After our spiritual therapy, we come back renewed to pick up the smallest member of our family from his carpeted class of happiness. We are greeted at the door with a full report on the first born on what he has done for the past 65 minutes. Which is just odd considering the only thing we know he does in daycare during the week is play hard core in the dirt. And, that knowledge is gained from his blond hair being brown by 5:30 pm and the mud sandcastles shoved in between his shoes and socks.

“Your son is quite adventurous,” Which when translated from “Bless her heart terminology” means he is an absolute handful and has torn the room completely up from one end to the other. “He likes to look at everything”. Translation: Everything is everywhere. “He should be an engineer because he is so curious with how things work”. Translation: While ripping all the papers off my desk and attempting to pull the child protective covers from the electric sockets, he would point at objects and ask questions in his own language at the top of his lungs (which we believe is Vietnamese because his first teacher at daycare spoke little English). “Have a blessed day!” Translation: Have fun at that sit down restaurant you think you can take him to and I will be resting up for next week.

We have to read between the lines in [tag]recruiting[/tag] too. “He just wasn’t a good fit”. There can be several translations there from “He showed up stoned” to “His book was incredible and he wowed the masses, but he was a total narcissist”. We are partnership with our [tag]Clients[/tag] and our job is to make sure the [tag]resume[/tag], [tag]portfolio[/tag] and person are the perfect fit. Be candid and allow us to do the same so we can achieve the same goal together. Illuminate the path through better conversation and help us come into the light.

Well, dear Hiring Manager, the same is true for you. Employees talk and what goes around comes around. If you treat your folks poorly or don’t pay well or cheat them out of their bonuses, they will tell everyone they know and word travels fast. Advertising folks know how to drum up some interest, after all.

In addition to the people you hire who are privy to agency secrets and financial statements, you must be careful about everyone who has an encounter with your agency. The focus is usually on your clients, but what about the ones who stop by for an interview, meet with your higher-ups, and leave? Even if you don’t choose to hire them or they don’t choose to work for you, it’s always best to make a great impression. You never know when that smarmy little 23 year old Creative might be the hot new thing with the Big Idea and you want him to come and run the show. Best if you treat him respectfully, offer him some coffee, show him around, follow up with his recruiter, and offer solid reasons why now might not be the best time for him to come on board.

Ignoring him, neglecting him (or his recruiter), constantly rescheduling interviews, low balling him on salary, or any bait and switch tactics will be duly noted and exploited with you on the losing side of that debate. You’re the one with the big fat reputation and all the money, so use your power for good. Make a great impression and leave all the candidates who apply for jobs with your agency wishing they were chosen. Make them consider about how they could chart their career paths so, perhaps one day, they may be considered again to work with you. They will tell all their friends how super cool and great you were. And you can’t buy that kind of PR.

What that means, however, is a lot of relocation among these candidates. Luckily, most of the agencies out there are willing to look nationally for top-notch talent. Most of you are willing to assist with [tag]relocation costs[/tag], understanding that it’s a small price to pay to draw the best people to your shop.

[tag]Relocation Assistance[/tag] is a broad term and may encompass any number of things depending on the level of the job. This part of the package can either make or break that offer. Many agencies like to wait until they get to the offer stage to determine what the relocation assistance will be. I submit that this is a mistake. It results in making you appear wishy-washy or underhanded. Better to determine what you can afford and want to put on the table ahead of time.

Keep in mind that most [tag]candidates[/tag] are starting to think of working for your shop from the moment we contact them and pitch that job. This job is not just a list of duties and a [tag]salary[/tag] and a location. It must actually fit into this candidate’s life. He or she may have a house to sell or a significant other’s job to consider. If they know ahead of time that you offer 10% of salary for relocation, they can start to consider this seriously. If they know it’s a flat $5000 paid up front, again, they can get out the calculator and see how best to spend that money. If they must pay and wait to be reimbursed, they should also know that ahead of time. For a twenty something junior level candidate, coming up with a couple grand might be tough. Allow them to feel out Mom and Dad for a short term loan. In other cases, you may have a certain dollar amount to spend on the position and everything must come from that bucket. A candidate might be willing to take $55,000 in salary and cover relocation himself as opposed to earning $53,000 and having $2,000 cashed out for relo.

In the end, knowing this ahead of time speeds up the offer and acceptance process and allows candidates to see you’re playing on a level field. Make it part of the conversation with your recruiter so there’s no question.

