Timbre discusses experiencing a LinkedIn recruiting scam

Timbre tells his fellow host Seleana how he was recently targeted by a recruiter thru LinkedIn and how he felt it was a scam and how we was able to screen out the recruiter's tactics.

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:01

Hello, everybody, and welcome to Disco Diverse and Inclusive Stream of Conscious Observations. I'm your host, Timber, and with me as always my fellow host, Alina.

SPEAKER_02 0:15

Hello, everyone. Welcome.

SPEAKER_01 0:17

Hi, everybody. Thank you for joining us today. I wanted to talk about something that happened to me recently. Um, we wanted to try and go talk about something more serious and personal rather than talk about what's going on in the political climate today, because I'm sure everybody else is talking about that. And there's nothing we really need to talk about there for right now, anyway. I'm sure there's a lot to talk about. Um but since we're a DEI podcast and sort of business and personal development focused, um, I wanted to talk about what happened to me on LinkedIn the other day. Um I was yeah. Now I explained it a little bit to Selena already. Um we kind of just a dry over overview, but I'm really concerned about others. Now I um I was reached out by a recruiter uh through a major insurance company. Um, and he had emailed me several times, like Timber, I would really like to talk to you. Timber, I would really like to talk to you. So finally, okay, okay, I'll give him my number and we set up a time and he called me. Now, I've done insurance. Um, I wasn't very good at it. Um, cold call sales of any sort is tough. Now you can make a really, really great living at it, and it's very attractive. But and I'm not saying it's for only certain people, but honestly, only certain people are really good at it. And I'm talking about the sales part. You know, you could plenty of us are perfectly good being, you know, community focused and c and people people, being able to talk to people, but to do sales is something else. Is that right, Selena?

SPEAKER_02 2:17

Yeah, I couldn't do sales. I'm I'm struggling at sales, but you know, my brother he'd be awesome. My dad, he was great, but I still I don't know. That's my uh that's outside my box, I guess, a little bit.

SPEAKER_01 2:35

Sure. So I understood some of the business at least already. Now, um I was sort of recruited already. I can't remember if I had actually answered an ad or asked to apply. And now insurance, you have to be licensed, just like you do for accounting, getting your CPA or generally some sort of state level certification to guarantee you know what you're doing. Um, now insurance, they call it AHL, accident health and life. Now there's auto insurance, there's life insurance, there's health insurance, there's homeowners insurance, and a whole lot of other insurances for everything else. But generally, I believe there's an umbrella called accident health and life, and that's generally at least what I got working for another insurance company in Minnesota. What I got in order to sell those things, and those, and this was for um group plans for businesses. Now, this was for your typical insurance company that we all really kind of need to get. This is for your auto home, auto home, and life generally. Um, you know, because we all need car insurance to drive our cars, and we need homeowners' insurance to have a home loan.

SPEAKER_02 3:56

Um there's insurance for everything, it's insane, but yes, right.

SPEAKER_01 4:02

Or it's some sometimes good to have is renter's insurance. That's what you know, state farm farmers, and all these other companies you see advertising on TV for, and they're all all out to get your money. And it's frustrating because sometimes you don't even know what to do with and who to go for or understand what you need.

SPEAKER_02 4:27

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I didn't understand any of this. So you you you educated me on some of it because I would have thought this was a total I I would have I would have uh been veered off rather quicker than what you, but I didn't understand the business and the concept.

SPEAKER_01 4:43

So I was initially skeptical too, but so I knew what to ask this guy. Um now, generally speaking, you're brand new of insurance, you're gonna go work for somebody, you're gonna work for somebody in their office, and you're gonna do cold calling. You're gonna call up everybody in a book, or sometimes book people you have to look up yourself, like I did for another insurance company for group plans. I had to look up business names and then contact their decision maker that will make the decision, HR, the business owner, to convince them they need to talk to me. And then after they talk to me, they talk to my boss that will sell them on the policy.

