Nightmare on Candidate Street

Everyone has had at least one not so good interview. Even though we have all had some bad experiences, most are share with our closest of confidants. However, today I am sharing some of my most recent experiences -- well because I am still in shock and awe that any of this even happened!!!

I submitted my resume and application to a Tier 1 global automotive supplier. After passing 2 rounds of phone interviews, I was granted the opportunity for a face to face interview with the Global HR Director. Wow, I was impressed and excited. Upon my arrival I was placed in a large modern conference room with all the tech gadgets to allow such a large company to collaborate in real time. Again I was impressed.


That was until the Masked Woman came into the room. She was tall, early 40's, 50's, or 60's -- but it was hard to tell because she had a plastic surgery mask on with all the surgeon's drawings and pen markings still in place on her skin. She had what looked to be fresh surgical stitches decorating her exposed hairline which formed a messy bun type thing in the back. Now as if this were not enough, she then asked me some questions totally unrelated to the job: "Do you drink?", "Do you go to church?" After 14 minutes I thanked her for her time and excused myself, never to apply there again.



The very next day I had another interview scheduled with a small company that only operated in Michigan. This company was on a growth path but needed a Sr. Manager to help with the new PMO roll out. I was a great candidate and eventually scored a face to face interview. This time there was a panel interview of 6 people. The interview went great! We laughed joked and even was told "you are a sure fit".

But, about five minutes before the interview was over in his closing remarks the CEO asks me, "You look American are you a citizen?" Followed by, "You don't look like one of those people who was in the army, but were you?" and the icing on the cake was when he said "Well then if we offer you the job no need to worry about a background check because we have had some tough times with that [background checking]." He went on to explain "... especially when the CFO was accused of the rape, of our former HR Manager." I must have looked like a deer in headlights. I stood up shook the rapist's hand, and everyone else and thanked them for their time; but just about ran out. At the first parking lot I came to, I pulled in and sent a quick note from my phone:

"Gentlemen, Thank you for your time today, however after today's revelations, I have reconsidered working for your company and immediately rescind my candidacy. Thank you and good luck in the future."

Lesson's learned file: No matter how large or small the company, not everywhere is a good fit for me.

About the Author: Blair Gaines is an impassioned leader and manager who has a great interest in creating a world class workforce.  Blair is working toward her 2nd HRM Degree, and has a passion for writing.  She is a talented speaker and writer, who has a way with words, that paint a picture on a level that can be understood by all.  Follow Blair on Twitter @blairlikely or connect with via LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/blairgaines 

YOLO -- So Do Not Blow It!

OMG! I seriously luuuuuvvvv Pop Culture, but really the jargon and rhetoric have no place in the
workplace, and especially not in an interview.  As catchy as it is to paraphrase TV shows, songs and stand up comedians among friends, colleagues and constituents deserve your best business ettiquite.

Walking into the office in the morning belting out in your best imitation of  Fetty Wop saying
"Hey whassup, hellloooooooo", is really not that appropriate.  Although it may sound like a fun way to greet others -- remember not as many people as you would like to think have him on repeat in their playlists.

In an interview, if someone asks you to describe yourself in 3 words or less, please do not say "Imma classic man"!  Jidenna, the artist who sings this song is implying that he is a young OG who can get lots of women and sell drugs.  This is probably not the impression you want to give.

If a coworker compliments your outfit, please do not reply "I woke up like this".  Beyonce is a pop-icon but even she didn't wake up like that. A simple "thank you" is fine, and perhaps a return compliment.

During a meeting if you disagree with someone's thought's or ideas please do not reply with any of the following: "Boy Bye!", "Girl Bye", or "Bye Felicia".  Foremost I cannot recall who Felicia is and second, calling adults girl or boy is plain offensive.

If you are trying to give a good example of your leadership skills, please stay away from quoting rapper Rick Ross, although he may feel like he is a Boss, that is in an entirely different capacity -- and is probably going to get you into the bottom of the leadership pile if not totally tossed out.

Taking on more than one task is an admirable quality and most employees who can multitask effectively have longevity in their careers.  However, if asked "Do you think you would like to take this opportunity to..." -- By heavens sake please DO NOT, for whatever it is worth reply "YOLO!" (meaning You Only Live Once) -- This was a term coined by crossover rapper (from Toronto) Drake, in the 2011 song "The Motto".  While I welcome Drake to yell this out whenever and wherever, you should definitely not.

Remember, you can say whatever you want to your friends, but your colleagues, constituents and potential new managers deserve for you to properly code shift into your corporate self. And only Lady Gaga can say "I live halfway between reality and theater at all times. And I was born this way."  

About the Author: Blair Gaines is an impassioned leader and manager who has a great interest in creating a world class workforce.  Blair is working toward her 2nd HRM Degree, and has a passion for writing.  She is a talented speaker and writer, who has a way with words, that paint a picture on a level that can be understood by all.  Follow Blair on Twitter @blairlikely or connect with via LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/blairgaines 

It's the new microphone and everybody has one.