Anyone who knows me can tell you that I absolutely love to shop. I’m a female. It kind of comes with the territory. I nearly foam at the mouth at the very thought of shopping for anything… shoes, jewelry, electronics, lottery tickets, fresh produce—you name it. Feel bad for my future husband? Me too. The most rewarding shopping experiences typically begin without much expectation. Maybe you head to the mall on a Sunday just to pass the time. After hours of going store to store and finding nothing, you’re about to go home empty-handed. You decide to just make a quick stop at your favorite department store on your way out. While perusing the racks, you come across something spectacular. A real one-of-a-kind. Maybe it’s a dress. Perhaps it’s a fabulous pair of shoes. Maybe it’s that perfect bracelet that you haven’t been able to find anywhere. Whatever the case may be, it’s going to be hard to pass up this piece of utter perfection.

For argument’s sake, let’s say it’s a dress. You look at the price tag. Okay, so it’s a little more than you might normally spend. You decide to try it on hoping that it might sway you one way or the other. It happens to look better than it even did on the rack. Crap, now its decision time. You deliberate for about 5 minutes. “Do I buy it? Will I wear it? Will my husband me mad? Will I regret not getting it?” And most importantly,” Will it still be here tomorrow if I decide that I want it then?” You finally come to a decision after 5 agonizing minutes—the dress is too perfect and someone else will snatch it up the moment you walk away. Swipe goes the credit card. You walk out of the store gleaming with your new purchase in hand.
 

[tag]Hiring managers[/tag] are faced with similar situations almost on a daily basis. An exceptional [tag]candidate[/tag] that you’re in love with might be right in front of you, but you’re still hesitant to move forward. Maybe the candidate is just a little too expensive. Perhaps they’re from another state when you’d prefer someone local. Understandable. But, just like the perfect dress, I guarantee you that the candidate will be snatched up by another agency the minute you turn your head. [tag]Advertising[/tag] is fast-paced. Rarely will a candidate be waiting with baited breath for you to make a decision. They’ll simply accept an offer from one of your competitors who acted faster.

[tag]Recruiters[/tag] have witnessed this frustrating scenario time and time again. I actually just did last week. A very talented [tag]Account Supervisor[/tag] candidate of mine interviewed at one of the best agencies in Boston. He was everything the agency wanted. He had the perfect account experience. After his first interview, the hiring manager called me and was absolutely ecstatic. The first thing she said was “he is perfect,” along with a “can you check his references?” As you well know, this is a dream scenario for a recruiter. References were checked and the candidate was ready to sign the offer letter. A week goes by–no news. I call. I email. I send carrier pigeons. Well, maybe not, but let’s just say that I was persistent. Another week goes by—still nothing. The candidate calls to tell me that he’s received an offer from another agency. He asked the agency for the weekend to think about it, in hopes that my client would come through with an offer. I finally get a hold of the hiring manager to tell her that there’s another offer on the table. She was completely flustered. She assumed that the candidate would just wait around for them to get their ducks in a row. I told her that, if she wanted him, she only had 3 days to make it happen. She assured me that she didn’t want to lose him and was working on it. Day 3 went by. At the close of business, the candidate formally accepted the offer from my client’s competitor.

Okay, I didn’t mean to get all Negative Nancy or Debbie Downer on you. The moral of the story is that, if you come across a great thing, you simply have to act or someone else will. Now, go get that candidate!! Or the dress…whichever you prefer.

So to my surprise none of my bags were going to be acceptable for an 8 day vacation and all the crap that “needs” to come with me. A gigantic bag had to be purchased. Out to visit my three lovers (as my husband affectionately calls my addiction): [tag]TJ[/tag], [tag]Marshalls[/tag] and [tag]Ross[/tag]. After my three various trips, a monster bag was bought which was pale gray in color. It was just magnificent in size and depth with wheels to boot. There is no way that any human being could mistakenly walk off with this bag. It was one of a kind.

Wow a vacation. We haven’t been on a vacation in two years. You know like really away way. I needed to pack the baby’s bag which actually requires more than mine, but thankfully everything comes in munchkin size. Needed to pack the husband’s bag too because he has some form of packlexia which is the complete inability to fold anything without it being in a wrinkled ball. Although he believes if it is gently placed there will be considerably less in wrinkles. This is not true. Out of the hundred jobs he has had, why couldn’t one of them been at the Gap, even if just for a month?

So a [tag]rebellious streak[/tag] hit me while packing briefs and Downy wrinkle release spray, why organize what you will wear day by day? Just bring a bunch of stuff and be whimsical and decide when you get there? Pack it all and decide later. It is interesting that my rebellious streak has gone from smoking pot in the preacher’s bathroom to this pathetic form of girls gone wild. But that’s what seven to five day, being a wife and having a toddler do to force the crazy right out of you.

Every minute of my day is organized in email, calendars and lists. Part of the [tag]vacation[/tag] was not having to organize and it would begin with my new ginormous suitcase.

