RECRUITING MARKETING AND SALES CANDIDATES IN SAN DIEGO (SD) - Lance Winsaft

RECRUITING IN SAN DIEGO

Recruiting for marketing talent in San Diego can be very challenging.

There are a few important points to consider if you are committed to hiring the best talent in San Diego.

One of the good things is that it’s a small market with amazing companies, schools and talent right at your fingertips.

COST OF LIVING VS. SALARY

The tricky part is is that cost-of-living is very high in San Diego.

The cost of living is comparable to Orange County or Los Angeles, but the salary market in San Diego is lower.

This makes it challenging to relocate from those areas since they will be used to a similar cost of living with higher salaries.

You also run the risk of losing talent to Los Angeles or Orange County as people are attracted the higher salaries with similar cost-of-living.

DEFINING YOUR COMPANY CULTURE

San Diego has a lot to offer like less traffic, a more relaxed lifestyle, and an overall different culture than is found in Los Angeles or Orange County.

This is highly attractive to many people and it’s what brings many people to San Diego.

You must have a well-defined company culture that speaks to the things that matter most to people. Then you increase the likelihood of attracting the best candidates.

You can carve out a competitive niche for yourself by prioritizing work-life balance, health and other incentives for your employees.

RELOCATING CANDIDATES TO THE SAN DIEGO AREA

While it is challenging to relocate from Los Angeles or Orange County, this should still be a major strategy when it comes to talent acquisition.

There are many folks in Los Angeles or Orange County who won’t want to move to San Diego.

You want to find candidates who want to get out of the rat race of Los Angeles and be somewhere smaller like San Diego.

You must find a way to head those people and there is no way around the large amount of volume and reaching out that it takes.

HIRING A RECRUITER

Often times hiring a headhunter is the only way to reach enough people.

A head hunter can help to find the ones who are interested in coming to San Diego.

Having a good relocation package can go a long way for attracting people to San Diego.

Since San Diego is a smaller market you’ll want to leverage your employees to get the word out about open positions.

You can create incentives for employee referrals to drive your employees to reach into their networks and help find you good people.

A benefit in San Diego is that pretty much everybody knows everybody by a few degrees of relationship.

ESTABLISHING YOUR EMPLOYER BRAND

You can capitalize on networking with your employees and this is another place where your employer brand comes into play.

It’s very important to have a well-established employer brand that speaks to the value of your employees as well as potential employees.

IN CONCLUSION

San Diego is a small market that certainly has recruiting challenges, but has a lot going for it as well.

Some other smaller markets such as in the midwest or in the south have a lot more challenges.

The beautiful scenery and laid-back attitude are very appealing to many people, both in Southern California and around the country.

San Diego also has some of the best climate in the entire country which can play a role in attraction.

Leveraging the topics in this blog will get you off on a great start when recruiting in San Diego!

MEN GETTING PAID MORE THAN WOMEN – EVEN MILLENNIALS? - Lance Winsaft

THE GENDER PAY GAP

So it looks like the gender pay gap may not be changing any time soon, can Millennials make a difference?

The pay gap between men and woman has always had a significant gap between the two. In history, men have always been paid more than women. 

Some states are creating new laws to impact this problem.

Experts say though things may not be getting better.

MILLENNIALS 

Today, Millennials make up the largest generational group in the workforce in the US. Millennials are truly taking over!

Millennials face gender pay gap just like any other generation.

The gap unfortunately continues to widen especially in the Millennial generation.

Experts have reported that this pay gap will continue to widen as salaries rise.

Even though the gap is smaller than Generation X or Baby Boomers in history the gap is predicted to continue to widen as more of the workforce becomes primarily Millennial.

WHERE IS IT THE WORST?

The biggest example of the gap are in TV and Entertainment. Actors have been recorded to have been making much more in entertainment than women.

Wages for millennial men are growing at a rapid rate than for millennial women with comparable jobs.

WHAT ABOUT INDUSTRIES?