SPEAKER_03 5:29

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 5:30

With me sitting there listening, learning the business. But as far as out auto and home, the same thing is going to apply. Especially if I'm completely green with it. And uh, and I am, and this guy knows that. He knows I he sees that I'm managerial experience, and so he was reaching out to me to be an office manager. I'm like, why the hell does he want to be uh be an office manager? I haven't worked for State Farm, I don't have the licensing or credentials. Now, now mine already in Minnesota has expired because I haven't maintained it. Um, you know, I don't have one for Washington and Oregon. In general, because I'm in Vancouver, you get both states because you can cross over. And there's some reciprocity because sometimes Minnesota and Wisconsin have that too for certain things. Anyway, um he wanted me to take over for somebody who's retiring. This person has now he's been doing it for 30 years, um, has a portfolio of a thousand clients, a three million dollar annual book. That and that and that's portfolio. Right. Now I get nine percent of that. If I take it over, I get nine percent of that a year off of as long as they renew their their premiums every year. I get nine percent of that. That's a that's that's a very attractive thing. It's like, oh yeah, I'd love to have$270,000 a year. You know, whoo, thank you for that job offer. No, yeah, I had to go get my insurance license to sell insurance and then interview for that job, and then also provide a business plan in order to get, you know, have a plan to take over the business. But I'm like, how how am I supposed to have a business plan? I don't know any of these people, and I'm also supposed to have enough enough clients coming in on a regular basis. You know, all of our insurance agents, the ones that we call up, or the 1-800 number that we call up, anybody that we contact, whether or not it's a word, I'd like the real person. The person that that I would be in that position is the person I seek out because I'd like to call up um my insurance agent, his name is Tim. If I have a problem and he gets back to me right away, we talk out the problem, whatnot. I don't have to call up a 1-800 number and deal with somebody else every come somebody completely different each time, right?

SPEAKER_03 8:21

Right.

SPEAKER_01 8:22

That's why these person's really important. That's why this person has a book of a thousand people, and he's been at it for 30 years. He's very good at his job, he's a people person, which I am, you know, uh and I could handle that job as long as I could maintain the book and take over the book. But but I'm not I I mean, I don't know the business, but in order to take over that three million dollar a yearly contract, I mean considered a contract, it's is that that that that big of a portfolio of customers, I need to know by heart this insurance company's playbook. Everything that they have to have to offer, down to a T uh on a drop of a dime. No.

SPEAKER_02 9:12

Do you do you think so?

SPEAKER_01 9:14

Yeah, absolutely. I mean they well, but but but I'm gonna explain, I'm gonna explain to that. This is what this is the bait and switch. Okay. He he most likely is recruiting other salespeople to work for a state farm. Something just did not make sense about him asking me to take this thing over without knowing what the hell was going on for my area and for what this ABC insurance company would want. Right? I mean, I can't I can't go into a job called with a thousand clients and have them come up. They said, Oh, I'm gonna have to contact each one of those people now with a letter. Say that, hi, I'm your new insurance agent. You know, John Smith, you're retired. And John Smith will probably send out a letter as well on his way out the door.

SPEAKER_02 10:15

They're already in the system, they're already a portfolio. That's easy, that's fast.

unknown 10:18

Sure.

SPEAKER_02 10:19

You just write one letter and then you have the computer do it.

SPEAKER_01 10:22

Yeah, but I'm gonna want to send it. I'm gonna I'm gonna send it one and send out to Jane, the Jude, to Joe, to Adam, to Susie.

SPEAKER_02 10:30

No, I'm saying, yeah, in the portfolio, it should have all the list of names and addresses. Of course, of course, it's never it's easier than that. It's either here or there. Never mind.

SPEAKER_01 10:40

Yeah, but but I mean I there is something seriously, seriously wrong with this situation. And I'm quizzing him on what am I gonna do, what am I gonna have to do, and and then I have to also interview for this job after that. I have to get my insurance license first and then interview for the position.

SPEAKER_02 11:05

Which right there tells you that you're not the only person, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 11:08

Yeah, with a business plan.

SPEAKER_02 11:09

And with a business plan.

SPEAKER_01 11:11

Now, if I work for ABC company, insurance company beforehand, I know the business and things like that, that's gonna be very easy to do. But something seemed really, really strange with this, and that's why I wanted to talk about now. I could be nuts, maybe this is something completely typical. So if if you think I'm wrong, and this guy was right, and this is completely honest, let us know. Because I I am really genuinely curious on this. Because now he he wasn't fishing, he this wasn't somebody calling from another country, um, fishing for the little bits of information to get an idea about me, and then use it against me to hack an account or anything like that. He's not like, well, now give me your social security number, you know, so I could look you up. No. It wasn't something like that.

SPEAKER_02 12:13

So you think that so the gentleman's legit.

SPEAKER_01 12:16

I for that. I don't want to say so, but I but I think it was gonna be circum he was circumventing a system and trying to get me to be a salesperson for them. Now I wouldn't have any staff, I wouldn't have any support staff, I wouldn't have an administrative assistant, I would have to find my own office. Now, generally, this what would happen with this situation is this person has an LLC or something to that effect to run ABC insurance company out of this uh certain office and address. I would have to get my own office. Now, in order to take over his business, generally speaking, the way I would understand it, how the these things work of anything of this sort is that I would take over his LLC. The paperwork could be signed over, I take over the lease, everybody knows where to go. You know, they they're used to going. Some people probably because in my neighborhood, this is in a very, very old neighborhood. The people I bought my house from, they're here for 50 years. They most other people here who've been here for 30 years were probably going to this office to this guy for 30 years. They they know where he is, they know he they can show up. Go ahead, but go ahead. You wanted to say something.

