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! 

Simple Advice

I was recently asked to speak in my son’s classroom about what colleges want to see in students and what employers want when hiring. I did a bit of research on what colleges want and presented that. My main focus was what employers want for their employees because I hear daily what they do not want. Many of my clients are frustrated with their young hires. Oddly, I wrote about this last March. But I think I need to go over it again. So, young people heed this simple advice because it will help you get and hold on to a job. 

Ethics – Show up on time ready to work and get the work done.  Don’t mess around on your social media all day. You are there to work and you are getting paid for it. It’s unethical to accept a paycheck for no work. 

Initiative – Or, the ability to act on your own. Figure it out and get it done. Don’t use the excuse, “No one told me how to do it.”  If you do not know how to do something, ask and listen to the answer. 

Communication – Mostly importantly, good communication skills. Speak and write in complete sentences. Don’t write and speak in “text talk” or acronyms. Look at people when they are talking to you so they know you are listening.  

Good manners and social skills – Learn how to shake hands. Be polite and kind.  Do not cuss at work; it is not professional. Put your phone down when talking to a co-worker and engage in the conversation.  

I know you are reading this and thinking, really? You'd be surprised. I hear from my clients daily that these young workers are lacking these basic, simple skills. We might be in a digital age but unless you are programming all day, you need to learn how to engage with the people around you and do it well. 

RESUMES are NOT: Half-truths ● Lies ● Fabrications ● Deceits● Misrepresentations ● Inaccuracies

Resumes are marketing tools to use to find a job. They are supposed to highlight how your skills will benefit a potential employer. It’s okay to change the resume to highlight your real skills and move them around in order of importance for a particular employer. Crafting a well written resume is a good thing; lying on a resume is not. Keep in mind that everyone checks the internet and Googles your background. Most employers check Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram etc.They will find what you are lying about.

Employers also do extensive background checks and will find any holes in your background that you have not disclosed. Employers may forgive a skipped job that only lasted a few months on a resume but they will rarely forgive that lack of disclosure on an employment application.   Treat applications like the legal documents they are. 

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. 

Work at Work

I don’t write about my kids much in here.  I realized that while at work I’m supposed to be working, not doing kid stuff, and I think that stretched into my writing. So, even though my world is split between work and the kids/family -  I mostly write about work.  Work at work is easier than mom at work most days.  Although a few weeks ago I was volunteering for the school Carnival and my kid’s life spilled into work.  I enjoyed it.  It was fun to combine work and the Carnival – it livened up my already busy day. Who doesn't love a good Carnival? 

This Monday on the other hand was the opposite, having home spill into work wasn't fun. Our oldest kid came down the flu - the kind no one wants to get because it's brutal.  I spent Monday nursing a sick kid and attempting to work because I needed to check references on a candidate I placed. Yes, the references could have waited one day, but that’s not my personality. When I say I’m going to get it done – I get it done.  So, Monday was spent 80% on my kid and 20% of the day getting my work done.  It wasn't perfect but it worked out.  He’s healthy now and the references are checked and tomorrow he’s off to his last 3 days of school. 

My Splitworld sometimes goes 80/20, 50/50 or 100% depending on the day but the good thing is I've finally realized that it's OK not to feel like I need to be at 100% at all times because I still get  it all done!  It may be a bit unconventional but it works for me and my family. 

Photo credit goes to my friend Christy  - **Christienne Grey Photography 1760 Monrovia, Studio A Costa Mesa, CA 92627www.ChristienneGrey.com

Recipe For A New Job

This Recipe works for getting a new job. It’s worked over and over again for candidates I’ve worked with over the years. If they worked The Recipe they all got new jobs. One of them, DJ,  got a job for 100K more than he was making at his prior job. The Recipe works.  In fact it works so well that I repeat The Recipe so often I decided it needs to go up on my blog. Now I can just say, “Go to my blog.” 

1. Your resume must be unique and tailored to the job your want to find not the job you have now.

2. The top ½ of your resume is your real estate – treat it well and put all the stuff you do that corresponds to the job you want up there. Use bullets of info – don’t use sentences, it’s old fashioned – go with short bullets of information. 

3. Stop going to networking meetings where there are only unemployed people. You can get more done in 15 minutes on social media sites talking to employed people – network there and meet people you don’t know but need to.

4. Snail mail (USPS) your resume to the hiring manager, not HR. Find the name of the person on the net. Also, mail your thank you follow up notes. No one gets mail anymore so it’s become a novelty, which makes it interesting. 

5. Join a non-profit that is out of your normal network and has a great board of directors. Then, participate.  You’ll meet good people and broaden your network.  

6. While you are at the networking meeting, the grocery, the mall, talk to anyone within 2 feet of you.  Strike up a conversation.  They might know someone that needs to hire you.  

Now start cooking! 

Unbridgeable Gaps?

The same conversation keeps on happening over and over again with my clients - lack of talent to hire. They can't find good, young, talented people who want to work hard and have the communication skills to be able to work.  There is a gap in the market. It  might be the entitlement that kids felts growing up wealthier before the recession/depression hit? Maybe they're thinking they don't need to work hard or maybe these workers have a different spin on what work looks like?  They also have huge problems communicating - looking you in the eye and using complete sentences.  I realize that there are always generational gaps but this gap seems to be vast and tougher to bridge. Could it be unbridgeable? 

My advice to anyone young and looking for a job:

• You will work hard with long days and late nights before you make an impressive salary. You have to earn those six figure salaries. 

• You will probably start working in a job that is lower than you originally expected. Learn from it. 

• Try to use complete sentences when communicating - the texting should stop when you put your cell phone down. 

• Find a mentor at work to help you understand the corporate culture and how to succeed.