doesn’t have too many I’s and me’s in it. What do I mean by that? The company wants to understand what you can do for them - but, it’s not about you, it’s about them. Now go update your resume! 

For resume writing tips go here http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8060489977260281178#editor/target=post;postID=5632614948864389561

TXT Job Offer?

recntly I XperENs a yung pro (YP) hu wntd 2 email & txt w/o talkin durN d offer process. It mAd 4 a straNg & complicated process cuz d YP wouldn’t TLK How do U tAk a complicated process lIk a job offer & mAk it wrk Thru text?

 U don’t. 

d deal blew ^ cuz ther wz n real QSO – jst txtN. YP’s & recnt graduates U must Lern how 2 communicate verbally Ovr d fone & n prsn. txtN doesn’t wrk wen U negotiate yor salary, benefits vacation dA – thOs R a huge pRt of yor life!

Pick up the phone and call or meet people in person without your phone ringing! This is not a social even it is work and at work you must be a good communicator.

For those of you who couldn’t decipher the text the translation is here - 

Recently I experience a young professional (YP) who wanted to email and text without talking during the offer process. It made for a strange and complicated process because the YP wouldn’t talk. How do you take a complicated process like a job offer and make it work through text?

You don’t.

The deal blew up because there was no real conversation – just texting. YP’s and recent graduates, you must learn how to communicate verbally over the phone and in person. Texting doesn’t work when you negotiate your salary, benefits vacation day – those are a huge part of your life! 

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.

What to do with your hands at a Networking Event.

This morning I got a question from one of the Chapman grads I work with frequently and it’s a good one that I should share.

Chapman grad – “I realized last week in a networking setting that I have NO idea what to do with my hands when I'm standing in a group of people. I never land on anything that works, and then overthink it and feel awkward about it. Any advice?”

I loved his questions because I struggle with what to do with my hands at times when all I want to do is flip my pen around. A few things that work for me:

Things to do - You can keep both hands behind your back with your fingers clasped. Clasped in front works too but some men make it look awkward. You can put your thumb in one pant or suit pocket hang the rest of your hand out while keeping the other hand at your side. If you put both thumbs in your pockets it looks like a “John Wayne” stance (howdy cowboy) although, I do that all the time and it works fine for me. I fidget all the time so I like to lock down my hands. I like to keep my business cards in my left pocket so I can shake with my right while handing my business card with your left. Sometimes I totally mess this up and hand the card to the person upside down but heck I’m human and I make mistakes too. Not often, mind you. 

Things not to do – Don’t cross your arms in front of you - it makes you unapproachable. If someone is annoying you with a rambling conversation, though, it’s a good thing to do because it verbally signals – I’m done. Also don’t hold on to one arm with the other arm – it looks awkward. I see people doing this all the time because they are nervous, every time I see people do this I think they are nervous and/or shy.

Sticky List Radar

I love my smart phone, computer and tablet but sometimes old school paper works just as well. I keep a list of hot candidates on my desk and it’s a bunch of sticky, multicolored notes all stuck together. It’s not glamorous but it works.

Why keep a short list? Sometimes I remember everything about a person's work history, what they wore, when they met me, and where they met me, but I confuse their name - is it David Smith, David Moore, David Ankenbrandt,? 

I need a cheat sheet. 

The list also has some of my favorite people - yes, recruiters have favorites. Once someone is placed, they may get crossed off the list. Sometimes they stay on forever even though they are happy working – they stay on because it’s a great way to stay in touch! Sure I can create a list on my computer, and I do that too but I prefer my sticky list radar.

Hey David - thanks for naming the list! And - yes you're on it.