Carlos Martinez (02:13):

Good morning. Good afternoon. Good evening and welcome back to our final episode of the school year of the Work Like a Laker podcast. I'm Carlos Martinez and with me we have Megan Riksen. Our guest today is Nick Weatherholt who is a 2017 GVSU alum, as well as a talent acquisition specialist at Gordon Food Service. How are you doing Nick?

 

Nick Weatherholt (02:38):

I'm doing great guys. Thanks for having me.

Megan Riksen (02:40):

Yeah, thanks for being here.

Carlos Martinez (02:42):

Yeah. And today's episode is, is all about the job offer, right? We know it's April. Some of you are getting ready to accept your, your positions or maybe you've already accepted it and you're going to get some lessons for the next go around, but there's usually a lot of questions that we get. And so we're going to throw some of these at Nick and, and just take it from there. So Nick, can you maybe share a bit about what you do with the type of positions you hire for and kind of how long you've been with GFS?

 

 

Nick Weatherholt (03:13):

Of course. Of course. So I was, or I joined the Gordon Food Service talent acquisition team almost in December of 2017. Just at the end of the year and I actually started as what they call a Coordinator. So that's a little more of a support role in the HR department.  So we fall under the shared services, HR sector and a coordinator. I did a lot of scheduling support for wherever the recruiters needed help with. When I say recruiter, same thing as a Talent Acquisition Specialist. It's just kind of easier to say recruiter and we and then in this past March I moved up into a specialist role to support our warehouses. So I support our main locations out of Baltimore and out of Boston. And a lot of the positions I recruit for are anywhere from entry level warehouse roles and then up to director level director level roles. However there's a lot less turnover at that level- So I spend a majority of my time doing entry level warehouse selector, packer, high-low driver type roles.

 

Carlos Martinez (04:27):

Cool. And some folks, especially if they're new to the job search process, might not be too aware about what the actual role of a recruiter is and how that might differ from the person who will supervise them or actually make that final decision. Can you, can you break that down and how it works with your company?

Nick Weatherholt (04:36):

Yeah, of course. That's a great question. So as a recruiter, we're kind of the point of contact behind the scenes with our hiring managers. So we are behind the talent, a tracking system, the applicant tracking system. And our job is mainly to review candidates only back up a little bit. First we sit down with hiring managers and figure out exactly what they want and then we make the posting look pretty so we can post it externally. And then we start reviewing candidates. Depending on the position, it could be the next day, if it's a specialized position, it could be weeks down the road. And then we usually phone screen them, so phone interview them and take care of that. If we like them, we move them forward and do the scheduling for the face to face interviews with the hiring managers.

And then that's where I schedule time for the candidate and the hiring manager to come in and meet. And then from there the process kind of comes back to our recruiter. And if they like them, I prepare the offer and then send out the offer to the candidate directly. And then I usually start the pre employment testing. Every company is different on what kind of pre-employment testing we do. So I usually kick that off and then our local HR team takes over from there. So- we're the point of contact between the second you apply to usually some way through your pre employment screening.

 

Carlos Martinez (06:06):

Okay. So nice. And so after someone's gone through the multiple interview phases, right, they rock their resume/cover letter as well and now they're kind of just waiting and we all, just so you all know it, it's very important to keep in mind, like we've said in previous episodes, all of this can vary quite a bit based on the industry you're in, the company you're applying for, the role,and just based on your experience with your company and it could extend beyond the warehouse roles you support.

Carlos Martinez (06:36):

What's the general timeframe that people are waiting for to get that first initial offer?

 

Nick Weatherholt (06:46):

So, to go through the different positions behind the scenes, our warehouse selectors, which a majority of it's going to be the highest turnover rate in the industry. So, we're continuously interviewing for them. They know within 24 hours if they're getting moved forward or not, usually 24 to 48 hours, sometimes a little bit longer depending on business needs, time of year. But those are roles that don't require a degree. High school diploma, GED- So very entry level. Anyone can do it.  It's very hard for us as recruiters to not move people forward in the process because there's very limited restrictions. And then, you know, we get into like our leads and our supervisors and managers they'll, those can take a little bit longer just because there's usually more stakeholders involved on who's making that decision.

