EP 479: How A Certified Recruiter Helps Candidates Get Hired

What makes Jessica Jacob with Mrs. Fine Print a good neighbor?

We talk with Jessica Jacob of Mrs. Fine Print, an HR-certified recruiter, about what’s really happening behind the scenes in hiring and why so much HR advice sounds helpful but doesn’t always lead to action. She shares why she restarted her business and how she defines success through real outcomes like people getting hired and earning more money.

We dig into the biggest misconception she hears—that “HR is your friend”—and she explains how HR actually functions inside companies, why that structure creates limitations, and how job seekers can use that understanding to make clearer, more informed decisions.

If you’re navigating layoffs, job searching, or trying to reposition yourself in a shifting job market, this conversation gives you a grounded strategy for moving forward with more clarity and direction.

Subscribe, share, and leave a review with your question for the next episode.

Guest Info: Mrs. Fine Print | | [phone]

Transcript

Welcome To Good Neighbor Podcast

SPEAKER_01 0:00

This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and members come together. Here's your host, Sophia Nivel.

SPEAKER_02 0:10

Welcome to the Good Neighbor Podcast. Are you in need of an HR and recruiting company? Well, one may be closer than you think. Today I have the pleasure of introducing our good neighbor, Jessica Jacob, with Mrs. Fine Print. Jessica, lovely to have you on today. Now we are so excited to learn all about your finding and building strategy that you use for this business. So go ahead and start off and tell our listeners a little bit more about your company.

Why She Reopened The Business

SPEAKER_00 0:39

Well, hey everybody. And then next thing you know, God was like, Hey, you need to open this business again. And it wasn't a crazy time in my life, but I was like, okay, I'm going to do it. And then it's been seven months now since I listened to what he told me to do. And every single month, at least five people, at least five people a month are getting hired. My clients are getting jobs. They are getting more money that they need. They are growing, they are moving, and I'm talking to so many different candidates, people in the US, people in the other countries, because I'm always looking for talent. I want to find the person or I want to make the person the right one. So that's what I always do. And the name, my name came because I built the trust with everybody because I always tell them the truth. So whether it's HR or whether it's the job, whether it's the work you need to do, whether it doesn't matter. I'm going to tell you the truth because this is your life, this is your time, this is your gift. I don't care to lie to you. I care if you'd have clarity. I care if you'd have traction. I care if you don't know what to do. So that's me, that's my team all day long. We're talking to talent or we are growing talent every single week.

Truth First HR Approach

SPEAKER_02 2:53

I love that, Jessica. Now you've shared so much with us already. Is there anything else you want to share about your background before we dive deeper into your business?

SPEAKER_00 3:03

Sure. So I am HR certified as well. So I'm not just like some random internet HR person is trying to tell you stuff. There's there's legal, there's legal background to this, right? Um, I do I tell everybody, um, yes, I have the talent in me to help you, but also God is the God is the thing. Like Jesus is in my life. And so whether you care about Jesus or not, I pray that every time I get up, he will bless the people who come to me, he will build the things in their life, he will help them find the things that they need to do. So I I always say that it's everywhere you can find me. I love Jesus. We are best friends, and finally, don't worry, even though everything is burning around us, it's crazy what's happening. I got water. So even though stuff is burning all around us, we got water. Don't worry about it. We're gonna do what we gotta do. So that's all.

The Myth HR Is Your Friend

SPEAKER_02 4:16

Well, Jessica, it certainly sounds like you have a PhD in stewardship. Now, we're gonna dive deeper into your business here. So, you know, HR and human resources, well, same thing, right? There's so many misconceptions about it. So, which one would you like to address for our audience today?

SPEAKER_00 4:38

So um, what I hear the most often is that HR is not your friend. Um, and that's that's right. So HR works for a business. In my case, I work for my business. So even though I work for my business, if I tell you something that is for an HR thing, like you have a question about HR, I am going to tell you what the business needs. This is what the business is looking at. This is with you, what you need to know. If you want to still still work for that business or you don't, I am not your HR friend, I am your HR trust. I'm not gonna lie to you. And even if it's better that you need to leave, maybe you need to stay, protect yourself. The company protects themselves. So protect yourself. And because they protect their business, they usually, even the HR representatives who work there, they can't tell you the exact truth because they have a job to serve that business. My job is the truth. So if people prefer to work with me, understand I want you to have the truth, I want you to have the clarity on what you need to do. But don't be mad at HR, they work for that business, they protect that business. You protect yourself.