 “Oh my gosh, what the heck do you have in here?” “Kimi, this thing is way too big.” It couldn’t be too big, TJ wouldn’t have done that to me. They don’t sell bags that are too big to go on a plane, do they? Isn’t there some regulation manufacturers have to follow? He looked on the airline’s site while registering online and sure enough it was going to cost us extra because it was a tad heavier than expected. We “lovingly” named my bag Manatee because of its large gray girth.

We were at the airport by six am. We went to check the luggage in at the curb and the Skycab grunted while picking up Manatee. He put it on the scale and not only was it WAY too heavy at 65 pounds; it was too large by length and width. My rebellious spirit costs us $60 dollars both ways.

Whiling trying to avoid the husband’s evil eye, I grabbed his hand and said maybe we could just call it a “love” fee since Manatee was loved before it cost us a hundred and twenty dollars…Certainly with a love fee they would love my bag wouldn’t they? After all it had a giant orange sticker that said HEAVY which in baggage handler terms also means “She paid $120 bucks for this over weight polyester mammal so you better give it kind attention”.

She did make it back to the Atlanta airport at the end of our trip. There was no love for the [tag]Manatee[/tag]. She was beaten and scarred both inside and out. Guess they thought there either had to be a bomb or possibly a dead body in there since they rummaged all through the poor girl. One of greasy fingered employees tore by favorite beach hat that was packed in the bowels of her gray matter and left fingerprints all over my personals.

The vacation was a great success with much fun to be had by all. There were several lessons learned on this trip which unfortunately had to do with money. Guess the ones you remember as an adult usually do? But the point of this blog is to tie it in with [tag]recruiting[/tag]. So the lesson learned and to be shared is throwing caution to the wind can be expensive. And, just because you have to pay more doesn’t necessarily mean that others involved are concerned with your expense. If you want to be rebellious, have a plan B.

I think some of us could use a reminder that we are all really OUT THERE in terms of our [tag]virtual footprint[/tag]. Each week, I post blogs on this site. I send emails to candidates and represent this company in many ways. Anyone who wanted to poke around a bit could find out any number of things about me. The same goes for you. And you. And you. The moral of this story is, if you don’t want it to be generally consumed by the masses and open to misinterpretation, then don’t put it out there.

When I prepare [tag]candidates[/tag] for an interview with your [tag]agency[/tag], I send them a lot of research and encourage them to do the same. If we know who will be [tag]interviewing[/tag], we employ a little thing we call “Google” and we go digging. Together, we become well versed on the good press AND the bad press. We learn about your accounts, what has pleased them and what has not pleased them. We want to know why accounts have gone into review, what your financial situation may be. It’s important to know how stable you are on paper and if there are any freak shows on board that we should know about ahead of time.

In this [tag]Web 2.0[/tag] world, the smart candidates know that you have thoroughly checked out their social network sites and, in many cases have perused everything from their criminal records to their credit scores. Take note, they are doing the same thing. My advice is to know what’s out there about you. What is being written about you on industry blogs? What kind of picture comes together when all the pertinent opinions of you have been tallied? Do some research on your agency and the key players so you know how to be preemptive when it comes time to talk frankly about who you are with potential candidates.

Kids go through phases. Thanks God they are “phases” since that word implies there will be an end eventually. We are currently in Round Two of my six year old son in Melt Down Phase. He’s a little guy but he has some big feelings and when he feels they are stepped on, we hear about it. Right now, if you look at that kid the wrong way, we hear a lot of phrases like, “You don’t understand! I wanted that spoon! It’s my favorite spoon and I never get to use it because Ruby always has it (sob sob) and it’s just what I wanted and (sob sob) now my cereal won’t be right without it and the world might possibly end and I predict global thermonuclear war because that one spoon that looks like the 12 others in the drawer is the very one I wanted and it makes all the difference in the world to meeeeeee.

“Dude, seriously. Chill out on the spoon thing.

So, lately I have approached this with a simple concept I like to call “What Are You Gonna Do About it?” As the name implies, Mama’s not so down with whining or bratty brats. We all encounter things we don’t like. Either fix it yourself or get over it or talk to me about it so I can help you figure it out. But complaining for the sake of complaining gets us nowhere.

I would say the same thing to my [tag]clients[/tag] (only in a more diplomatic way, obviously). If you take a look at a [tag]candidate[/tag] I send to you and something doesn’t work, you need to tell me specifically what you need more of or less of. You need to tell me what you want because I’m not a mind reader and it’s the only way to get what you want. It doesn’t mean you will always get your favorite spoon but having the conversation about it might mean that after it’s all said and done, you’d like a fork instead.