Nick Weatherholt (07:38):

And then that kinda takes me to the next step, which could be multiple interviews as well. So depending on the role and the complexity of it think about how high it is up in the company. It's gonna take a lot longer for a director level level role versus a selector entry level role. So I would say we try to keep our time to fill is, what we call it, under a certain amount, depending on the type of role that can range again a couple of weeks to a couple months.

 

Megan Riksen (08:12):

So, and that's, I mean, that's good to hear too, right? Even within one company, the process is very different.

 

Nick Weatherholt (08:27):

It's a very good point. You have to keep in mind, ask yourself, how many stakeholders are involved? How many people did I interview with? So your phone interview is just with one recruiter. I'm making most of the time with one recruiter,  I'm making that decision... I am one person to ask myself. Whereas, some of our interviews for directors, you have general managers, you have vice-presidents who most likely don't even sit in the same area. So it's gonna take even longer.

 

Carlos Martinez (08:49):

And  what are some things that could cause extended delays in that process?

 

Nick Weatherholt (08:52):

 So I break the bad news to you first. If you don't hear for a really long time, they're probably running pre employment checks on someone else as bad as that sounds. But at the same time it could be those different- They sit in different places, they have different schedules, different time zones that all could play into that. So another thing is businesses change every day. So they might actually be at times reevaluating that role and thinking like, Hey, is this what we are really looking for? And they might come back and be like, unfortunately this role is no longer available. So that evaluation process could take a while. I'm trying to think what else.

 

 

Nick Weatherholt (09:41):

It all depends, I guess on the company and the business because like we're really busy in the summer. So me getting a decision on leadership roles for my directors is very, it takes a bit longer because I know this is their busiest time, especially along the East Coast, when the water's opening up, it's going to take a lot longer to get answers to me. And our recruiting team is centralized out of our headquarters here. So we don't even see our hiring managers or we never even see the candidates either.

 

Megan Riksen (10:10):

That has to be a challenge.

 

Nick Weatherholt (10:15):

It is. It's weird to think about every day that I will probably never see these people I hire.

 

Megan Riksen (10:20):

That is bizarre. Or are you mostly communicating on the phone with candidates?

 

Nick Weatherholt (10:22):

It's on the phone with my business partners. I guess you could call them. It would be mostly email or chat.

Carlos Martinez (10:27):

Which actually brings up a really good point that we wanted to talk about. There are different modes of communications especially when you get into some national/international companies. Like you say you're in Michigan, but recruiting for positions out in the East Coast, right. It could be phone, email, face to face, video conferencing- I've done a variety of all of these when I've served on search committees in the past. And it can vary a bit, but let's say if someone gets a phone interview, which you do quite a bit of those, is there general etiquette things that maybe they should keep in mind to Excel at those?

 

Nick Weatherholt (11:06):

Yes. So I like to tell people recruiters are technical, but their hiring managers are a lot more technical. So obviously the hiring managers know exactly what that position is going to be doing.

Nick Weatherholt  (11:19):

They know exactly what the tools, the software is, the computers they'll be using, the equipment. So recruiters, I'm looking in my entry level positions for passion. I'm looking for people that did your research, you are prepared, and also being in a quiet room and not having screaming kids in the background or things like that. So I'm looking for that kind of stuff. And then I'll ask you some jobs, specific questions and there be the right answer. But I wouldn't say there's a wrong answer to those jobs, specific questions. And then our hiring managers are where it's going to be a lot more technical, a lot more nitty gritty to the point. So again, I'm looking for someone who's in a quiet room. You did your research on the company, you're excited about it. You have good, like not posture, but your energy, your energy is there.

Carlos Martinez (12:19):

What you said is correct. There are studies that'll show if you have proper posture that could influence the way you're even speaking your words. All of that will make a difference. We say smile and dial and that also extends to the point of conversations today, which is the job offer.  I don't know if you can answer this question, but if you don't, that's okay, but do folks negotiate also on these aren't for the positions that you hire?

 

Nick Weatherholt (12:52):

Not the entry level ones.

