“Work-life balance” is a hot topic in the workforce today and there are a lot of companies that leverage their work-life balance culture to attract candidates. Often times though, we become too dependent on companies giving us work-life balance and we forget to achieve our part of the scale.
Here are the three C’s to attaining Work-Life Balance, according to Charles Jimerson, a veteran and lawyer:
- Calendar – You need to organize and plan your days
- Communication – We can plan our day, but situations happen where we are not able to complete or spend that time devoted to that person/task; you need to be able to let that person know why they are not getting your time at their scheduled time and will have to give that time back. Communication is key.
- Consistency – You need to stay focused and discipline to see the results.
Highlights in this Episode
“We have one mouth and two ears and we speak in that portion. You can’t be understood unless you gain an understanding.”
-Charles Jimerson
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Jimerson & Cobb Website | Reviews
Charles B. Jimerson
Many businesses have turned to Charles B. Jimerson to fight the hardest battle they will ever fight. Whether it’s an overexposed start-up or an established business, sometimes a company’s survival depends on the results obtained in a single legal engagement. For those matters, and many others of lesser impact but equal importance, clients have come to Mr. Jimerson for representation when they sought a seasoned lawyer who knew how to run a case efficiently and present a winning argument. Mr. Jimerson has a proven track record for successful outcomes in situations where the pressure is escalated and the consequences are vital. Whether it is a high-dollar lawsuit, a lucrative transaction, or a weighty corporate decision impacting operations, when Mr. Jimerson accepts an engagement, his clients reap the benefit of his pragmatism, competitive spirit, business-oriented knowledge base, and intense personal investment, as well as his ready sense of humor. In 2018, Mr. Jimerson was named by The Business Journals (national publication) as one of the Top 100 Most Influential Attorneys in Law and Business in the United States.
Charles B. Jimerson founded Jimerson & Cobb, P.A. and is the firm’s Managing Shareholder. Mr. Jimerson represents various businesses of all sizes as their go-to counsel for all legal matters, both in court and out of court. In his capacity as a practice group leader for several areas of emphasis of the firm, and someone who often finds himself involved in the most sensitive matters the firm is handling at any given time, Mr. Jimerson leads teams of lawyers focusing in business litigation, construction law, financial services law, corporate transactions and operations, and eminent domain law. Most of his days are spent putting out legal fires for businesses of all sizes in need of a lawyer who can draft and enforce contracts, and collect money owed. Mr. Jimerson has significant experience in all stages of litigation, including alternative dispute resolution, negotiation of settlement and litigation of multifaceted commercial matters up through and including trial. His career highlights below and representative matters tab reflect a diverse legal career focused upon obtaining results for his clients.
Mr. Jimerson has won just about every peer-nominated and media-given award a Florida business lawyer can win. He is an A-V rated lawyer, recognized by his peers as having the highest level of ethical standards and professional ability. Mr. Jimerson is recognized as an expert in construction law by The Florida Bar as a Board Certified Construction Attorney. In obtaining Board Certification, Mr. Jimerson has earned recognition for having the highest standards of skills,
Transcript
[This is a direct translation for your benefit. Please ignore any typos.]
Josh: Good Sunday morningJacksonville, my name is Josh McCarthy, here with News 104.5 WOKV, and I want to welcome you to another weekend of the Ask the Experts Weekend. And this expert’s show is dedicated to the workforce of today and tomorrow.
Josh: Pete The Job Guy
Josh: Take it away, Pete.
Pete: Good morning all you hard workers out there, welcome to this Sunday morning. Every Sunday you get up, you have your cup of coffee, you put the dogs, and you listen to me, Pete The Job Guy, and this show is Hard Worker. This show, as you heard Josh say at the top of the hour just a few minutes ago, we cater to the workforce. If you are looking for career advice or some information that’ll help you avoid a career pitfall, or some spot where you take a left turn and you should take a right turn, this is what you have to listen to. I can give you tips to help you to be more effective, more productive, and my guests even share their personal stories that help you to stay on track, and help you to be successful.
Pete: So every week I tell you do what? You have to get a pen and paper, and take some notes if you’re old school like me. If you’re new school like my millennial co-host, Arren Mills, you get your thumbs ready and whatever handheld device dujour that you’re using, and you take some good notes. The notes that you’re going to take are some of the things that you’re going to do differently as a result of the time you spend listening to me talk, and listening to my guest talk. Why? Because it’s going to help you, it’s for your own betterment. So take some notes and do some things differently, and let’s do something beyond just getting entertained. Let’s have a good time, but let’s be more effective, productive, and all that other good stuff.
Pete: All right, so today I’m going to start off the show with this little nugget. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America. And to the Republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. I love that. Guys, you know I’m a US Navy veteran, and I will always have just that soft spot for the Navy, and for veterans. Last week we had a repeat performance, we had our guest Lieutenant Clements come on and talk to us about a career in the United States Navy as an officer. And he told us some of the great programs, a CEC program, and it was great to have him on.