SPEAKER_02 13:46

So he he um I'm just trying to figure out to understand um exactly the process because I I don't get um so you think that so I don't know how to say that. So he works. How would you get the LLC? Wouldn't you take over? So is it for you to become a private owner? Wouldn't you have to create your own and then they would actually support you? Or like because for somebody just to give you your, you know what I'm saying? I wouldn't think that you would just sign this LLC if so you're saying so. For this this company, how it works is you create your own company and then I probably need to do that. Go under them. Is that how that works? No, you don't just work for them.

SPEAKER_01 14:32

No, well, for for ABC insurance. No, um, I'm not I we didn't talk about that to that aspect, but if but if I have my own office, I'm gonna be probably I'm gonna be having my own ABC insur insurance company licensed operation out of this office. There's a whole host of paperwork with that to go. You know, that's sort of considered that as an LLC. Yeah, you'll be running your own business, but yeah, under under ABC insurance.

SPEAKER_02 15:09

Because yeah, yeah. Well, but but if you had your own LLC, you wouldn't be managing it, you would be the owner of it.

SPEAKER_01 15:16

Same thing. Man, it's it's it there there is the how you list the LLC, if you're manager, the owner or something like that, that's all spelled out. It's the same thing. Manager or owner is the same thing.

SPEAKER_02 15:27

Oh, in that in that because it's not the same thing in in the in my industry, it's not the same by far. Um, so that's why I was thinking as far as I that it was different.

SPEAKER_01 15:38

To me, it's it's more or less synonymous. Okay. I'm sure there's a difference in some ways and how the organizational structure is set up. If I'm a sole proprietary LLC, which was what I would be probably doing as ABC insurance company, I'm manager owner.

SPEAKER_02 15:59

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 15:59

Right.

SPEAKER_02 16:02

Yeah, I mean, yeah, if that's a title you want to take give yourself, but yeah.

SPEAKER_01 16:07

I mean it it it depends on what you want to call yourself when you when you set up the articles of organization. Right. You're you're you're you're you're familiar with that part of it, right?

SPEAKER_02 16:21

Well, yeah, I mean, definitely, but in my realm, like manager still, there's somebody over a manager. Um manager is an owner, you know. Usually the you know, in the sole proprietorship. There's directors, there's boards, there's you know what I mean? Yeah. So okay. In the sole proprietorship, your manager owner. Right. Wait, the technique is.

SPEAKER_01 16:40

No, there's gonna be there's gonna be an area manager that I'll answer to that's complet that's on under the ABC insurance company. Me in this office running this book of a thousand clients and anybody else, new people I can bring in to sign up insurance policies. I'm manager slash own manager slash owner or operator.

SPEAKER_02 17:05

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 17:05

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 17:06

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 17:07

Okay, got it. Now, no, when I when I worked for an insurance company in Minnesota, um there are regional managers and there's area managers and regional, there it's like it it's still it tears out.

SPEAKER_03 17:21

Right, right.

SPEAKER_01 17:22

It's it is it actually ends up being kind of sort of a pyramid scheme, you know. It's but but only because there's the office manager, the office owner that we all, there's two or three people that work under uh, you know, each of us. We all do the same thing, um, but but then there's regional managers and things like that. Now, my the boss's boss boss, the person is that their name is on the office door with ABC Insurance Company, they'll get a little bit of you know, they'll get their own sales commission off of any sales that I do, right?

SPEAKER_03 17:58

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 17:59

Um, I would imagine that's gonna be the same thing for this, but this I don't really answer to anybody other than the original manager. Um anyway, I might be going to be able to do that.

SPEAKER_02 18:12

What makes you think that this experience was bogus, or you know what I mean?

SPEAKER_01 18:18

There's a lot I had to do way too much wrong with it with no experience.

SPEAKER_02 18:24

I I had to create a business plan, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 18:28

I had to do a business plan for insurance company. I had to know nothing about other than the TV ads. I don't know anything about the area. I don't know, you know, I have no market research done. And I don't I don't know where I'm gonna have an office yet by this point. You know.

SPEAKER_02 18:52

Um Well you you yeah, you wouldn't you wouldn't have you wouldn't have it necessarily the specific location of your office within your business plan.

SPEAKER_01 19:02

Sure I would.

SPEAKER_02 19:05

No, you don't necessarily have to.

SPEAKER_01 19:07

Well, I mean, I'm gonna have to describe as hey, this is this is my budget breakdown. This is how I'm gonna plan to make money, this is how much I need to make it.

SPEAKER_02 19:15

Right, which you set aside so much for a space, but you don't have to have it, you know, you those are all that's you don't have to have the specifics for it.