It has been found that millennial women earn less across every region and industry than their male coworkers.

The largest gap is found in educational and health services between men and woman. It is found that men are making more in a woman driven field. 

This truly highlights the problem.

STARBUCKS STEPPING UP

Starbucks came out and announced that the gender pay gap between men and women has been eliminated at their company.

Last Wednesday, Starbucks announced that the pay gap is closed and that it has achieved 100 percent  pay equality amongst it’s employees. 

Over 3,5000 people celebrated as Lucy Helm, EVP and Chief Partner Officer announced the pay gap elimination.

Across the nation the pay gap between men and women is about 20 percent. But among much more educated and accredited workers the pay gap is much larger and goes up to 34 percent.

What does this mean exactly? For every dollar males are paid woman get paid 66 cents with a graduate degree.

Starbucks also announced that they will be formulating and share pay equity principals that helped it close the gender gap pay to show other companies what they have to do to really follow their pay.

This is ground breaking work in history and really shows change in the making for companies like Starbucks. 

WHAT CAN WE DO?

We as recruiters want to make sure that everyone of our candidates are given the best rate of pay possible. 

Many laws are being passed in states around the country that prohibit recruiters and employers from asking people their salary.

The idea being that people will not get a new salary offered based on their current earnings, which may be unfair or under market.

This can be a double edged sword for candidates as many are now asking for salaries that are too high, and then pricing themselves out compare to the competition.

Be smart about this but also know your legal rights.

WHY DO WOMEN GET PAID LESS THAN MEN?

This is something that goes back in history. Before men were seen as the bread winners.

Things have significantly changed while women have become more and more empowered to become bread winners on their own and in families.

This is something that has escalated and become more known. Because pay wise women were paid less in the past, women have become more educated and earned degrees and have put their foot in the door to great companies holding high titles.

Women are really starting to make their print in the workforce in fields that are dominated by men. 

CONCLUSION

Things seem to not be changing too much even with the Millennial generation taking over the workforce. 

Trends show that in fact the gender gap pay gap may even widen as time goes on with men continuing to make more money than women.

Be sure to know the laws in your state. If you are an employer, don’t discriminate!

Here at Aldebaran Recruiting we will continue to do everything we can to negotiate the best and fair salary for all of our candidates.

HOW TO BE A POWERFUL LEADER, CONSCIOUS LEADERSHIP - Lance Winsaft

ARCHETYPE

Archetype concepts are intriguing to me and I believe them to be extremely powerful in creating new realities. I was first exposed to the concept of archetypes when I was a very young girl.

My father taught me that if I wanted to live the life of an extraordinary human being, it was useful to create the “archetype” of what an extraordinary human being looks like.

Then, when I was a teenager, he insisted that I create the archetype of the “ideal woman,” a blueprint if you will, of the kind of woman I could aspire to become.

There were many conversations about archetypes while I was growing up, including the archetype of the “ideal man,” designed to help me manifest a husband with “superior” qualities.

I wish I’d paid closer attention to these teachings when I was younger and put them into practice with more fervor.

Fortunately, I did eventually catch on and I’ve used the powerful tool of creating archetypes in many areas of my life, especially in creating my businesses.

Etymologically speaking, an archetype is an “original pattern from which copies are made,” and derives from the Latin noun archetypum.

The adjective form is archétupos, which means “first-molded,” a compound of archḗ, “beginning, origin,” and tupos, “pattern,” “model,” or “type.”

The word “archetype” has been written about and used by scientists, psychologists, philosophers, artists, writers and many others in different ways and with varying purposes.

This fascinates me!

ARCHETYPE AS A BLUEPRINT

The way I want to use it in this text is somewhat synonymous with the word “blueprint,” which is a design that serves as a mold, model or a template.

If you were going to build a house, you would not even attempt to do so without a blueprint.

Likewise, if we are going to design the model for entrepreneurial or corporate leadership in the 22nd Century, we need to start with a blueprint, a planned design.