Pete: And one of the things that I loved he talked about was the ultimate side hustle, okay. Oh, it seems like all the millennials out there, they’ve got a job, and then they’ve got a side hustle, something they’re doing on the side, ways to make money. And when he talked about the money that you can make in the Navy Reserves as an officer, I was like, wait a second, that’s a pretty good side hustle. The time commitment is only three … what is it, one weekend per month, and then two weeks of active duty during the year, two weeks. So I was like this is fantastic, and you hear about the money and the different opportunities, the benefits. It’s a special program, I invite anybody to go back and listen to our podcast. You could always go to PeteTheJobGuy.com, and listen to past shows, we also transcribe it, so if you’d rather read it than listen to it, that’s fine too.
Pete: And another thing I like to do, as a military veteran, is I like to do what I can to help transitioning veterans, people getting out of the Navy, and joining the private sector, help them find jobs. I’m Pete The Job Guy, dogonnit, I find all kinds of people jobs. But I know our military veterans come out of the Navy, or come out of any branch of the service with a commitment to mission. They have unquestioned reliability. They’re punctual, they show up on time. That attention to detail, and the commitment, it’s just … if you have an opportunity to employ a veteran, I’d like for you to give them special consideration. And we’ve had some guests on, and today it’s one of those too, we’re going to have Bruce from Vets4Vets, and I’ll tell you about him and his background, experience in a minute, because he’s a great guest, and he’s going to talk all about our veterans, so that’s great.
Pete: I was talking to a friend who I met at our JDRF, as you know I sponsor their Miracles Gala, that’s for folks that have type 1 diabetes, and the JDRF is committed to help find a cure and help improve the lives of those people that are effected with type 1 diabetes. And while I was at this gala, the Miracles Gala, it was fantastic. One of the guys sitting next to me, Charlie Jimmerson, really, really sharp guy, he and his wife, Ashley, we had great conversation with them. He’s all about the UFC too, Ultimate Fighting Championship, and I am, and we talked quite a bit. And I went and met him for lunch in his office, he’s a lawyer, he’s got a great big office in the Wells Fargo building. And we ate the River Club, and while we were talking I said, “You know what,” he’s a fan of the show too, guys. I said, “You’d be an awesome guest,” and I’m fortunate enough that he agreed to come on and he’ll be our guest next week.
Pete: But one thing about Charlie, he said to me, “Pete,” he said, “I know you ask a lot of your guests, what would you tell your 20 year old self, knowing everything you know now, what advice would you give yourself?” He said, “I know you ask that of a lot of people, and I’m sure I’ll have to be ready, because you’re going to hit me with that one, but what advice would you give yourself?” And it kind of caught me off guard, because nobody usually asks me that, I’m the one asking the questions. And he asked me that, I thought to myself, “What advice would I give young Pete?”
Pete: And it’s hard. Because you know, and Josh, our producer and I were talking about this too, it’s very hard to … I don’t want to change who I am right now. And I’m at a good spot, I am the sum total of my life’s experiences, and some of them were very, very hard. And I made some bad and stupid decisions in my life, I mean, I’m telling you what, when I say going left when you should’ve went right, I should’ve taken a hard right, and then turned around two or three times and taken another right, but no, I went left, okay? Life isn’t easy.
Pete: And I’m going to tell you, these decisions that I’ve made, and I’ve learned from them. I’ve learned from the bad decisions that I’ve made to arrive at the person that I am now. So I’m very happy with who I am right now. I’m happy with my decision making process. I don’t have temptations that other people have in life. It doesn’t happen to me, I stay … I color between the lines, that’s just the way I operate. And I’m happy about that. I’m happy with my wife, my kids, my job. Hey, not every job is easy every day, and mine certainly isn’t, but I like what I do. And I like the people I work with, and I’m surrounded by a wonderful support system. So what would I tell younger Pete?
Pete: I would say, “Hey listen, it’s going to be okay, number one. You’re going to have some hard times ahead. You’re going to make mistakes. But nothing is the end of the world. And every mistake that you make, learn from it, don’t repeat it. And the pain that you feel is temporary, because there’s light at the end of the tunnel. No matter how bad things can get, there is light at the end of the tunnel. And your life is going to turn out okay. Okay? Don’t let the lows get too low, don’t get too full of yourself when you’re on your highs. And just enjoy it, pay attention, and stay the course. And always, no matter what hard workers, hear this, work hard.”
Pete: I always say, and you hear people say, “Hey, work smarter, not harder. Work smarter not harder.” You know what, word your hardest at all times. You try to work smarter, you try to work your smartest. But always, always give it your best effort, and never, ever relax.
Pete: Okay, and then we’re going to get started now with our first guest, and I’m going to tell you, Mr. Bruce Thompson is here with us. And I want to read you his bio so I get everything correct. I know about Bruce, Bruce is an action guy here in the city of Jacksonville. He’s well known, I’d say he’s one of Jacksonville’s most influential people. Let me tell you a little bit about Bruce Thompson.