 

Megan Riksen (12:55):

Okay. What about at GFS or just in general, your awareness of college level recruiting? So bachelor's level candidates and any advice on what's your advice there?

Nick Weatherholt (13:15):

So I think it's going to, again, depend on the role. Because if it's like a buyer for certain foods, you know, a couple different companies in our area we can think of right now probably have buyers the exact same buyers for the exact same food- So that's not very specialized. Maybe the exact day to day is specialized, but the position overall is not. But if we have someone coming in for like some IT roles, you know, MIT is really big here. So those kinds of roles that are specialized, there's a little more leeway to negotiate there. Especially if you go through that certification. The SAP. If you go through like that, I'm gonna give you a little more pulling power to negotiate that. So it all depends on the role.

Nick Weatherholt  (14:15):

Trying to think of what else, you know, again, that's what GFS, we have some very specialized roles. We're looking for very specific people we're getting, we're willing to pay relocation for. But again, it has to be super specialized. Because there's probably a lot more candidates behind you that might not have all you have, but they're going to meet the budget of the company. Sure.

 

Carlos Martinez (14:40):

And the key things you mentioned are very important. So research, you know, proper posture, you want to seem informed and you want to demonstrate that you actually have an interest in the company. It's not just a generic role you're applying for. All of that will play a role. If your goal is to negotiate certain aspects of that offer. Are there any things that you think a candidate should consider before accepting an offer? You already, you already mentioned one, which is possible relocation help.

Nick Weatherholt (15:08):

Yep. So relocation help I would say comes in even more specialized than negotiating. So, you know, even entry level roles right out of college without requiring much experience, maybe a bachelor's degree with no experience, they're probably not going to relocate you. But again, you might be able to move to a different location they're just not going to cover the cost to make that happen. And that's something you want to make very clear at the beginning. It can be very expensive. And then also, so that's relocating. Can you remind me of the question?

 

Carlos Martinez (15:55):

The question was what were things to consider before accepting a job offer.

 

Nick Weatherholt (15:58):

Okay. Some small things that I kind of took into consideration is your commute. Sure. so excited to get an offer from a brand new company.

Nick Weatherholt (16:07):

I'm just going to sign the offer letter the second they gave it to me. But you want to take into consideration a commute? The flexibility. Luckily when I came into a position,I didn't really need flexibility. There's not many outside factors other than work. I'm not taking classes anymore at night, so I just kind of went into it. But now that I see the flexibility that they have gave me it's definitely gonna play a role as well in the position. So like we have work from home days, we have come in late, stay late kind of ideas. So as long as it makes sense, I might take that into consideration. Benefits are huge. I know, especially with healthcare costs rising. Ours luckily started out for 30 days. A lot of companies are 60 or even 90, so that's huge. How soon, how soon do you need those? How much of that do you need? That kind of leads me back a little bit to the negotiation aspect. Including the benefits is going to be your vacation time. If maybe they're not going for the extra couple thousand dollars, ask him about vacation. So ask him if that's something you can negotiate. But again, back to your question is how much vacation time are they giving you? Is it accrued quarterly? Do you have to work a whole year before you get any vacation time? How soon? I guess what I'm getting to is how soon all of those benefits start. It's something you want to consider. That's a lot of things that I thought of.

 

Carlos Martinez (17:40):

Yeah. We like to call it the total compensation package sometimes and there's a lot more than that pay you're going to get, you know, a few times a month.

Carlos Martinez (17:50):

No. When I was trying to determine where to work after college, I accepted the position with Grand Valley, in the admissions office. But one of the biggest reasons was when I found out that I can get my master's paid for. So even though I could have gotten a higher salary somewhere else, when I really crunched the numbers down and I looked at all the overall benefits, I would get a lot more out of that, you know, employment with this university. And so it wasn't even in my mind until someone else brought it up. One of my mentors brought it up to me and from then I always make sure to point that out to folks who I'm working with as well.

 

Nick Weatherholt (18:29):

Yeah. Total compensation is huge.

 

Megan Riksen (18:32):

How do you factor in you being in multiple states the Cost of living? How does that get factored in?

