Latest / In The Business of Humans / Keen presents: How to Actually Get Hired; modern recruiting secrets with e.l.f. Beauty's Gina Alvino

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Keen presents: How to Actually Get Hired; modern recruiting secrets with e.l.f. Beauty's Gina Alvino · In The Business of Humans

• CX Joe: What do you get when you take a former manager and report combo who are now real life friends, one a management coach and sudden viral internet star who shoots from the hip and the other a CX exec turned advisor who overthinks everything? This podcast. Welcome to the business of humans. I'm Joe, founder of CX Joe advisory and the overthinker. My partner in crime is Lynda She's the founder of leveled up leadership and the internet star. Join us as we talk about business, relationships, humanity. success and also failure through the lens of friendship, heaps of radical transparency and honesty and zero BS. Let's get started with today's episode. Hello, Lynda, how are you? Lynda Harvey: Hi Joe. I'm well how are you? CX Joe: I'm doing very well. actually, yeah, I can't wait. You know, we jump on these recordings and I have some things I want to hear about from you. We have an amazing guest today. And then also I've had a really, yeah, I've had a really nice like 24 hours up to this where it's one of those like my version of a pinch me moments, Lynda. Yeah, thank you. Have you been having any? ⁓ yeah, yeah, sure. How could you tell? my God, I thought I was so subtle. ⁓ Lynda Harvey: Yeah. I love that for you. I love that. Yeah. Do you want to share? Yeah. I don't know. I know. ⁓ CX Joe: All right, so here's the deal, Lynda. Here's the deal. Yesterday, I went into the big city. So as some of our listeners know, I've always been a New York City area guy, I promise. But now I'm kind of tucked away in the boonies of New Jersey with my family, but I go into New York, you know, sometimes maybe once or twice a month for work stuff. Yesterday, had a couple of awesome ⁓ and coffee meetups with amazing kind of industry turn like friends, which you know, it's like, it's my specialty, it's my jam. Lynda Harvey: Yeah. This episode is brought you by Keen. If ever looked into companies like Deal or Remote because you wanted to hire internationally, you've probably realized something. They make it easier to employ people around the world, yes. But ⁓ they don't actually help you build the team. ⁓ why I like what Keen is doing. They the infrastructure. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Yep. Yep. CX Joe: I love language, my friends. And then I was invited to this really, really cool, unique meetup. It was a founder who I've had the pleasure of meeting. She has this amazing high growth tech company. But in addition to that, she's also created or kind of adopted this really unique sort of, it's not networking. It's a non-networking. It's a more elevated version of networking, I would say. Not elevated like fancy, elevated like she's really. Lynda Harvey: Of an employer of record with specialized global talent, helping companies build customer experience, creative marketing, and operations teams that feel like the true extension of your business. Now, let's jump into today's episode. Mmm. Okay. CX Joe: put a lot of thought and intention and kind of looked into like historical gatherings and meeting structures and what she did is gathered me and three other sort of connections, friends, folks she finds interesting in some way. We actually all came from really diverse backgrounds, like PC kind of stuff. One guy has a platform he does. I don't think he'd mind being outed. This platform called Ugly Talks that I told her reminded reminded me of I want to take a minute to thank our sponsor, Keen. One thing we talk about a lot on this podcast is that great customer experiences don't happen by accident. They happen because great people are behind them. But building those teams globally can feel overwhelming. Maybe you've looked at Deal, Remote, or another employer of record. Those platforms solve the legal side of hiring. Keen goes a step further. They help companies build dedicated customer experience, digital, creative, and operations teams. Lynda Harvey: Mmm. Okay. CX Joe: Our podcast and the intro to the podcast where he has founders and execs come on stage at live events and talk about the hard stuff, like the ugly stuff from their career. And everybody bonds over it and makes great connections. So he was there, a guy kind of in like space aviation. It was this really great group, but everyone was super warm and human and kind. And the meeting structure was such that we laid bare with all of these insights and kind of hot takes from our career and also problems and puzzles that we're trying to solve. While handling the global employment infrastructure behind the scenes, whether you're making your first international hire or building a team of 100, Keen gives you the ability to scale without opening entities or managing the complexity yourself. I love the way they describe it. Hiring globally is easy. Building globally is hard. That's what Keen was built for. Learn more at KeentoHire dot com. And by the way, I know the founders, Jake and Martin. Mostly professionally, but it could kind of delve into personal as well. And