Pete: Bruce Thompson served as an active duty United States Marine for over 23 years. Serving in various locations and career paths. Since returning in 2016, Mr. Thompson has been working within the veteran and transitioning service member communities, assisting both to find meaningful employment opportunities. Currently executive director for Vets4Vets movement in northeast Florida, an active member of the veteran community, working with multiple local nonprofits, while also facilitating the three day Department of Labor employment workshops aboard NAS Jax and NAS Mayport.
Pete: And Bruce Thompson, welcome to Hard Worker with Pete The Job Guy, glad to have you here.
Bruce: Hey, I’m glad for the opportunity to show up.
Pete: Good, good. Well listen, hey, tell us a little bit about what is Vets4Vets, and give us the history.
Bruce: All right, so, Vets4Vets, it’s been around 1999, but in its current form it came out in 2013. And the current form is where we take over Veteran’s Memorial Arena in downtown for a Saturday once a quarter, 10:30 to 1:00. What we try to do is bring the entire veteran community together under one roof, so that we can inform, connect, unite, and organize those veteran community with resources, and to talk as a community about issues that are important to all veterans, and soon to be veterans, here in the Jacksonville community.
Pete: That’s a bit venue. I mean, when I think about taking over the whole Veteran’s Memorial Center, that’s a big venue. Who’s going to be there?
Bruce: Well, we don’t let everybody know our guests just yet.
Pete: Oh, okay. Don’t tip your hand.
Bruce: But it’s rounding out to be a special guest list to kick off 2019. And the Veteran’s Memorial Arena downtown is a 15,000 seat stadium.
Pete: Wow.
Bruce: The goal is to fill it. Obviously we’re not close to that at this point, but as we continue to grow, we get the word out to more veterans, to more of the community leaders, everybody who wants to help make Jacksonville not only the most military friendly city in the United States, but also the most veteran friendly city in the United States.
Pete: And why wouldn’t it be? I mean, think about it. The Naval base, the Naval community here. I think about it, I mean, people know my story, I’m a Navy veteran. And my transition was not a smooth one. I mean, I didn’t take advantage of the resources, or I didn’t know about them, and this is a great forum, because I have a lot of veterans that listen to the show, and a lot of active duty people that will, indeed, transition out. So this is a good venue to talk about it.
Pete: Without tipping the hand, like what types of companies, or beyond the veteran community, what types of folks come to an event like this?
Bruce: We have community leaders, so City of Jacksonville’s Military Affairs Veterans Department show up. City of Jacksonville’s Human Resources department comes. We have companies that are providing resources and services to the veterans. So obviously some of your larger nonprofits, Wounded Warrior Project.
Pete: Yeah.
Bruce: We’ll have Team Red, White, and Blue. So for those veterans who want to stay active, and connected in that manner. The Mission Continues, that’s veterans and other people in the community that just want to give back, and be a part of their community.
Pete: And I’m an employer in town, and I like to hire vets. Is this something I could go to kind of connect the dots?
Bruce: It sure is. What we started to experience here in the last couple gatherings, is more employers coming in that are looking to hire veterans. We’re looking at those military friendly employers that truly are military friendly, and aren’t just saying it, are actually living it.
Pete: Right. And as a … I’m a recruiter, I’m a professional headhunter and I place people. And I started at the top of the hour, and I said some of the reasons why I like helping veterans, and why I like employing veterans. Why, because they really understand attention to detail, a sense of mission, unquestioned reliability. They walk through the door with some skillsets that you can’t … you get programmed in the military to just be reliable, and to work hard, and have that sense of mission. As an employer, I know I can count on those folks, and I know I’m generalizing, but I’m living it, and I’m living proof that this is what you get, because I work hard, and I’m showing up on time, and I’m reliable, and I’m committed. And the folks that I’ve hired for years, and years, and years, I have many veterans that work with me, I’m surrounded by some. They go the extra mile. And these are the people that you represent and help, right?
Bruce: They are. As a matter of fact, one of the things I do on top of being the executive director for Vets4Vets is I teach the three day Department of Labor and Employment workshop to transitioning service members and their spouses. So we get them started, we get them excited, we talk about what Vets Fits is, how it’s going to help them, and as they show up … they show up and it’s, “Oh my god, is this really here for veterans, for transitioning service members? Is this what Jacksonville is offering to its veteran community?” And it is one of those things that leads them to want to stay in Jacksonville, say in the northeast Florida region.
Bruce: There’s a large job market. We’ve got major government contractors, plenty of jobs that veterans are perfect for. Because as you said, we don’t just come to the table and say, “We did X.” We come to the table, “We did X. Oh by the way, we also did about 10 collateral duties.” That we always love is our collaterals.