Nick Weatherholt  (18:39):

I can tell you it's very expensive to live in Boston. So it's, I don't know the details of how it's factored in, but I see it in our pay scales. Okay. and how each, like even the selector roles I recruit for they range from, you know, Michigan, we're in Texas and Florida all the way up to Boston. Boston is the highest paid one that we have. So it's factored in depending I guess on the location and the role. So you know, some of the more experienced might come in and you know, not necessarily take into fact the cost of living because of the job that they're just taking. Whereas some people that's like a huge factor into it. Like they're going to sit down and crunch the numbers. I don't remember what the scale is called but there's like a universal scale there where I think Grand Rapids is like 0.9 or something and Washington DC sees like 1.9 yeah. So yeah, there's a lot of different calculations you can do that

Megan Riksen (19:43):

And there are websites that will help you with that. OneI've used with students before is payscale.com and you can basically say here's the type of role I've been going for and I'm looking at one in Grand Rapids and I'm looking at one in LA and Oh my goodness, that could be a, you know, 10- $20,000 difference on an entry level role per year potentially just because everything your rent or mortgage or whatever, everything's just going to be so much higher.

Carlos Martinez (20:12):

Oh yeah. You know, 60,000 in, in one place, you might as well be making 35,000 in another. Yeah. Right. So it makes a huge difference, which you can save, you know? Now when one is discussing a job offer with someone, are there any maybe red flags, things that would turn you away from that candidate at that job offer stage or maybe push you away and make you rethink if you made that decision? I'm not sure if I phrased that correctly.

 

Nick Weatherholt (20:45):

I think I know what you’re getting at. So there are some things that I get asked like right off the bat, he's like, I want 30 days of vacation. I want my benefits to start right away. And just right there, you're kind of like, okay. To me, I'm like, does he fully understand that like benefits and vacation, that's a set system for us. There are certain roles that can negotiate like vacation and stuff, but the time that it starts is going to be set. So you know, when they start specifically asking about those very nitty gritty details, it makes me think they're only in it for certain things. They're not necessarily in it for the role. So I mean like I go back, I know I said earlier that those are huge factors and when making the decision if you want to accept an offer or not, but there's a fine line between being too detailed on those versus you know, wanting the whole position in the company as a whole. Other red flags. I'm like I said the vacation time, don't ask for a whole month off before we even make you an offer.

Megan Riksen (21:55):

So what about like with college students specifically, can you think like, let's say they got an offer early in their senior year and then their grades tanked or something like that, are those factors that can come into play?

Nick Weatherholt (22:09):

It can be- I don't know necessarily what the, the minimums would be for that. And if they would check again at the end of the season. They, they might, they might put that in your offer letter. There might be provisions in the offer letter saying, Hey, you need to pass with a 4.0 so read the entire offer letter, and the email that comes in. So there's a lot of details that I think that get overlooked.

 

Carlos Martinez (22:38):

But what are some of those things? They might find it an offer letter. Yeah, that common knowledge.

 

Nick Weatherholt (22:41):

So the first thing that's probably gonna show up as the pay, well, the first little welcome to Gordon Food Service or welcome to our company paragraph and then it's by going to pay and then vacation and then it should jump into benefits or something like that. And then it should, if there's any like relocation or provisions to your offer, maybe a sign on bonus that you have to be there for at least two years. Or else you're gonna be paying that sign on. Bonus back and then it should wrap up usually with some form of next steps. Is the recruiter going to reach out again? Is local HR going to reach out? Who's going to reach out to start your pre employment checks? I know a majority of our companies today are going to be running at least a background check. If not more. So who's gonna be reaching out next? I can only speak for us and our offer letters come in an email that has like a body paragraph to it and there's actually a link in there to our online system where you have to accept it on there.

So that offer letter email has the next step details in it. So that's kind of a little difference right there. So keep an eye on, you know, some people are so excited to click that link and accept the job and move on. But there's a lot of little things in there.

 

Carlos Martinez (24:07):

And something that's very important to keep in mind as a candidate is that if you discuss something verbally, but there's something different on that offer letter, it's what you signed that counts legally. And so it could have been a mistake, but now you've officially accepted, it's right. Soif they agree to give you three extra vacation days, but it's not in that offer letter, then they can do it but technically they're not required to anymore once you've accepted it formally.