SPEAKER_01 19:24

I don't have to, but but I'm gonna have to describe how I'm gonna make money and how I'm how I how much I plan to save, how much I profit, and all that, but all that's gonna become uh come down to the lease. I'm gonna have to do regional research. I'm gonna have to do an like probably have at least three different places lined up where I where I have a lease. Say, yes, Timber, we'll love to have you lease from us or lease your ABC insurance company or out of out of here. They're gonna want to see my business plan. They're gonna know that I'm financially solvent enough to take this over. All all this other stuff is gonna have to be set up.

unknown 20:10

Right?

SPEAKER_02 20:10

Yeah, it would have to be set up. It definitely would. Yeah, it would have to be set up. I just um yeah, I don't think that the business plan has to necessarily be that specific for the interview. Because they want to get the gist. Like there's no way that you should have an exact location for an office and a lease for something that you don't have yet.

SPEAKER_01 20:35

But how am I supposed to write a business plan for a company that I don't know anything about? And and no any no information on how to go on. Yeah, sure, I could probably come up with some BS. It's like I'm gonna call a hundred people a day. This is how I'm gonna find their numbers and things like that. And statistically speaking, I'll get three percent of those. And then three percent of those will actually sign a policy. You know, there's parts of the business plan I'm gonna have to write up, like how you know, I'm gonna have to. So um I was explaining to you before we started, uh, the in the movie Pursuit of Happiness with Will Smith. Now, he applied for a job as a stockbroker. Um and uh it was sort of an op open open recruitment program. You know, a thousand guys will a thousand people applied for this job. They chose a fifty or a hundred. Now this then the movie, there's there's movie fantasy of this, but then there's reality, which I'm kind of speaking in the in the reality sense how these things go. And then they pick up me one to five people out of those fifty who really do a good job. Um because I A lot of people will quit because they can't because they're not getting paid for this. So what they're doing in the premise of the movie and in the premise of his job that he got tentatively hired to do, he's given a book. He's gonna list of a thousand or so names of people who were interested in starting a stock portfolio with with XYZ stock market stock stock trading company. He calls them all up saying, Hey, you gave us your number. Are you still interested? You know, gives gives a screw gives a scripted sales speech. And then they and then they say, Yeah, yeah, great. I'll I want to do that. Sure, okay, it's great. I'll send you off to my manager. And the manager, you know, closes the deal as as as such. That's his training and process.

unknown 22:49

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 22:51

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 22:51

And then and and then in this in this amount of time, because he's working under direction and management of licensed stock traders and managers, um, and they're monitoring his phone calls, he's monitoring what he's doing, he he can he can do this under their premise while he's studying to get his license to do sales. And be it based on by by the time he's done with this recruitment program and testing page, this uh testing stage, he then takes the test, he passes, he's endorsed. He's probably gonna get hired on with XI XYZ. That's how this would normally work with ABC Insurance. You know, I would go and work with somebody. Now, granted, and I asked him this. It's like, okay, well, how do I get him? Do I do I work with somebody? Do I work with this guy till I till I understand his business? No. No, I have to go before I even start everything. Go start study and get my licensing exam. Now there's generally classes about four or six weeks, maybe. It's really simple. Getting the insurance or sales license for this stuff is incredibly easy. You just have to memorize about a hundred multiple multiple multiple choice questions and that's it. Uh-oh. And and get a C. You don't have to AS, you just have to get a C. Remember like in college, we all like Cs get degrees. You just have to pretty much do the bare minimum work and get a C and you get a diploma.

SPEAKER_02 24:37

I learned that wasn't true, but yeah. Really?

SPEAKER_01 24:40

Okay. Because that still still seems like Yeah, no, it was not for me. Okay.

SPEAKER_02 24:46

Yeah. Not well, it wasn't in my my degree. For my degree, that's why.

SPEAKER_01 24:51

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 24:54

I wish it would have been.

SPEAKER_01 24:55

So I mean that this guy wanted me to do this really strange, weird stuff in a completely different way that I would that sounded logical. And that's why I wanted to encourage people to know this stuff. Know what questions to ask. Ask why. Ask how. What do you want me to do now? Why? How long is this going to take? What do you need from me? What do I need to do now? What do I do need to do halfway down the road? What do I need to do when I'm all said and done?

SPEAKER_02 25:42

Yes, exactly. It does.

SPEAKER_01 25:45

Because there's a lot of scams out there, especially on LinkedIn.

SPEAKER_02 25:50

Um what you know, I don't know. I thought I don't think it's just LinkedIn. I I I don't think LinkedIn's the only specific one. I think it's a lot of the job platforms, you know, there's LinkedIn, there's indeed, there's a lot of people. Recruiter.

SPEAKER_01 26:02

Yeah. I mean those recruiters, because they're gonna message you.