Pete: Isn’t that something? Yeah, I remember that, you have your job, and then your side jobs, that’s all part of your job, it’s just the way the military was. And you’re always on call. You’re always there, and you’re proud to serve. And it’s good. You know, I just did not know about the programs if they existed, and I’m pretty old, I got out in … I think it was ’90 or so when I got out, and I didn’t realize these programs were there. And-
Bruce: Well, I’ll tell you, if you got out in the early 90s or earlier than that, these programs were not there. Luckily, we’ve had those generations that have come before us, the Korea war veterans, the Vietnam war veterans that have been activists, and they have pushed the envelope to make sure that no service member, no veteran ever comes home to the reception that they received. So we have to thank that era of our veterans for pushing forward to make sure it was better for us than it was for them. And Vietnam veterans make up a large portion of the veteran population here in Jacksonville. There are quite a few Vietnam Veterans of America chapters are here. They usually come back out, great support for them. And I tell you, I make sure I thank them every single time. Without them, all these programs wouldn’t be here for us.
Pete: They paid the dues for us.
Bruce: You always pay it forward.
Pete: Right.
Bruce: And they’ve paid it forward, and now it’s my generation’s time. Desert Shield, Desert Storm, all the way through the post 9/11. It is our turn to pay it forward for those generations that will come after us.
Pete: Outstanding. If I’m interested in this event, how do I learn more about it, or how do I participate in one form or another? How do I go about that, Bruce?
Bruce: Well, you can go to our website, www.V … the number four, V, Florida.org. Or you can find us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, @Vets4VetsNJax.
Pete: Vets4VetsNJax. Okay, how here’s … you know what I love? Look, I introduced, at the beginning of the show I said I’ve got a real mover and shaker in Jacksonville, I love having … my guests are always some of the most influential people in Jacksonville, and Bruce, I certainly put you right up there with all of them. You probably didn’t set out at this point, you didn’t say, “You know what, at some point I want to run Vets4Vets.” Right? Our careers are like a journey and we end up at a certain job. You’re at a good destination, you get to help people, you’re in a feel good job too, you’re not only making a difference, it feels good to do what you do.
Pete: Knowing what you know how in life, and you look back, and you say to your younger self, maybe in your early 20s, or maybe even as a teenager, “Bruce, I want to give you this advice right here,” what would that look like? I know I hit you out of left field with that one.
Bruce: You hit me out of left field, but that’s all right. I loved every minute that I was in the Marine Corps. And you want to say I would’ve loved to do more, deployed more. But I love my career, what I did, what it stands for. And it has led to be here in Jacksonville at this point in time. Where the opportunity for me to be the executive director of Vets4Vets, and truly pay it forward, make sure that we’re putting veterans at the forefront. I can’t change anything, because if you change something this is not the path I would be on.
Bruce: So we have to stick with what got us here, and … maybe it would be don’t take every challenge possible, don’t try to break yourself more than you have to.
Pete: Right. Outstanding. Bruce, everything you said, I’m proud to have … I want to thank you, number one, for your service, and I’m proud to have you as a guest on the show. Any parting comments about Vets4Vets, or anything else that our listeners need to know?
Bruce: Well, first and foremost, Vets4Vets is a free program. It’s free parking, free admission, and it’s a free catered lunch at the end of the two hours. You’re going to one, feel comfortable as a veteran coming back and talking to your fellow veterans. You’re going to hear more about topics that need to be talked about. We’re going to talk about the possible sponsorship of the Veteran’s Memorial Arena. We’re going to talk a couple possible groups that are coming in. We’re going to get the right people up on stage talking to us about these events. And most importantly, you can never go wrong spending a couple hours with your fellow veterans, active duty military, Reserves, guardsman, their spouses, and the community leaders that want to be around this group, that want to interact and engage.
Bruce: So I have no problem giving up a couple hours on a Saturday to come out and hang out with some really awesome people.
Pete: Well said. And I’m going to encourage all you listeners right there, you veterans, go to this event. I want you to … guys, on all our social media, Arren, make sure on all our social media, let’s get everything up. You can go to PeteTheJobGuy.com, and we’re going to tell you all about the event, we’re going to push out a lot of information, you’re going to see it on our Instagram posts, on our Facebook, and our LinkedIn post that are going to give you directions, clear directions for Vets4Vets, but this event is one you’re going to be there. And I’ll tell you what, I’m going to bring … I’m going to go, and I’m going to bring 15 Pete The Job Guy t-shirts and some of my tumblers too. These are really nice stainless steel coffee mug tumblers that have the Pete The Job Guy thing and I’m going to give away those to some folks, you just come out and see me, Pete The Job Guy at the event, and I’ll be there, I’m going to give these away.
Pete: And I’m going to encourage all doggone veterans to come to this. Bruce, you’ve been an outstanding guest, I appreciate you coming out and spending your Sunday morning with us.
Bruce: Thank you for the opportunity, it’s been my pleasure.
Pete: And now it’s time for Jacksonville’s Jax Facts, with the world famous, Arren Mills.
Arren: Yay! Hey everyone, this Arren Mills and this is your Jax Facts.
Arren: So today the Florida Theater hosts 200 cultural and entertainment events, and draws about 250,000 visitors annually. And then, I also wanted to say that Jax is home, speaking about culture, to Florida’s largest Filipino American community. So proud. So proud, guys.