Photo credit: http://20px.com/blog/2013/10/24/before-it-was-a-hashtag/

The world is a stage for anyone for at least a moment or two.  For my mom the hashtag was a tic-tac-
toe board, for me it was a pound sign and now its the way to connect with others who have a like thought in the digital realm.  Whether its a shared article, 140 character thought, a pinned idea, video, news article or a picture of a dog eating a lemon it gets shared, a hashtag is the way to share.

The question remains, where to share it and when?

There is a time and place for everything, any good parent has said this at least once a day.  So why not as adults shouldn't we remember this?  Well the answer to that is that we should.

So, let me break it down to you my way:

Facebook (FB)

Photo Credit: http://www.dumpaday.com/

This is for ages 0 (apparently its OK for an infant to have a FB page) to 100+ (because even great-great-great grandparents are actively posting and liking things).  And this is true because FB's marketing team think's its target market is everyone.  We can blame the everyone target market on SEO and Geo tracking which is an entirely different conversation. Any-who, FB is typically for connecting with family and friends online.  Like your dear old aunt Gertrude, or your first friend in second grade.  You share pictures, thoughts, commentary and, well, that is it.  It should stop there, but we know it does not -- again another conversation.

Twitter
Twitter gives you 140 characters to post your deepest or most insane thoughts like, how nice the
weather is, a link to something more interesting than you, or a place to connect with main stream media and put in your 2 cents worth.  In other words Twitter seems to be the digital zone where there are no rules written, and morals and ethics need to override desires to post the absurd.

Pintrest

Pintrest takes our inner Martha Stewart, Julia Child, Chef Ramsey and Do It Yourself-er and allows us to become instantly published.  No matter if it's how you repainted a room, built an addition to your home, or made an after five dress out of duct tape Pintrest is for those who make something out of nothing; or follow those who have that special talent.

Tumblr
While as I write this, even I am thinking Tubmlr will fade, or maybe it already has...  Tumblr is

where users post content in a short form blog (or for you FB-ers a really long status message). Tumblr like FB and Twitter allows for followers and likes.  So really it's just another online forum like FB and Twitter that is mainstream, yet less mainstream than the Big 2 (you know FB and Twitter).  My prediction, Tumblr is the next MySpace a digital burial ground for foregone conclusions.

LinkedIn

This site is meant to be a social networking site specifically for the business community. The premise is that registered users can establish and document networks of trusted professionals that they know.  It is also a good networking tool. However, beware because this is where the LIONS roar, yes we have all seen it, people with LION after their name - a badge of confidence if you will.  It means LinkedIn Open Networker.  Yep that's it -- so it pretty much says they will accept requests from any person on LinkedIn who says they are ready to network.  Quite frankly I would love to meet the den master, or person who created this pack of LIONs because they seem to be a useless group.

I personally love Twitter, and LinkedIn, yet I despise FB, but no matter which sites you use frequently or just browse from time to time please be a steward of your own content and post where its most appropriate.  And if in doubt just sent the thought via text message to a close friend.  I am sure they won't mind being your audience for just a few characters.

About the Author: Blair Gaines is an impassioned leader and manager who has a great interest in creating a world class workforce.  Blair is working toward her 2nd HRM Degree, and has a passion for writing.  She is a talented speaker and writer, who has a way with words, that paint a picture on a level that can be understood by all.  Follow Blair on Twitter @blairlikely or connect with via LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/blairgaines 

X + Y = Generation YOU!

Let's face it, none of us will be forever young as taught by pop culture.

As a cross millennial and gen-xer I feel forever young.  Thus because everything that is currently being marketed is being marketed to me.  I prefer to call my generation generation YOU.  What YOU want,  when YOU want it, how YOU want it.  Yep that's me, Generation YOU!  So what happen's when that changes?  How do I change with that?  How do I become a future asset that can pass on timeless information that is something that YOU will seek?

Photo credit http://www.reimaginework.com/

In essence I am asking how do I become a YOU-BOOMER?

I read countless articles day to day about the workforce, retention, recruitment, hiring, the workforce and all the in between; and it all boils down to WHAT DO YOU WANT?  What I want is to be a YOU-BOOMER!   In 20 years I want to sit down with generation "We Care" and tell them about how we (Generation YOU) demanded what we wanted, how we impacted social media, pop culture and mainstream business to align them with our design.  I want the influence of the Baby Boomers to catapult into my professional existence and blend it with how Generation YOU, will impact the next wave of the global market place. 

The downside of being a part of Generation YOU, is that frankly this generation is spoiled!