I am calling this The 22nd Century Leadership ArchetypeTM.

Moments after I sat down to write this piece a knot formed in my throat.

MOVING TO CONSCIOUS LEADERSHIP

That is how moved I am about the concept of what conscious leadership could represent for humanity as a whole. I literally wanted to cry.

Tears actually did form at the edges of my eyes when I got present to how much work there is for us to do.

While I am inspired by the many corporations that are paving the way towards conscious leadership, as I observe our political landscape (where the solution to violence in our schools is arming teachers) and to what some companies are doing to make a profit no matter the cost to human dignity and life itself I can’t help but know in my heart that there must be a better way.

In just the last 2 decades we have made so many advances in science and technology that I do believe we are more connected than ever with what it will take for us as a “collective” to move into total homeostasis as a species…a species that thrives all the while bringing harmony, balance and serenity to all living beings sharing this beautiful planet with us.

With this in mind I am suggesting we, the community of small business leaders and entrepreneurs, come forth with an archetype for the corporate leadership we want our great grandchildren to experience.

If this is to be, we must begin to design the blueprint for it now, today.

THE 22ND CENTURY

The 22nd Century is only 82 years away. You and I will be gone. And so will our children, most likely. But our grandchildren will be here and our great grandchildren will definitely be here. What is the world we want them to inherit?

Think about this for a moment. What is the experience of our world that you want your grandchildren and great grandchildren to have?

Given that corporations pretty much run the world, doesn’t it make sense for them to be led by individuals that are highly aware and conscious?

Doesn’t it make sense for corporations to lead humanity into a world equipped to foster wellness for all human beings?

I believe wholeheartedly in the power of corporate leadership. And I am committed to playing a role in creating a world where corporations lead humanity to a higher state of consciousness, a world where we can all thrive, a world where no one is judged or discarded. What do you want?

The following is a starter list of qualities that comprise an archetype of the ideal corporate leader.

10 EXAMPLES OF THE 22ND CENTURY LEADERSHIP ARCHETYPETM:

1.  Discerns that which is not good or right for the whole of humanity and declines to engage in that which is not.

2.  Leads through example, no kidding, consistently and always.

3.  Emulates compassion, forgiveness and comprehension at all levels.

4.  Understands without reservation that we are all connected in every way; that without exception what we experience as an individual is experienced by all. Executes based on this principle.

5.  Courageous at a level where fear of personal retribution is non-existent and steps into full authenticity with zero regard for “looking good.”

6.  Complete trust in profitability through absolute integrity.

7.  Generates abundance and prosperity effortlessly and in alignment with good will for all.

8.  Replaces ego and personality based choices with those that arrive from an Inner Knowing that is clearly aligned with the higher purpose to serve all of humanity.

9.  Understands through clair cognizance that when a conflict shows up it does so to teach or remind us of something we need to recognize about ourselves so we can shift it and transform it within.

10.   Naturally sees, recognizes and deeply appreciates the inherent and profound value in all human beings regardless of age, ethnicity, gender, religious affiliation, country of origin, or any other “label” that might mask this truth.

WHAT QUESTIONS TO ASK DURING MY INTERVIEW - Lance Winsaft

So you are going to interview for that great job you found – but what are the best questions to ask to determine if it’s a fit for you? You may only get to ask a couple, so make them count! This is a major opportunity to interview the interviewer. You want to take advantage of whatever chance you can to determine early on if this is the right company for you.

Interviewing is a way to not only have employers ask questions to see if you are the right fit for their company, but also vice versa. It is always important to ask yourself if you can see yourself working for the company you are interviewing for. Asking a variety of questions that really gives you good insight on if the job opportunity is going to be a good match is vital. This is easier said than done, so we have some tips for you.

CULTURE IS CRITICAL

Your skill set may be a match but what about culture? Ask questions that really give you a good sense about what people at that company are like. Ask about company outings, dress code, benefits and wellness. These types of details are extremely important to see if you would be a good match to the company. 