Arren: I’m Arren Mills, and that’s your Jax Fact.
Pete: Well let’s talk about that. Why do you know anything about the Filipino community?
Arren: Well, because I’m a proud Filipina.
Pete: Woo, proud Filipina. All right, all right, now let me say, okay now, that was the Jacksonville Theater you were talking about?
Arren: Yep, so the Florida Theater.
Pete: Florida Theater, that’s right downtown.
Arren: One of the oldest theaters in the nation, I think.
Pete: Okay, let me just tell you about that, I went and I saw Cheryl Crow and … what’s Bob Dylan’s kid’s … Jacob Dylan, with The Wallflowers. Okay, you know, “One headlight … “
Arren: Josh’s face.
Pete: Okay, so I saw Cheryl Crow and The Wallflowers way back and they were so fantastic at the Florida Theater. It was a great concert.
Arren: I don’t even know they are.
Pete: And I think we’re coming to that bottom of the hour thing guys, listen, I hear the music playing. What’s that telling us? That’s telling us it’s time right now that we have to take a break. You’re listening to the Hard Worker Show with me, Pete The Job Guy on WOKV 104.5 FM.
Pete: Welcome back all you hard workers, action packed show today, we’ve got a lot going on. Bruce did a great job in the first half. If you didn’t listen to it, go back and listen to it on our podcast, you can always go to PeteTheJobGuy.com and listen to any of our past shows.
Pete: Right now let’s go right into one of my favorite funny segments, and that is our update from Boston Danny.
Danny: Hello Jacksonville, Danny from Boston here back to wow and astound you with a plethora of Boston history and facts this week. Many of the beginning chapters in your American history books have Boston in a starring role. From the Boston Tea Party, to battles at Lexington and Concord, the Battle of Bunker Hill, all at the start of the American Revolution. With all the patriotic theater in Massachusetts after the war broke out in April of 1775, the residents joined the military in droves. Of the 37,000 soldiers in the Continental Army in 1775, 16,500 were from Massachusetts. In 1777, of the 70,000 soldiers listed, 13,000 were from Massachusetts. In addition, six of the 21 major generals chosen to command American armies were from Massachusetts, as were 10 of the 49 brigadier generals. So Boston has invested heavily in our new democracy.
Danny: Boston also has many firsts in our nation. The first public park, known as Boston Common. Around 1634, 44 acres in the downtown area were purchased for public use, and its still in existence today. The first public school in America, Boston Latin, 1635, and it’s still churning out scholars today. The first newspaper in the country, right here in Boston. In 1690 it was called Public Occurrences, Both Foreign and Domestic. And boy, were people hot to read that. The first lighthouse in America was built in Boston Harbor in 1716. Boston also established the first police force with day and night watches in 1838. The first municipal public library was also started here, founded in 1848 and still going strong. And the first subway system was built in Boston in 1897, parts of which are still in service today.
Danny: All these and much, much more you can visit, and walk in history’s footsteps. I’m very proud of Boston’s history and its role in education and healthcare, but those are subjects for another week. Shoutouts to Christopher, Greg, and Lisa. Happy Birthday. And you listeners, get on Pete The Job Guy’s website and get in your Boston requests. Pete and Arren, enjoy. Talk to yous next week. Thank you.
Pete: Another gem, Boston Danny from Dorchester, thank you very much, good job.
Pete: And now it’s time for my first, my ultimate favorite part of this show … wait, wait a second, no, no, sec … he’s sliding, Larry’s sliding. Always a crowd pleaser, guys, this is Leadership Lessons with Coach Larry. Take it away, Larry.
Larry: Today I want to talk about we can be champions for diversity and inclusion, and what to do when we are face with biased behavior. Did you know that teens that have an inclusive leader have greater innovation, and team citizenship? Meaning that team members have each other’s backs. So let me share with you a time when I was faced with a difficult decision.
Larry: I was working on a project to offshore some of our customer service support processes, and this was a tough and somewhat unpopular decision, because it could mean lost jobs. I get it. And I remember one particular meeting, we were on a call with my team, and the team who was taking over the work. We were training them on the processes, and as we were going through the processes, one person on my team reached over, put the phone on mute and said, “I don’t think those people are ever going to get it.” And I was struck by that comment, as it sounded somewhat racist. I mean, when you hear “those people” in a sentence, there usually isn’t something positive at the end. I don’t think I ever heard “those people” are awesome, or “those people” are kind.
Larry: So everyone on my team heard the comment. My team was diverse, and they were looking to me to see if I was the diversity champion that, frankly, I desired to be. So what do I do? Do I ignore it and give him the benefit of the doubt? Do I talk to him after the meeting? Or do I call him a racist in front of the team? Well, I didn’t do any of those things. Most people would say, “You know, talk to him after the meeting, we need to correct people in private,” right? Yeah, I mean, sometimes we do. But this was a pretty serious offense in my book. And this was something that was going to effect the team environment.