Nick Weatherholt (24:35):

Yes. Yes. So it's that offer letter that becomes your legal document. So I kind of the backup, I think a little bit on the process. Your hiring manager, so you probably, your direct supervisor, they'll be working for what most likely call and offer you the job. You'll accept it for them verbally and then they'll tell the recruiter, yes, give it to them. They want to accept it and then ice on the re or the recruiter would send the offer. So there's definitely that room for a few mistakes here and there.

 

Carlos Martinez (25:10):

Yeah, and I, I've even I, I've came across situations where I know of individuals who have gotten the offer rescinded because I don't know if over negotiated it's a proper term and pretty much the company said, I think there's, there's too big of a gap between what you're expecting and what we're able to offer you and kind of they back out on their rent and so that's a real possibility.

Carlos Martinez (25:31):

That's where kind of what Nick talked about earlier. Then I keep mentioning which is: your research is key. If you ask for anything, it should be based on the value you're bringing to the table. If it's salary wise, it should be based on specific data; cost of living, a comparable salary space on your research or based on if the company has salary information public, which some will. All of those are things that you can use as kind of conversation points. When you want to negotiate, it's got to be big with the facts. So it's not, I feel I deserve this. It's not good enough on that as well.

 

Nick Weatherholt (26:20):

Linkedin does a really good job of LinkedIn salary. So that I think I see, I hear LinkedIn more and more every single day and they do a really good job.

Nick Weatherholt (26:21):

That's usually user reported as well. So my recommendation there is use it and then also try to make your job palette. You're going for something a little more vague because you might get more data. Okay. I have my talent acquisition specialist. I what? I call that a recruiter. So there's a couple different titles. People go with talent acquisition partners because we're technically a partner to the managers. I'm sorry, take a look at that. Also, if I could throw this in there. Linkedin also does premium for free for 30 days. So if you sign up for that, remember to cancel it though or else you're gonna be charged a lot of money. So I, I when I was back in the job I was doing, I was using that.

Megan Riksen (27:04):

Yeah, that's great because it allows you to reach out to more people directly, more access to information.

Carlos Martinez (27:10):

And it just makes sure it's comparable. Right. So if you're looking up salaries for a recruiter in New York, it's not going to be comparable to Grand Rapids or to, you know, Iowa. So if you're going to compare New York compared maybe to LA to DC or another city that's relatively expensive and then it might be at least a little bit closer in the numbers you should look at.

Megan Riksen (27:32):

I wanted to go back to one thing you said in terms of the hiring manager calling to offer the position, do you recommend, I guess what's your recommendation? You get that first phone call from that hiring manager that says, Hey, we'd love to offer you this. You want to see that job offer, that package first. How do you approach that?

Nick Weatherholt (27:56):

So I would be completely open to them at that point. Cause technically you're on their team now and so I'd be completely open with them and be like, Hey, I appreciate things in writing. Sounds great over the phone. Would I be able to get it in writing? That's good advice. And then from there I know I prefer everything in writing. If I can think about it for awhile. From there I go to the hiring manager or excuse me, the hiring manager would go to the recruiter and then the recruiter could probably send it to you, an offer letter and an email. So I think just be open with them and be like, Hey, I appreciate things in writing.  And that enthusiasm that I was talking about on the phone interview at the beginning, you need to carry that all the way.

Megan Riksen (28:44):

Yes. Cause then that's, I mean you had your first impression in an interview, but now you might actually be the team member. Oh yeah. So you don't want to be the Debbie downer.

Carlos Martinez (28:50):

Yeah, exactly. That's correct. It's an interesting dynamic because you're telling them the offer is not adequate yet, but you still want to show them that  I'm still really excited, This is where I want to be. I just need you to meet me a little closer to where you know, the, what I'm thinking is, is necessary for this role here.

Megan Riksen (29:10):

And is that the negotiation then happening with you as the recruiter? Most of the time?