You want to also already be clear about what YOU are looking for in culture. Do you value work life balance? Maybe a close knit culture is important to you. Work hard play hard may be up your alley. Perhaps a lot of structure, or a little structure is important. The point is that you have a good picture of what you value so you can compare what you hear.

Really honing in on what a person in the position you are interviewing for needs to address or do in the role in order to be successful are good questions to ask as well. Assuming you are talking to the direct hiring manager, find out what they expect a successful person in the role to accomplish. You will want to get in their head. Could you really do the job? Are their expectations realistic?

Below are three very good and important questions to ask during a interview that we read in an article called, “Three Interview Questions To Test If An Employer Is Right For You”. 

1.) WHAT CHARACTER TRAITS DO PEOPLE DEMONSTRATE THAT SUCCEED IN THIS ROLE AND COMPANY? 

A question like this really will give you insight on if this role is a good personality fit for you and if you will be capable of being successful by how your traits and habits are. You will know right away of those traits are describing you or not.

2.) WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE THINGS ABOUT WORKING AT THIS COMPANY? 

Learning about why your interviewers like to work at the company you are interviewing for is a question that really determines the culture of the business. If you can gauge if they truly enjoy their job and work culture it will give you an idea of how everyone feels about the company. It is important to work somewhere that your co workers enjoy working at because it creates good relationships amongst each other.  You can even ask what are some of the things they dislike about the company. It’s natural and healthy for there to be likes and dislikes. No company is perfect and you should never expect that. What they dislike will still be very insightful.

3.) WHAT CHALLENGES HAS YOUR TEAM FACED IN THE LAST YEAR? WHAT ARE YOUR TEAM’S GOALS FOR THE NEXT YEAR? 

Asking a question in regards to what challenges the department or company you will work for gives you realistic goals that soon will be on your plate. Seeing what goals they are trying to accomplish will give you an overview of what your job will entail.

CONCLUSION

Asking the right questions at a job interview really will give you a good idea if it will be the right fit. Don’t take a job just because it looks good on your resume or because of money. We see way too many people get caught up in money and wanting to make a move try to get ahead. Chose a job that you will be a good fit for you both skill wise and personality. 

You have to be smart about making a move, your resume needs to show stability. Our clients are constantly turning down resumes because people look like job hoppers. Often times those people left their jobs because they ended up not being a good cultural fit. This is understandable. But if they had done a better job of looking at this before accepting an offer, they wouldn’t be stuck in this sticky situation. 

The last thing you want is to be stuck at a company because you didn’t do your due diligence. Or you have to jump from a couple jobs and now you look unstable. There is a lot of risk in not asking the right questions during your interview.

Make the most of your career and your life! Aldebaran Recruiting is here to coach our candidates throughout the entire recruitment process making sure our candidates and clients have the right fit. 

HOW TO HIRE THE BEST TALENT AND CANDIDATES - LANCE WINSAFT

The market is competitive and it’s critical you do whatever is needed to get a competitive edge. 

1) Clarity, 2) Culture, 3) Speed – The top 3 things you need to have FLAT if you are serious about hiring the best talent.

*CLARITY – You need to be clear about what you need in the role, what the person will do, what their personality will be like, and what you will expect of them.

*CULTURE – Your company and team should have a defined culture that you can speak to and get people excited about. Find out ways to interview for culture.

*SPEED – In this market, there is no time for drawn out interview processes. Don’t compromise on what you need to do to hire the right people and be sure to move fast with the people you like – they are most likely being courted by other companies! 

Are You Missing Out?

We see too many clients miss out on great talent because of missing one more of the above  items. When you miss out on that great candidate, guess what? They are going to your competition! That is usually not a good thing. Every industry and vertical is competitive, you can’t afford to lose talent to your competitors.

On this same note, the above points apply to current employees as well. Employees stay with companies that have a clear vision, companies that move fast, and companies with a well defined culture. 

If you are able to retain the talent you currently have while also attracting and retaining other top talent, you will have an undeniable edge over your competition. The slightest edge in any game is what separates the winners from the losers.