Larry: Other people say, “Well, say to him, ‘Hey racist,’ I mean, ‘Hey John, can you stay behind? I need to talk to you about something.’ Because if you do that, then everyone will know that you’re talking to him.” But they actually don’t hear what you’re saying, so you know. Well that leaves a lot open to interpretation. The ole, “Hey, can you … do you got a minute? Can you stay behind?” And then people start talking about, “Well, what is it that they’re talking about?”
Larry: So I chose to say something. As leaders, when someone does something that erodes the psychological safety of the team, we need to call it out. So here’s my tip for doing such a thing. First of all, ideally your team should have norms and guidelines that they all agree to for how they will communicate. Calling people on discriminatory, unfair, racist, or sexist, or homophobic behaviors should be one of those things. That sends the message that we are an inclusive team. And I get it. People will make mistakes, I’ve done them as well, I’m not perfect.
Larry: So in the moment, when you hear something that’s biased, I encourage you to share your thoughts and feelings with that person in public. And you can say something like this, “John, I just heard you say that those people will never get it. And the way I interpreted it is that you think that that team, in that country, are less capable than us, and our team, and that just doesn’t sit well with me. So help me understand the intent of what you said.” And then you pause.
Larry: Now this does a couple things. It shows the team that you have taken action, and you hold people accountable on issues of inclusivity. It also allows John to recover from mistakes that many of us have made. Now, if John doubles down and says, “Yeah, I meant those people,” then you could say, “All right, John, let’s take it offline.” But at least the team knows that it will be addressed. And then thirdly, it allows John to repair the mistake himself.
Larry: So have there been times when you didn’t know what to say? What was the situation? Email me at Lobrien, with an E, at MendozaandObrien.com, or simply give me a call at 848-800-2156. I’d love to coach you on what you can say next time something like this happens. And please remember to send in your questions via email, or connect with me on LinkedIn. Now back to those people, those awesome and kind people, Pete and Arren.
Pete: More great material, Coach Larry, thank you very much.
Pete: Okay guys, this is one of my favorite … let’s see, my second, third, fourth, ah, this week it’s my first favorite, favorite part of the show. This is where we get the millennial perspective, and we’re going to ask Kaytie Zimmerman right now to give us some advice on how to ask a very hard question of your employer. Take it away, Kaytie.
Kaytie: Today I’m going to cover how to ask for a raise. I want you to start by planning ahead. Ideally, if you’re going to be asking for a raise, your intentional work around this effort should start at least two to three months before you ask for the raise.
Kaytie: Now reflect back on your last year of work, and determine if there are areas you need to do more work in before asking for a raise. Such as what tasks did you take on that were outside of your normal job responsibilities? Did you take on work that your manager desperately needed help with? In other words, you saved the day. What high value stories can you share? For example, a time where you helped close a deal, or saved a deal from being scrapped, or maybe you found a cost savings area that saved the company X number of dollars. Did you prevent a high value customer from leaving your company’s offering? Quantify it.
Kaytie: Best case scenario would be to have examples that other people have written about your work. For example, if you got an email from a colleague or customer thanking you for what you did, it’s better they hear it from them than you. Be careful with specifically asking for it in writing from someone, but comb through your emails to see if you have any readily available examples.
Kaytie: Next, you’re going to want to gather all the relevant data needed. If you haven’t already, go out to a site like PayScale.com, Glassdoor.com, or even LinkedIn.com to get a sense for the pay range for your specific job. And you must be well versed on all publicly available information about pay for your job. Once you know the pay scale, you can ask for a raise that is within the range of the job. If the raise you are asking for is not in the pay range, you may need to ask for a promotion instead.
Kaytie: The caution I share here is to only compare salaries for the same job. If you find out a coworker that is younger than you, or less experienced than you, is making more but they work in a different role, that is not a data point you can use for your ask. Also, ensure that the data points you are using are publicly available. If your coworker tells you what they make, and you use that in your ask, you are breaking their trust unless they specifically said you can use their name and salary.
Kaytie: Lastly, I want to talk about women asking for raises. I as a woman have felt this, and many others do as well. If you’re a woman, there can be a tendency to be apologetic for asking for more. It’s important that when you make the ask that you are strong, confident, and sure of what you ask for. You wouldn’t be asking for the raise if it wasn’t warranted, so lose the apologetic tone. Communicate politely, positively, and confidently.
Pete: Thank you very much Kaytie Zimmerman, always, always awesome information.
Pete: All right all you hard workers, I want to remind you that I work with SNI companies, that’s my employer, okay? I have been running SNI companies, gosh, I’m going on 10 years right now. I’m right here in Jacksonville, Florida. And what do we do? I’m a recruiter, I’m a headhunter. I place people. If you’re looking for a job, and you come in and you meet with me, and I find out what’s so great about you, what do I do from there? I’m like your sports agent, and I market you, confidentially, to specific employers that have the criteria that you and I established, and I find you a job.