everybody sat there and just like did their darndest to help each other make recommendations, like solve each other's problems, so to speak. Also with a nice realistic kind of air of like, we'll do the best we can in an hour or two in this lovely space. Our host had us in and now we've got the email chain going and we'll just kind of keep it going. And you just have like a few more friends on the journey, helping each other out. It was super cool. Lynda Harvey: Yeah. CX Joe: They're phenomenal people and they'll be great consultants to your business and give you an awesome world class experience. Check ⁓ out at keen2hire.com. Lynda Harvey: I love that. That is really cool. CX Joe: And then my high school friend surprised me with a ticket to the next playoff game. And so then that happened. And then I woke up today. I was like, what a day. And today is going to be the best podcast ever. So that's included in my wild 24 hours. Pinch me. Thank you. Lynda Harvey: And thanks again Keen for sponsoring today's episode. If you're growing your business and thinking about building a global team, don't stop at finding an employer of record. Find a partner that helps you build the team too. Check out KeentoHire.com to learn more. I love all of this for you. That's so great. That networking event or anti-networking event sounds really cool. I would be totally down for that because, know, the thing I think so often with networking and, know, we did a whole episode on networking and I am crap at it. ⁓ No, I just, I'm not crap. I'm just crap at it, but that's okay. I don't have to be good at everything, right? ⁓ But that kind of event where like the pretenses are dropped and it's less performative. CX Joe: It was. Stop it, you're not, go ahead. Mm-hmm. Lynda Harvey: which is really interesting because I actually believe I'm very much in a performative space. ⁓ But I struggle with the networking because it feels so performative. So that would be really cool. CX Joe: Ha ha ha ha. Yeah, it was really cool and expectations were set ahead of time. It would be easy to kind of, you know, joke about it. And we all did in the room a little bit of just like this air of mystery or around the event. But what the host was going for was that dynamic of like, Hey, it's okay to actually share in here to be yourself, you know, to lay things out there. It's like, put your phones away, turn them off. Nobody's recording. Nobody's doing anything weird. We're just here to actually open up and get to know each other and help each other out. And then you find. kind of common bonds and problems that people are trying to solve from all different walks in industry. So I love that kind of experience. And yeah, so Lynda, what's kind of like top of mind for you? What's been going on in your world before we welcome our guest on? Lynda Harvey: Great. You know, it's always so interesting. Not to get too like woo on you, right? I often find it just so interesting how things come together and how events come together and You know, I have been on such an interesting journey with social media and my content and I have grown some on LinkedIn. I'm still not The my prowess on LinkedIn is still not what CX Joe: Please do. Lynda Harvey: I would have hoped it would, I would have thought that I would have grown more there than I had other places. And it still feels very much like a new frontier to me on LinkedIn. But I've also, and I've shared this in previous episodes, ⁓ I often have drama on LinkedIn. I often have drama. CX Joe: Well, I was going to say your engagements on your content on LinkedIn is definitely peak. Lynda Harvey: It's well, it's interesting to be sure. But I, that's really the only place that I get drama on any of my platforms. And it's really interesting because I don't get, I mean, I've got over three platforms. I'm almost cresting like. I'm getting close to almost 1.5 million, like over for followers, right? And for somebody who has spent their life working and being boring, that's really interesting to me that that's what it is, right? ⁓ But I don't get a lot of trolls. In fact, I've had other people comment that they love to go to my comments on TikTok or on Instagram, even on Facebook. They love to go to the comments because they feel revived. CX Joe: amazing. Lynda Harvey: Like there's so much positivity in the comments that are on my platforms. And then we go to LinkedIn and that's where I get just real interesting trolls and individuals where I'm you know, bold move gotten like bold move to like go on and make troll comments on a platform that's supposed to be professional. So this morning I'm looking, you know, I'm doing all my socials. I'm doing all the things. I got a really fun comment from somebody. ⁓ I felt very called out in this comment. And I don't know if that was their intention, but I think that it was. the comment, and it's on a post that's done okay. I mean, I have one post that's been like reposted a thousand times, which is kind of a big deal on LinkedIn. ⁓ But this post has only been reposted. CX Joe: Hmm. That is a very big deal. Lynda Harvey: maybe 150 times, it's not a lot. And the person's like, this is verbatim, this post. And they put a different post in the comment. And they link it to this other person. And interestingly enough, I have had