SPEAKER_02 26:07

Yes. Yep, and it's part of the process, and that's kind of what he's doing with in that area. But you do need to be careful to check to see exactly what they're, you know, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Um, I think for me, I ran into more things of people offering for if I will pay for whatever with them or through a whatever company, they'll help me find a job, like recruiters for me to pay for, or they'll help me land um eng, you know, engagements or get boost my whatever, you know.

SPEAKER_01 26:43

Um, but I just think ask what their track record is for that. Can you do you have a reference? Right.

SPEAKER_02 26:50

Yeah, I think with any of these and any and all of these places places, um remember you are interviewing them just and you know, checking them out just as much as they're looking into you, if not more. You know, definitely see exactly what they're what exactly are they talking about? Because yeah, with yours, it was you know a lot more detailed.

SPEAKER_01 27:16

There's a really great tactic, and I'm glad you brought this up. You're you're you're interviewing them as well. If you really want to flip the script on an interviewer and really not only catch them off guard, but kind of control the situation, interview the interviewer, ask them questions. Be um yes, be curious about the question. You should always ask. But not you should definitely always ask questions. Not only the last question they always ask is like, what do you have any ask questions for me? I'm like, uh sometimes off freeze, I'm like, uh no. I think uh you already answered all my questions. Generally the question. You always should ask one more, but the good question to ask is like, when do I start? When the the last question interview Do you know?

SPEAKER_02 28:09

Um, a great question if you're stumped with a task. Tell me what my typical day would look like.

SPEAKER_01 28:15

There you go. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 28:17

You know, what are your expectations for this position? You know, um, and how would you how do you see this position working, you know, and looking for me?

SPEAKER_00 28:29

Yeah. Why do why why do you feel I'm a good idea?

SPEAKER_02 28:35

Would what typically? And what would your standards and your expectations be? And you know, I always ask that. And how is the camaraderie in the you know what I'm saying? The how is your retention rate? Because that's important. That sounds a lot. What's your retention rate?

SPEAKER_01 28:54

If it's not very high, you're do you have a revolving door? Yeah. Are you firing people a lot or people quitting a lot? You could you could there's, I mean, that that's the retention. Uh ask what is your retention rate? Don't ask, do you fire a lot of people? You don't don't answer, don't ask with you a lot of people what what is your retention rate? Yeah, yes. Or what is your turnover? Retention rates are what is your turnover like?

unknown 29:20

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 29:20

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 29:21

What are your turn rates?

SPEAKER_02 29:24

What's the longevity of employees typically, an average longevity for an employee with you?

SPEAKER_01 29:29

Or how long do you expect do people come in at the bottom and and retire in 30 years?

SPEAKER_02 29:37

Yeah. What's the ability if you're trying to find a position that you would like to be move up and around with or a company, you know, ask what's percentage for you know, um inter you know, company promotions and how do they support it?

SPEAKER_01 29:52

Well, that's what those are sort of the questions I was asking this person. Like, like for what I understood about the insurance business, I'm like, so if I I got about six, and then I kept asking the same question. I can't remember what question it is, it's probably in our notes when I was texting you. I asked him like three times, and he didn't answer it.

SPEAKER_02 30:18

Yeah, and I hung up, and you dumped them with the questions, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 30:22

Um, that that was a little too huge. That's a huge red flag for me.

SPEAKER_02 30:28

Yeah, yeah, because honestly, if you wanted your own business and you wanted your own company or or to do any of that, and you were offered that opportunity, and it's actually really easy to get your license to do that, there's a lot of people that wouldn't write that, you know, and say maybe this is my route to try to go for a career. But even not having any clue or idea, um, they'd figure out the business plan, they'd figure out how to, you know, like you'd you'd research, you'd you'd come up with the stuff, you'd have to work hard, but it's not impossible.

SPEAKER_01 31:05

Well, well, like like uh Will Smith and Pursuit of Happiness, his character. Now, this is a true story. They gener it's generally because he he had a degree, he was extremely well educated, he has a he had a professional resume. Um, he was on hard times, so things were a little bit off for him. If somebody like were to like him were to apply, or any potential college graduate that or any you know new job recruit or any anybody looking for a job is gonna have a at least a decent resume and I'm assuming a college degree. If you go, if you go into the same program that that Will Smith's character did, um you and you can pass through the interview process. Now people interviewed for him, for the this group of people to be trained. Right. Generally you're gonna at least get to an interview process or even get a tentative higher position that the tentative position that he was brought into. You're gonna also get a you can also apply to all any of these insurance companies. They're always looking for salespeople. Generally speaking, like you said, if you look, if you seek it out, you're probably gonna get the same job. You'll probably be able to get a job with ABC Insurance Company. No, you're gonna start out where I did, work under somebody, and um uh and get a tr get training and get the portfolio and then and and get your licensing. Right? Now I had to get my license. You did have experience, yeah. I I didn't know.