Nick Weatherholt (29:17):

It can go either way. I've seen it in both ways. So I think depending on how, almost how prepared you are to get that phone call to the blue. Oh, sure. Might allow you to do it right then and there, but also you want to see it in writing. So you might be able to see the entire, like did we talk about the total compensation package on that letter? So I've seen it go through the hiring manager. So you might just call the hiring manager back after receiving that from the recruiter. Because your payroll is coming from their budget. So the recruiter was in the middle, like we want you to get the job. We also want the hiring managers to keep their budget on track. So we're going to try to make it, but it can go to the recruiter, it can go to the hiring manager.

Nick Weatherholt (30:09):

Ultimately it's going to go to the hiring manager. So I think I've also seen it where they've come to us for almost the negotiation. I'm not sure if that's because we're the first phone number they find. Or if they just can't find the hiring manager's phone number, practice would be to call the hiring manager back. Because it's ultimately going to come out of them. But also, you know, if you felt that interview went really well, first of all, make sure you pick up on unknown numbers calls and second I'd be prepared the second you leave that interview or start preparing that, if they were to call an offer to what exactly do you need? You know, talk to your wife, talk to your husband, talk to your, whoever's a key holder stakeholder in what you're doing. The roommate, you need to move out of the house. Your landlord if you break a lease. So I would talk to all those people so you can be a lot more prepared than they call depending on how fast they're moving. You might not have enough time to prepare. So I mean it all plays a factor in it.

Megan Riksen (31:13):

I'm maybe I'm stepping on your toes Carlos cause you got the list of questions. Let's say you have multiple offers or you're currently interviewing with multiple companies and you might need some time to make a decision. What are your thoughts there?

Nick Weatherholt (31:37):

So I know I keep giving you this answer but it depends,

Megan Riksen (31:43):

Which is the answer to everything in the world. I'm pretty sure. But yeah, okay.

Nick Weatherholt  (31:48):

It depends, again, how specialized the position is. And also you, as a candidate, you probably won't know this, but how long they've been recruiting on it. So I think if you're going to be shuffling a few different offers, you need to get a feel for how the hiring managers are feeling. Because on the good side they could easily ask you what do you need to say yes. So they'll flat out say to the candidate, what do you need to say yes to this offer? And that puts you in a really good spot. However, if again, if there's a second and third place candidate that they're more than willing to make an offer to, they could give you like a day to make a decision before you hear back from maybe your dream company.

 

Megan Riksen (32:34):

So what's an appropriate amount of time to ask?

Nick Weatherholt (32:39):

I was thinking about this earlier today. I, if it comes on like a Monday,  I would not put it past Wednesday or Thursday because think about what they're thinking you're doing. So as a candidate, they call an offer, they offer you the job Monday you'll be home by five, five 30, you'll probably see people who are going to be a key player in you accepting that offer. And then you could potentially have them an answer Tuesday or, and then I wouldn't push it back like a Monday to a Wednesday. You know they're going to be thinking about how long does it take you to talk to those key holders. Maybe if I mentioned earlier you have to go to a landlord to see about breaking a lease might take a little bit longer. So I would also be open with the companies that haven't offered you something yet following up, being persistent, being like, Hey, I had this other offer because that could also put you in another really good position.

Nick Weatherholt (33:38):

I'm like, Oh my gosh, hold on, we'll get you this offer.

 

Megan Riksen (33:45):

So then you can hopefully decide between multiple good offers.

 

Carlos Martinez (33:49):

Okay. Yeah. I think you just answered one of my other questions,  which would be, if company B gives you, makes you an offer and you're waiting on Gordon Food Service, which is your A plan to get back to you. How would you communicate that to the recruiter at Gordon Food Service? How would you navigate that? What do you actually say? Hey, I've got an offer over here, which I really want to work with you, but so how would you, I don't know if you've encountered it, but how would you navigate that or advise somebody to navigate it?

Nick Weatherholt (34:25):

Yeah, of course. So I personally had never encountered that. Okay. so I, what I would do though is I would first contact that recruiter of company B that you've already got the offer right from.

Carlos Martinez (34:36):

Yes, yes. They made the offer.