Pete: If you are a hiring manager, okay, and you’re looking for people and you just can’t find the qualified candidates you’re looking for, or you can’t find them fast enough, you make one phone call to me, Pete The Job Guy, right here in town at SNI Companies. My telephone number is 904-713-2550. Write it down, say, “I want to talk to Pete The Job Guy.” 904-713-2550.
Pete: If you ever want to send me an email, it’s real simple. Pete@PeteTheJobGuy.com. You want to send me your resume, send it to me. Nobody pays me for my opinion. I’ll look at it, and I’ll say, “Here’s what you need to do.” And you can say, “Well, I’m not going to do it,” and I’ll say, “Fine. You’re going to keep looking for a job if that’s what you’re throwing out there.” I shoot you straight. When you deal exclusively in honesty, which I do, I just tell it like it is all the time. I don’t even find myself having a hard time looking for words, because they come to me because I just tell you what I think.
Pete: And when I tell you, if you’re looking for advice from anybody, no matter what it is you’re going to do, I give career advice. Why? Because I’m a career expert, okay. I’ve been finding people jobs right here in Jacksonville for over 20 years. This is what I do. This isn’t a stepping stone onto my next career. Oh, I’m going to come in here and do this for a year, and then I’m going to maybe flip some pancakes, dig a ditch, swing a hammer, or I’m going to shuffle paper, or whatever it is. This is what I do. I find people jobs. Meaningful jobs. I find … here it is going into the holiday season and I have a lot of retailers, right, if they have call centers, their call volume spikes during the holiday season. Do they need to hire a bunch of employees only to terminate them when things slow down later? No. What they might need is 20, 30, 50 or more temporary employees. Temporary customer service reps that pre-screened, that come in, that have good phone presence, they know how to think and speak on their feet, they can talk to folks and understand what their needs and represent your company very well. They call Pete The Job Guy, and I find them those people.
Pete: I also, I have a team of really, really strong, qualified recruiters that surround me. And what do they do? They’re prolific recruiters. They talk to so many people, day in and day out, to find qualified people and find them either permanent jobs, or temporary jobs.
Pete: Now the types of people we place at SNI Companies, it’s not a one size fits all. We … all the folks that I work with, and hear me now, we have accountants that place accountants. That’s what they do all day long. Right, they know how to speak accounting and finance language, and they know what a good applicant looks like beyond buzzwords on a resume. I mean, just about anybody can look up certain things. Oh, this is the job description, here, let me put out some buzzwords that are going to attract certain candidates. But then once the candidates apply, because their resume is a match, what questions are you going to ask them that really, really separates them from everybody else who’s a poser? Right? Because everybody’s perfect two times in their life. Once when they’re born, and once when they write their resume. Right? When people write their resume, they’re all awesome. And I have some of the worst candidates have the best resume. And I have seen some of the best candidates have the worst resume. This is the way it is.
Pete: And the only way to distinguish between a good candidate, good meaning qualified, and someone that’s competent to do the job that you’re looking for, is by asking the right questions, and having an understanding of whatever industry that you’re in. It’s insulting for a professional recruiter to say, “Hey Mr. Client, can you give me a job description? And then I’ll take that job description and post it, and see what … that’s the net I’m going to cast and see if the fish jumps in the boat.” That’s insulting. I wouldn’t pay for a service like that if I’m you.
Pete: If you’re looking for talent, you want somebody that understands what you’re looking for, that understands the difference between a qualified candidate and unqualified candidate. And you never … client’s don’t reach out to me and say, “Hey Pete, I want you to get me your top five resumes and send them over to me.” Insulting. And I say to my client, if he’s in control, “I’ll tell you what, I’m going to send you over my top five resumes, I’ll tell you what, why don’t give me your books, I’ll go ahead and close them for the month.” And he’ll say, “What are you talking about?” Say, “Well you’re going to do my job, I might as well do your job.” That’s the way … clients call me, they say, “Pete, I trust you, you’re a professional recruiter, you’ve been doing this for over 20 years in the market, you know what a senior staff accountant does. You’ve spent a lot of time with me understanding not only the job description, but the intangibles. All this. You’ve come out to my office and see the work environment, you understand my work … the traffic patterns, the parking, you understand my features and benefits.”
Pete: I say to my clients, “You know, if you’re looking for a staff accountant right now, unemployment is about 1.7% in that space right now, that essentially means everybody that is a staff accountant is working right now. So if you’re engaging me to find a staff accountant, I’m dealing exclusively with people that already have a job. They’re not looking at ads that you post. I have to entice them out of that job to come to yours.” So not only am I going to spend … when you’re giving me a job order, or something that you want me to fill, a position that you need my help with, we’re going to spend some time on the phone. I’m going to find out all the ins and outs, and I’m going to ask, “What is so great about working at your company? What’s the sizzle?” And I want to hear some key differentiators, because I have to call people that have a job that aren’t expecting my call. Heck, I’m jumping out of the bushes at them and saying, “Hey. Hey, it’s Pete The Job Guy, and I want to talk to you about your career.” Nine times out of ten, when I call people get up and shut the door.