SPEAKER_02 32:51

So you've had experience in it, so it's not totally out of sight of the realm to ask you to do that.

SPEAKER_01 32:58

But if I wanted a job with but if I wanted a job with ABC insurance company, they all give me a job anyway. Why what what this guy wanted out of me for an existing portfolio was completely wacko. Something was really off. Nobody now he didn't ask me, Timber, what's your sales sales record? You know how how how many clients did you bring in uh on on XYZ insurance company when you're working for them? Those would be his first questions. In his initial phone interview with me, those would be screening questions to be sure I was or wasn't that I you know I wasn't gonna wait.

SPEAKER_02 33:42

What do you think his motive was?

SPEAKER_01 33:44

I can't figure that one out. Um, I I but I think the way the way I think is he wanted me as a salesperson for an ABC insurance company and was just just getting a meeting. It's like, oh, we don't that that physician's is a bait and switch. That position was filled. You're not gonna be right for that one, but why don't you work for us in another office? That's what I think was going on. There's no now, granted, I have a resume with that qualifies me to do the job that he wanted me to do and uh uh and asking me to do outside of the insurance license and outside of the very failed sales record. If it wasn't for the lack of the license, the lack of the sales record, I would have been perfect for this job.

SPEAKER_03 34:41

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 34:42

But to have me go in there cold was really, really wacky. He would already set be setting that stuff up. It's like Timber, you know, this is who it is, this is what you'd be doing. We need some you know, you did tell me you're gonna take over this portfolio, but he he didn't ask me the other questions about sales. Now I'm also I d I don't have anybody else working for me either. I don't have an administrative assistant fielding phone calls, I don't have one, I don't have anybody stuffing envelopes for me. You know, I mean I I I'm old school. There's the way that I grew up, and I know that not all of this works the way it does, but generally speaking, you have somebody else that you're working with. My even my insurance agent has somebody working under him to do his goal for work. So the guy who's retiring is working completely alone. Now he's been doing this for 30 years, he could do this in his sleep.

SPEAKER_02 35:54

Generally he's doing but he's working alone, he doesn't have any staff, nobody, no staff.

SPEAKER_01 36:02

You know, generally speaking, at least somebody in uh at my level would have a gopher. That's what I mean. An administrative assistant, somebody is answering phone calls, stuffing envelopes for them.

SPEAKER_02 36:14

You'd have to put it in your business plan.

SPEAKER_01 36:17

There you go. There you go. And I mean, and because I don't know the book, I you know, I I have to so this is the this is how much revenue I'm gonna get. And now remember, I'm I'm creating a business plan called. Could you could could could you write me up a business plan to um to go run a restaurant that's down the street from you? Or the Starbucks.

SPEAKER_02 36:50

You want me to be honest with you? I could figure out how to write you a business plan for whatever you would like a business plan for. Okay. If I really wanted to, I could do it. I know how to write a business plan. So it's just a matter of. So for me, so that's why I was thinking, like, I know it's I know it's harder for you. You haven't done it, you don't know, you know what I mean? And it's and it's new, it's a whole new territory and it's different and something you don't know about for yourself, which is you know, scary with it. So I so sadly, but like I said, I have done it and I could you could figure it out. Um, but he's asking a lot from you. That's definite. And I can see where you're you're coming from, where you're like, I don't think that it's legit, or he's actually, I think he's just trying to get me to get my license. So then he can tell me there is no manager position, but we have a sales position open. Would you like to do that since you've already gone through the whole process of getting your license and everything?

SPEAKER_01 37:43

But I have to be skeptical from the start. This guy has to understand that that I have somebody coming calling me from San Francisco. You know, uh um, you know, they're uh asking me this stuff. And I'm like so go ahead, go ahead, go ahead.

SPEAKER_02 38:06

No, yeah, that's what I was gonna say. Like when you were first telling me about this, um at someone else, like that just sounds funny and just a scam because you're like, this guy's calling offer me a job, but I gotta go get an office and I gotta get um I gotta get my own license and find my own people. I'm like, how is he? That doesn't sound right. And then I thought maybe he was asking for uh investment though. So I don't that's where you know, because usually the whole scheme, but also the investment part, but I don't know.

SPEAKER_01 38:35

Well, j generally speaking, as so as long as I start following his breadcrumbs, it'll get to that. I cut it off before we really got to that level because I'm like, there's something really not right. Like, wait a minute, like I mean you're you're gonna or let's say I let's say I write up a really great business plan that they love. It passes my throat on that.

SPEAKER_03 39:02

Right.