You Are Being Interviewed As Well!

Every candidate you interview is also interviewing you and your company – and remember, if they are good, they aren’t desperate, and someone else is likely after them as well!! It’s so critical you find ways to sell both the opportunity of the role and the opportunity of joining your team and company.  Putting even a little bit more effort into candidate experience can have big payoffs in terms of giving you a competitive edge.

Top talent must be hunted in this current market. If you are serious about adding the best people to your team, you can’t rely on them finding you in time. If you are unable to hire a headhunter, find a way to hunt the talent on your own. This can be tricky but must be done! The best talent is waiting for you to find them and court them.  

This holds true the most if you are hiring executives or upper management – especially if they are currently working with one of your competitors. It isn’t enough to “build it and they will come.” So you have a great product or service, a great future for the company ahead of you, that is great, but not enough to lure over the superstars.

Be Willing To Court Them

Superstars need a little coaxing. Add in a dinner as part of your interview process, make your interview process is slick with very high communication. Your internal HR teams should be on the spot with scheduling and communicating with these folks. Give them a great tour of the office, sell them on your vision the perks, etcetera. Find out what really matters to them, what are their motivations, why are they interested. More importantly, find out their concerns!

Too many employers avoid asking what the candidates concerns are and therefore they never get addressed. Only when you find out what they are concerned about can you dress it. This is a critical interview strategy that most employers miss. What happens then is the candidate has a concern, they make things up in their head about the concern, it never gets addressed, and then they make a decision based on the made up thoughts they have about the concern! Most of the time the concern was something easy to address that likely would have resulted in a positive outcome. Don’t fall in to this trap.

Never stop improving your process. The way you find talent and retain them should be ever evolving. Outside recruiters are an amazing resource because we work with many different clients and we see what works and what doesn’t work. We strive to be that sort of partner for our clients – not just a talent mill.

Recruiters also help to manage those communications and set expectations. The last thing you want is to leave a candidate “hanging” out there at any point in the process. This happens WAY too much! Especially if they are hot, you can’t leave them on hold. Recruiters are great for setting expectations and taking that load away from you.

Conclusion

There are many ways to give yourself a competitive edge to attract and retain the top talent in the market. You owe it to yourself to invest in HR and recruiters. Invest in have a great candidate experience that motivates and inspires candidates. Court the people you really like, make them feel special, make them feel wanted, and keep this up for all employees. Millennials especially want to contribute and be apart of something. Give your employees that chance! 

Feel free to reach out to us if you want to improve in any of these areas. We are a true business partner and can provide you with not only the top talent but also insight and advice into your process. To attract the best you have to be the best and work with the best. If you offer peanuts you get monkeys. or if you do the bare minimum with candidates and think they should be happy to be interviewing with you, you will get mediocre talent. You have an amazing company, an amazing product/service, now do whatever it takes to have the best people.

Happy Hunting!

WHAT QUESTIONS TO ASK DURING MY INTERVIEW - LANCE WINSAFT

So you are going to interview for that great job you found – but what are the best questions to ask to determine if it’s a fit for you? You may only get to ask a couple, so make them count! This is a major opportunity to interview the interviewer. You want to take advantage of whatever chance you can to determine early on if this is the right company for you.

Interviewing is a way to not only have employers ask questions to see if you are the right fit for their company, but also vice versa. It is always important to ask yourself if you can see yourself working for the company you are interviewing for. Asking a variety of questions that really gives you good insight on if the job opportunity is going to be a good match is vital. This is easier said than done, so we have some tips for you.

CULTURE IS CRITICAL

Your skill set may be a match but what about culture? Ask questions that really give you a good sense about what people at that company are like. Ask about company outings, dress code, benefits and wellness. These types of details are extremely important to see if you would be a good match to the company. 