Pete: Then I know I’ve got you, because I’m going to talk to you. I’m going to find out what makes you tick, on both sides. I know the client side, I know what the sizzle is. I know the story, the picture that I have to paint to get somebody’s attention because I’ve got about 15 seconds. And then on the flip side of that, the person that I’m talking to on the phone, I want to know what your motivation is. Do you want more compensation, do you want to get closer to home? Do you want some work/life balance, do you want a career track? What is it you want? And we’re going to spend some time. And then I get to do the best thing in the world, I’m a matchmaker for crying out loud. I find these great, qualified candidates and I hook them up with bold, adventurist companies right here in the fair city of Jacksonville. I get to make that match.
Pete: And you know, there’s a lot of different things we can do in life. The thing I like to do, and when my head hits the pillow I sleep soundly, because the more placements I make, that means the more people I help. The more families I help. Some people that I help are in a vulnerable spot. They need income, right, they need a job, even if it’s a temporary job, they need money to come in so they can pay their bills and meet their commitments. And I help those people. I help people on career tracks, I have people call me up, CFO of a company two days ago called me up and thanked me that I placed him 15 years ago. And I placed him a senior financial analyst, I remember he had accounting background, but he said, these are his words, “But the finance side is so much more sexy, it’s a sexier thing, so I like doing that. And it’s less historical, it’s more forward thinking, and I enjoy that side.” So he was an accountant with an MBA in finance too. And I helped him, and he’s CFO of a company now. Who’s he call, he calls me, because he needs help finding people now.
Pete: It’s the circle of life. Today’s candidates are tomorrow’s clients, and vice versa. Because you could be sitting there all secure, sitting over there like your GM people, sitting in your job, you’re doing your stuff, you’re making these cars and loving life, and then you get that notice that, hey, we’re going to be shutting down. Or we’re going to move operations, or surprise, we were acquired. A lot of things can happen that can rock your boat. And I tell folks, be ready for that. Have a relationship with a professional recruiter, somebody who is an expert, not a poser. Because there’s so many people out there, their idea of finding you a job is getting your resume and just buck shotting it all over town, just sending it to everybody with a pulse. Number one, insulting, okay? Number two, you might be in a confidential search. Number three, you might already be submitted by somebody else or yourself, and be in contention for a job but this knucklehead who’s buck shotting you all over town just got you knocked off the consideration because it’s a duplicate submittal. That’s the way they work, I’m telling you.
Pete: You get with a professional recruiter, and you make sure if they’re going to submit you to anywhere, and they’re going to use your name, that they have to give you their permission first. I tell people, if I talk to people, if Josh … get yourself over there on the … get your line up, Josh is our producer, as you know. I would say, let’s say I’m calling Josh because I’m representing Arren. I’d say, “Josh, I have somebody right now that I want to talk to you about. I know what you do out there, and I have a content marketing expert right now that you need to meet. And I’m telling you, I know what a good content marketing expert is, because listen, I’m in this space day in and day out. And I’ve kissed so many frogs to find this princess that I’m comfortable representing to you.” And then I would qualify her experience. “You know what, not only does she do X, Y, and Z but she saved her last employer money because she did this, Josh, this is somebody you need to talk to. All right?”
Pete: And then Josh says to me, what? What would you say, Josh?
Josh: I’d say, “Give me that email, give me that resume.”
Pete: Yeah, Josh would say, “Tell me more. Tell me more.”
Josh: “Hold on, I have to close my door really quick.”
Pete: That’s typically what people say if I’m recruiting them. But you know, so Josh is going to need more information, so what do I do? I go back to Arren. I say, “Hey, I’ve got a nibble. Let me tell you something, this guy Josh over at Cox Media Group, I think he bit. Let me tell you about Cox Media Group, let me tell what’s so great about them, let me tell you about their work environment, why I would put them in consideration.” And I would tell Arren all about that opportunity. But then I would say, “Arren, with your permission, I would like to submit you to Cox Media Group.” And that’s the way a professional recruiter engages with you. Not just, “I bought this … ” two types, buckshot is, “I’m going to throw everything around and hope something sticks.” Right? And then there’s rifle shot. “I understand what makes you tick. I know what your needs are, and I only focus on those types of companies that can meet your criteria.”
Pete: And then I go nuts. I mean, I develop a plan, I call my clients, I have my elevator pitch, I have your resume tailored specifically to the opportunities that we’re going for. And I’m a professional recruiter, and I don’t oversell. And I go in and I always tell my clients, “I could tell you all day long how great Arren is, but I’m going to tell you what her references said, what her manager said at her last job.” Because I’ve checked it. I’ve done my due diligence. The product that I represent is a great product.
Pete: Guys, I want to tell you, thank you for joining us this week. I want to thank by guest Bruce Thompson with Vets4Vets, and you have that upcoming event, you have to look into, it’s January 12th. Big thing I want you to do is go out this week, work hard, and have a great and fantastic week, hard workers.