SPEAKER_01 39:02

And I pa and I get my license and I pass all my insurance, pass my pass all all the interviews. Generally what's what there's three three interviews in that in that situation. Yeah, it depends the company. You're gonna you're right. You'll you'll you'll go through a couple different tiered management, and then possibly the th the vinyl interview, you're gonna interview interview with like three people. Probably including the guy that called. Uh uh something like that. Maybe or somebody uh at the end of the year.

SPEAKER_02 39:32

Usually the recruiters aren't involved in it.

unknown 39:36

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 39:36

But yes. Well, or or there's it's generally like a two or three managers or or at least at the upper level, it's like and then and then you'll you'll have anyway, a series of interviews. And he said that. He's like, you'll have a series of interviews. You will then I then I get to take over. What am I supposed to do now? You know, find now I'll find an office. Do I do I work out? Do I work out in my living room or my kitchen uh in my kit, you know, my dining room? You know, um it it it just seems there's so many other things that just seem to didn't make any sense. That's why I'm asking for help too. Is this typical? Because I want people to be safe when when when because I I changed my I changed my resume. I I I shortened my name, uh I put and and I I did leave my address and I and I had a different phone number not associated to any accounts. Now I used to have like my full name, first two middles and last, my full address, my phone number, and my email. Yeah. Just in the in the in the in the no more. No good. Don't do that. No. And and and I'm dumping that on do that anymore. No, I'm dumping that on every single freaking application.

SPEAKER_02 41:02

Yeah, don't do that anymore. So glad you shortened it.

SPEAKER_01 41:06

I don't even have my picture anymore on LinkedIn. I don't even have my own I don't even have my face on my profile picture um for any social media.

SPEAKER_02 41:19

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 41:20

I I I am that I'm down to that level of security.

SPEAKER_02 41:24

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 41:25

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 41:26

Yeah, I know that you yeah, you know a lot more about the security stuff than I'm huh? Okay, I didn't know. Right. So I listen, I'm learning.

SPEAKER_01 41:43

So, yeah, I mean just that's why I wanted to talk about this, because I want people to be careful. Because this is the first time I actually heard from anybody in years on Facebook on LinkedIn. Or at least there's been a couple recruiters messaged me, but they were easy, easy to filter. I was like, no, no, no, you're BS, thank you. No. Um and and I've also I've I even applied to uh sent my resume uh out to recruiters for temp agencies. Nothing. It's been two years, they haven't found me anything.

SPEAKER_02 42:23

Yeah, I know. It's rough. It's it is hard out there.

SPEAKER_01 42:26

Yeah, it is, but but this guy cold cold called me. You know, it's like, hey Timber, what would you do?

SPEAKER_02 42:32

Well, look, there's gonna be if you get yourself out there and just keep looking.

SPEAKER_01 42:40

I'm I'm I I get pissed off about stuff like this. Don't don't waste my time. If you're gonna call me, say Timber, I see it from your resume on LinkedIn. We have three things for you. Please call us about it.

SPEAKER_02 42:53

Yeah, the world is just that way.

SPEAKER_01 42:56

He's another salesperson, just like I would be for insurance. He's trying to get people in his book. I don't hear from him at all. I check in with him every six months. It's like, hey Josh, what's going on? He's like, Yeah, Timber don't have anything more for you. Sorry. So I get okay. Thanks, Josh. So then you know I'm still interested. You know, so so he knows because then otherwise I I go my account starts going dead. Because if I don't reach out to him enough, then I I um then I then then I then then um my my resume starts tricking on down to the pot bottom of a non-responsive client.

SPEAKER_02 43:36

Oh, you're right, right.

SPEAKER_01 43:37

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 43:38

Well, I think it's worth applying for other ones as well, because they're not showing any.

SPEAKER_01 43:45

But there's only one or two good two good temp agencies in my area. Which is why um I am dressed like I am today. Uh rather and not as casual as I used to be. Um I went to go talk to a college today, a Buccaneer. my master's degree. That should open a lot more doors for me. Yes.

SPEAKER_02 44:06

Yes. It will. And while you're getting it, it'll open some doors for you, some jobs. Especially the the internship that you do if you focus on getting something that you really want to do and has ability that'll help you.

SPEAKER_01 44:18

Right.

unknown 44:19

Right.

SPEAKER_01 44:21

So that's why I want I want people to be safe out there. You know be curious. Ask, you know and um and research. And research your own because the way Ted Lasso says be curious, not judgmental. Ask questions. Be inquisitive. Talk to people. Ask them questions. Be curious about who they are. Be curious about this recruiter that's calling you up. Be curious about the business that you're applying to.

SPEAKER_03 44:51

Yes.

unknown 44:52

Right.