Photo credit http://www.decontaminatetoxicpeople.com/

The anticipation of getting something just because it is desired is way over demanded.  And the ability to accept failure is at an all time low.  I have seen people walk out of meetings almost kicking and screaming "but its not my way".  This generation has a great learning curb if they are going to survive in the real global corporate climate.  We need to learn to get rid of buzz words, catch phrases and truly embrace obstacles, because those obstacles do turn into opportunities when seized at the right time.   This generation needs to learn patience, and how to be steadfast in their approach.  This generation needs to scale down their screen time for actual face time.  And this generation will need to learn that YOU are are a part of a collective that can be called WE.

"... embrace the Baby Boomers theory of teamwork"

Photo credit www.forbes.com

As happy as I am to be a part of the convenient Generation YOU, I know that WE are a generation that can be a movement if we embrace the Baby Boomers theory of teamwork; being a multi-person system that functions cohesively.  So rest assured, Generation YOU can still be saved, and truly become a revolutionary movement of innovation and theoretical catalysts for growth and change.  After all isn't that what YOU want?







About the Author: Blair Gaines is an impassioned leader and manager who has a great interest in creating a world class workforce.  Blair is working toward her 2nd HRM Degree, and has a passion for writing.  She is a talented speaker and writer, who has a way with words, that paint a picture on a level that can be understood by all.  Follow Blair on Twitter @blairlikely or connect with via LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/blairgaines 

Generation X Perspective on the Baby Boomer Legacy

I came across an interesting link on Twitter yesterday (follow me @BlairLikely) that peaked my interested because I believe in a truly diverse workforce.  That diversity for me means creating a cross generational collective of talent.  After all everyone has something to offer that can help build and sustain a world class workforce.

Generation X and Millennials alike can thank the Baby Boomers for an all inclusive workplace, work life balance, institutional knowledge and leaving the Baby Boomer legacy. 

The Baby Boomers knocked down the glass ceiling, ended work place discrimination, and then broke through the predominantly white "boys club" to create diversity in offices.  Results can be seen today as diversity in the workplace keeps perspectives fresh and innovations flowing.  This generation was a trailblazer of work life balance and the family-friendly work place; which has become pivotal in retaining a workforce. The institutional knowledge that can be lost as Baby Boomers retire and leave the work place, has company's coming up with innovative ways to retain knowledge.  Company's have recognized this and are finding ways to transfer the knowledge.  This means having "in place" successors; as well as technologies that allow retirees to serve as consultants post retirement.

The Baby Boomer legacy has afforded Generation X, Millennials and beyond a changed workplace that was shaped by experiences, social changes and the political climate.  World class company's who recognize the importance of the cross generational diversity are going to be the company's who go farther, stay longer and have a greater workforce.

Click here for the entire article The Baby Boomer Legacy: The Gen X Perspective, Sara Schmid, Jan. 27, 2015 or by copying and pasting the below  link:



https://www.workintelligent.ly/workstyle/demographics/2015-1-27-baby-boomer-legacy-gen-x-perspective/?utm_campaign=ContentSyndication&utm_medium=NativeAd&utm_source=OutBrain&utm_content=&utm_term=baby+boomer+legacy+gen+x+perspective

About the Author: Blair Gaines is gifted Project Manager who has a great interest in creating a world class workforce.  Blair is working toward her HRM Degree, PMP certification and SCRUM Facilitator Certification.  She is a talented speaker and writer, who has a way with words, that paint a picture on a level that can be understood by all.  Follow Blair on Twitter @blairlikely or connect with via LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/blairgaines 

Unity Through Laughter

For those of you who do not know stand up comedy is one of favorite things to attend.  Ok, I digress it is my most favorite thing.  I recently saw my favorite comedian LIVE!!!!

Fluffy the Comedian, whose real name is Gabriel Iglesias graced the stage at the Fox Theater in Detroit, Michigan; on his newest tour Unity Through Laughter.

Thanks to my fabulous planning skills, and ability to find a deal anywhere; we were able to get two tickets 7 rows back from the stage for the price of one!

I could not have picked a better show for a Winter Event.  I got to see Marteen who open and hosted the show and G. Riley.  Fellow Fluffy fans you know have heard of these people and they made the show even more epic!  It was all new material, and so funny I cried laughing non stop.  Plus after my MAJOR let down from seeing Mike Epps (WORST STAND UP SHOW EVER) on New Years Eve I deserved to be wildly entertained.

The crowd was super diverse and our seat mates were almost as entertaining as the show itself.  So I highly recommend you go check him out, or if you have Netflix watch 'Fluffy the Movie'.  He does not disappoint!

Goal Achieved, On to the Next

I had to put my pen down for a few weeks, because I had a goal to obtain.  I am sure you can understand.  Writing is my passion and my leisure; however I knew that leisure time would return as soon as I reached my goal.   So with that being said I am picking up my pen again and retreating to my happy writing place because I have reached another milestone, another goal! #GoTeamBlair!