You want to also already be clear about what YOU are looking for in culture. Do you value work life balance? Maybe a close knit culture is important to you. Work hard play hard may be up your alley. Perhaps a lot of structure, or a little structure is important. The point is that you have a good picture of what you value so you can compare what you hear.

Really honing in on what a person in the position you are interviewing for needs to address or do in the role in order to be successful are good questions to ask as well. Assuming you are talking to the direct hiring manager, find out what they expect a successful person in the role to accomplish. You will want to get in their head. Could you really do the job? Are their expectations realistic?

Below are three very good and important questions to ask during a interview that we read in an article called, “Three Interview Questions To Test If An Employer Is Right For You”. 

1.) WHAT CHARACTER TRAITS DO PEOPLE DEMONSTRATE THAT SUCCEED IN THIS ROLE AND COMPANY? 

A question like this really will give you insight on if this role is a good personality fit for you and if you will be capable of being successful by how your traits and habits are. You will know right away of those traits are describing you or not.

2.) WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE THINGS ABOUT WORKING AT THIS COMPANY? 

Learning about why your interviewers like to work at the company you are interviewing for is a question that really determines the culture of the business. If you can gauge if they truly enjoy their job and work culture it will give you an idea of how everyone feels about the company. It is important to work somewhere that your co workers enjoy working at because it creates good relationships amongst each other.  You can even ask what are some of the things they dislike about the company. It’s natural and healthy for there to be likes and dislikes. No company is perfect and you should never expect that. What they dislike will still be very insightful.

3.) WHAT CHALLENGES HAS YOUR TEAM FACED IN THE LAST YEAR? WHAT ARE YOUR TEAM’S GOALS FOR THE NEXT YEAR? 

Asking a question in regards to what challenges the department or company you will work for gives you realistic goals that soon will be on your plate. Seeing what goals they are trying to accomplish will give you an overview of what your job will entail.

CONCLUSION

Asking the right questions at a job interview really will give you a good idea if it will be the right fit. Don’t take a job just because it looks good on your resume or because of money. We see way too many people get caught up in money and wanting to make a move try to get ahead. Chose a job that you will be a good fit for you both skill wise and personality. 

You have to be smart about making a move, your resume needs to show stability. Our clients are constantly turning down resumes because people look like job hoppers. Often times those people left their jobs because they ended up not being a good cultural fit. This is understandable. But if they had done a better job of looking at this before accepting an offer, they wouldn’t be stuck in this sticky situation. 

The last thing you want is to be stuck at a company because you didn’t do your due diligence. Or you have to jump from a couple jobs and now you look unstable. There is a lot of risk in not asking the right questions during your interview.

Make the most of your career and your life! Aldebaran Recruiting is here to coach our candidates throughout the entire recruitment process making sure our candidates and clients have the right fit. 

WHY CORPORATE SUSTAINABILITY MATTERS TO ALDEBARAN RECRUITING - Lance Winsaft

Turnover is known to be the biggest expense to companies throughout the nation. At Aldebaran Recruiting we have one of the highest retention rates you will ever come across for when placing candidates. What’s our secret you may ask? It simple. We listen to our candidates. Money is not the only motivating factor for a lot of the workforce nowadays. 

Companies have been making it a point to work on their “Corporate Sustainability”. Corporate Sustainability is a strategy that takes into account how a business operates ethically, socially, environmentally and economically. Successfully working on corporate culture and making a conscious adoption of a company mission make your company appealing to workforces world wide.

Becoming apart of a company that makes a difference and has a reputation of having Corporate Sustainability is what millenials today are looking for. By 2025, millennials will make up three-quarters of the workforce so the needs what they are looking for is important to understand. There has been skyrocketing statics that prove millenials are not motivated by money anymore, they are motivated by culture and change.

What we do here as recruiters at Aldebaran is understand the wants and needs from our candidates and clients, then make the match. There is a shift in what the workforce looks for in a company to work for. When shifts happen we adjust and learn new wants and needs.

To learn more about Company Sustainability, check out this great article Why Corporate Sustainability Should Matter to Recruiters.