SPEAKER_01 44:54

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 44:55

Yeah, look them up. That's what you should. You should be looking them up each one to make sure it's something that falls in line and where you would actually like to work and um and and what they're about. Plus that also it only helps you especially on your cover letter if you can include something on that that helps um that you've actually already taken the time to look into the company.

SPEAKER_01 45:19

That's a very good point. When I when I went to uh recruiter recruiting fairs um and highly recommend now this didn't nothing panned out for me because all these recruiters are telling me to go to a QR code. So when you go to job fairs make sure you have your airtight cover letter and resume on your phone um as a ready to go file the email. Now but I but in hand for those in-person people the in-person recruiters that are there now some of them were just salespeople they're just there to hear you know like looking at my camera and just like you're like go go touch that QR code over there. Thank you. And I'll answer you any question other questions you have just apply at that QR code. We'll contact you later. Yeah we'll contact you later thank you they just want you to scan the QR code they don't they don't really give a rat about you. So scan any people I was able to talk to a legit and I got a business card of a of a local municipality here they're looking for project managers. I had a good conversation with this person and reach out to them and and gave them my resume they gave me their business card I didn't hear diddly from them which freaking burned me but anyway so did you um hit them back up too yeah I I have messaged messages several times over a year just to check in anyway my point my point is okay is that I brought with me in a little a yeah little portfolio case you know may bring bring your business cards you any general information some notepads and things like that and I had a nice clean envelope with a little label on the top now I knew air I knew all the people coming there. I had a list of everybody showing up all the recruiters and anybody that I was interested in I had a directly addressed cover letter dear sir or madam or two or to or or the more general to whom we may concern because we you want to be sensitive about gender now and titles and descriptions of you know you know RST you know company. You know thank you for considering my my resume this is who I am you know generally and you and I tailor a cover letter cover letter to them now generally I don't really change much. If it's very it's a very specific company that needs a very specific addressing yes I'll add some things into the cover letter specific to that company about skills and and whatnot.

SPEAKER_02 48:06

One trick about that is when you're seeing the the details the cover letter is your opportunity to get those keywords out of the job description and to put them in there so that you can quote absolutely and I put that with my resume into a separate manila envelope labeled the company so I go in oh you're so and so I I wanted to talk to you here's my resume right to them so you don't have to dig for it you don't have to email it and write to them and and I would I had like a stack of resumes and I also had general cover letters you know to whom it makes concern thank you I am Timber. This is my cover letter blah blah blah blah blah here are my references sincerely timber timber rogers and then put that with my resume that's that's for people who I wasn't expecting or didn't know that we're going to be there and I hand it off to them and have a whole stack of them um but so yeah do you like the point is do your research know who you're applying to who you're talking to yeah yeah and another additional little hint in there when it says in there like you will be reporting to the director of admissions so on your cover letter you're gonna address it to the director of admissions or HR uh or the HR recruiting yeah and and then make sure you get the person's business card that you talk to or their contact name when you go home that night if you actually if it's something in person but if it's all online because most people don't meet people in person unless you're at a job fair.

SPEAKER_01 49:55

That's what I mean but you're when you're at the job fair which is what you want yeah and and then and then reach out through email now some stuff's private a lot of this stuff because they'll get the they'll get this stuff now so they keep their stuff private reach out call them and call them on the phone or call them and just send email them stuff and and because otherwise people they just think are you just sending out resumes call them to make sure that you're serious.

SPEAKER_02 50:23

Yeah yeah and if I like and if you um are at a job fair with a whole bunch of people like it's not a bad idea just to write one thing down about whatever conversation something unique or different so when you go home and you send that email you touch base back on that conversation which then triggers their memory of their face and with you of that conversation which also helps with the familiarity which boosts you up for being able to get recognized to see again especially if it was if you left off with a good you left them with a good feeling. Right exactly just some you know little tips but yeah and I'll just remember you're interviewing them you make it to the interview stage you're interviewing them just as much as they're interviewing you.

SPEAKER_01 51:04

Don't be as nervous exactly exactly yeah well we but yes look out for the schemes yeah we went out we went over time I really want to do this a 30 minute one so um we went off on a tangent I just really want to be sure that people are careful please be careful out there and be careful what information you have on LinkedIn and in your social media profiles because there's so much these people can get from you and off of you to wreak havoc.

SPEAKER_02 51:37

And be careful that's in the end with all of them and just who's watching you.

SPEAKER_01 51:42

And no matter how desperate you are keep your guard up but be friendly too don't be too cold about it. You know don't don't scare them off. Just be careful. Right there thanks Timber you know thank you for Selena and and thanks for the discussion today. I do appreciate you and appreciate all your insight on everything you know um it's been it's been a really crazy day for me today and um I'm really because it really really irked me good I'm glad you did too all right well take care everybody be sure to reach out to us about this subject online and uh take care be safe out there and good luck all right bye bye bye bye now