 

Nick Weatherholt (33:37):

So I first go to them and be like, Hey, I just wanna let you know I'm going to think about this offer for a while and, or for however long I just told you to. And then they might tell you right then and there, come back and let us know by date X or date Y. And then I'd go back to Gordon Food Service, your dream company and be like, Hey, is there any update? I am entertaining another offer. And then, but don't necessarily tell them that exact timeline because they might wait till the very end, you know, it might, they might wait a couple extra days just to make sure they have all the details ironed out. So it's a, it's quite the game. And it's really hard when you don't have like, you know, exact details, you know.

So I would just honestly be honest with all of them, you know, it's your best option if one of them pulls their offer wasn't meant to be.

 

Carlos Martinez (35:45):

 So when, when I worked with someone in a similar situation, what we ended up doing was he negotiated a small, a very small, like maybe just like $2,000 salary increase. But that bought him a couple of days because the recruiter had to talk to the hiring manager when they came back and said, yes, but something else. Then the candidate said, okay, let me go and talk with my, I don't know if it was his wife or one of the key persons in their life, but then instead of having a way from that Monday to Tuesday, it extended to an entire week and then in that time he got the offer from the other company. So it bought him time. But even if that other company, that company A didn't make him the offer, he still negotiated better conditions for that other company, which he did also like as well. It won't always work because like you said, timing in the needs of each company will play a big role in this also. Oh yeah, for sure. Is it time for “Would you hire this intern?”

Megan Riksen (36:50):

All right. Should we go for it?

Carlos Martinez (36:51):

We're going there now. So we have a little segment here. I'll Megan explain.

Megan Riksen (36:55):

All right, so our regular listeners will be aware of our Would you hire this segment by this point in the year? But Nick, I'm going to give you a little scenario about an intern who's doing some things and you let us know what you think and if you would hire this intern. Okay. So your new intern has designed these amazing flyers to promote your next company event. Unfortunately it seems like every time he prints off a new set, the copier jams and your intern just leaves it that way. This is occurring daily. When you talk to him about it, he says he's sorry, but continues to break the copier and leave it that way for someone else to fix. Would you hire this intern?

Nick Weatherholt (37:35):

Probably not because he didn't learn from the feedback. So, he doesn't seem coachable at all. And a copier, like it's a pretty big thing in the office. Like if there was this keyboard that only he used or you know, something else that he only used. Yeah, not a big deal, that's kind of his loss. But the copier makes a loss for everyone.Probably not. If he's not, I don't know if I don't see that as coachable.

Megan Riksen (38:02):

Right. And I think the key there was you would've given him, you gave him the chance. Right. Let's talk about it when you see the behavior. That's key. Okay. Now we'll do a twist. So the positive twist would be, while he's still leaving it jammed, he started to leave notes that say he tried fixing it but was unable to with an apology and a sad face. Would that help?

Nick Weatherholt (38:29):

I don't think so. I think he… I  probably still wouldn't hire him. I think he would need to go to like his boss or the IT department and like to take initiative and handle it would be a good way to put it. So if you're not gonna take initiative as you're going to take initiative on like the projects I give him moving forward. He did a great job on the flyers, but will he leave you a sad face too for the project, but you don't want to get to your event that you need the flyers for and then be like, here's a sticky note with a sad face on it.

 

Carlos Martinez (39:00):

I think I would give that intern some extra coaching for the duration of that internship. But for similar reasons, I think I'd lean towards not hiring, but I would probably make sure to make sure that the person grows while they're an intern still.

Carlos Martinez (39:15):

Maybe they learn to contact IT on their own by the end of it and other steps closer to getting hired maybe in a future time.

 

Nick Weatherholt (39:30):

And I'm sure that he probably had, again, five other candidates behind him that an internship is a time for you to prove yourself. So he's not proving himself.

 

Carlos Martinez (39:40):

Yep. So Nick, any, any parting words? any last things you'd like to share at all?

 

Nick Weatherholt (39:45):

Oh, I don't think so. I think we covered it all. I've thrown it in there. My LinkedIn recruiter spurt.

 

Megan Riksen (39:48):

That's great. That was a really good tip.

Carlos Martinez (39:50):

So Lakers, thanks again for joining us. Another school year. We will catch you back again in September. Enjoy your summer.