SPEAKER_02 6:09

So, Jessica, now we do know that marketing is the heart of every business. So you work with people in so many different industries, but who is your ideal client and how are you attracting them today?

SPEAKER_00 6:26

Good question. My ideal client is two things, they're flexible. Um, because so much is going on in the job market, companies in these mass layoffs, and they're not gonna stop. Um, a lot of roles getting outsourced for lower payment, um, even no low no uh lower hours. Everybody who is flexible, everybody that is open to different things, not just the job that you always wanted, or the one that you have been doing for 20 years. I got it. But if that's not working, it is okay to move around, it's okay to do something different. So the people who work the best with me are flexible, not flexible in a way that will hurt them, not flexible in a way that will burn them down, but flexible in a way that they are open to different things with their talent. The second person, the second thing that this person has, they listen. Usually, I'm be honest, a lot of people come to me because they're um they're mad, they're frustrated. I got it, I understand. But once we get in this meeting, the call that we have, I need you to focus and listen for this 15 call, this 15-minute call, this 30-minute call, this 45 minutes, because I'm going to take the chaos and I'm gonna put it in a straight line. And this straight line is gonna look at the next three months, the next 30 days, the next year for you. You have to listen. When you listen, the change will come. But if they pay me, and it's happened, if you pay to work with me, or you're even a candidate that's looking for a job, they don't have to pay me because the company pays me if they get hired. If they go all over the place, but don't lock in, they will be in the same spot in a month, they'll be in the same spot in six months, and I don't want that for anybody that comes into my space. So be flexible and listen. It's real simple. Be open and listen, and you will see movement in your career. That's that's my best client. The age, the gender, the space, the education don't count as much as are you willing to move around if you got to do something different? Are you willing to listen? If you got that, we can work together.

Where To Find Mrs. Fine Print

SPEAKER_02 9:02

So, Jessica, it really sounds like summing it up here for our listeners. You are a core values-based individual, and that's what you put into practice in your business. Now, before we close out today, where can our listeners go to learn more about Mrs. Fineprint?

SPEAKER_00 9:20

So it's pretty easy. Um, I am on most major social media platforms. So some people are more video. Um, I'm neurodivergent, by the way, and so captions are my life. So the people who like video, I usually put captions on my content because I'm a mom of five. I often keep sound low or down. So you can read what I'm speaking on TikTok or Instagram or YouTube and watch. I'm also on threads for my writers. I have my bachelor's in English. I love a good writing session. So just for the readers, I'm on threads, I'm on LinkedIn, I'm on Facebook. Uh finally, for the people who want some privacy, they don't want the conversation to be in the main platform like a basic Facebook. Um, I do have a website, but I'm most active in my private school community, which is free to join. The only people who would pay anything are ones who want to work privately with my team. I have a private Facebook group as well. The name of the group is something you would could recognize. It's education, jobs, and money. We're gonna learn, we're gonna see about some work, and we're gonna make some money. And so both of those spaces are on school or they're on Facebook. Um, and then when people work privately privately with me, I let them know how to get into a private room because I'm gonna be honest, as my brand grows, even the competitors or the companies who might be in your business for talking to me because I'm trying to steal you from that company for a new job where I'm trying to give you HR truth. I tell people to keep certain things offline. So I have spaces we can communicate where only my team's eyes and yours are on it. And then they'll have more public spaces like social media. But Mrs. Fine Print, M-R-S-F-I-N-E, P-R-I-N-T, I'm on all those platforms. Even if you find me Jessica M Jacob, I'm on all of those spaces. I don't do I don't do Snapchat, I don't do Twitter, but I do everything.

Closing And How To Nominate

SPEAKER_02 11:26

All right. Well, Jessica, we really appreciate you being on the show today, and we wish you and your business the best moving forward. Thank you. I appreciate it.

SPEAKER_01 11:38

Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor Podcast. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to gmpfrisco.com. That's gmpfrisco.com or call four six nine two two one nine three four five.