encounters with this particular person before on other social platforms. CX Joe: Get out of here. Lynda Harvey: And the thing is, let me just tell you, in content creation, I don't believe there's original thought. So we're all kind of recycling a lot of the ideas. We all kind of benchmark from each other, just like it is in business, right? And I don't know that I believe in original thought anyway. But anyway, we benchmark, we do the things. I have had this person benchmark a few times from me, right? I've had it happen a few times. ⁓ CX Joe: Mm-hmm. Lynda Harvey: And so it was really interesting that I got called out in that. And so of course, being the person that I am, I responded. I was like, hey, check your dates. Her post was four months ago and mine was seven months ago. If you're going to call somebody out, just saying. CX Joe: Boom. You know, I was gonna say, I was gonna say, I'm gonna put myself out on a limb here, because we didn't talk about this before the recording, but I would have been absolutely shocked if you were in the wrong there, Lynda, because you've had the opposite happen to you. And we've talked about this a lot. Like you said, it's okay to borrow each other's thoughts, but that if you get into really specific wording, you know, cite the source, give a shout out to the right person, and you've had people... ⁓ sort of misuse or abuse or repost without attribution on your comments. I don't think that you would do that to others. So you posted like three months prior, you're telling me. ⁓ goodness, check your dates, get your facts straight before you start blasting someone, right? Lynda Harvey: Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, and it was just like, check your dates. That's all, it's there. says seven months ago, hers is four months ago. CX Joe: Do the math. Did they write it back yet? Lynda Harvey: Check yourself, ⁓ No, no, I have a feeling they're probably in another part of the world given the time that they posted the comment. So it's fine. But I just think it's so funny because that was my LinkedIn drama, which I don't often have drama in the socials. And then today our guest is like a LinkedIn celebrity. So I was like, wow, look at how the universe kind of provides for these stories. CX Joe: Got you. No. It's definitely was a really successful tie into today's guest. Classic fail on my end. was thinking in my head like, well, that's great. You had a little drama. There's absolutely no connection of drama in today's guest because today's guests, as all the listeners will find out, is the opposite of drama. She's a connector and brings everyone together with kindness and warmth. I was like, shoot, where's the tie in here? But it was right over my head like usual, Lynda. That's what you're here for. Lynda Harvey: I'm not just bringing it back together, but I was super excited. I'm like, what are the odds that we have a LinkedIn celebrity on the pod today and I had a LinkedIn story to tell? So without further ado, I think that it's probably time for us to introduce our guest. So super excited to have our friend Gina here. And hi Gina, so excited, yes. CX Joe: Mm. Gina Alvino: Hello. Hello. Thank you. Thank you both for having me. LinkedIn Celebrity. Wow. I appreciate that, but thank you so much. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. LinkedIn's so much fun. So I'm glad people are using it. It's an awesome social platform. CX Joe: Woo! Cue the wild applause. ⁓ absolutely. Get used to it, Gina. Get used to it. You're in for lot of compliments today. Now we... We've talked about a lot on the podcast, but I want to give Gina a proper due and for everybody listening or watching, give her proper intro here. Having a guest like Gina on our pod is, it's just to me like what it's all about. I know that sounds really cliche and really corny for anyone listening, but you know, I think for me and Lynda, it's just such a joy because it's someone we worked with earlier in our career journey. and ⁓ are just not surprised to see all the heights that she slash you are up to, So here's your proper intro. Today's guest is Gina Albino, a talent acquisition leader, LinkedIn content creator who we're tagging as a LinkedIn megastar, and relationship builder whose superpower is connecting people. With nearly a decade of experience across healthcare, wellness, CPG, food and beverage, and beauty, Gina has built a career helping top talent find opportunities where they can truly thrive. She began her career at Children's Specialized Hospital, which is so freaking awesome, wholesome and inspiring, before joining Daily Harvest, where me and Lynda had the pleasure of spending several years of shared journey and so many joys with Gina, where she quickly rose into leadership while helping scale the business and drive culture. Today, Gina leads the US Talent Acquisition Team. Gina Alvino: Woohoo! ⁓ CX Joe: and helps drive global hiring strategies and employer branding initiatives across all elf beauty portfolio brands. That's right. One of the hottest brands out there. And we've got her on the pod, including elf cosmetics, elf skin, road, and either Gina or Lynda, make sure I don't botch this last one, because I'm the least cool person on the pod. Is it See, I knew it. Gina Alvino: You Lynda Harvey: you Gina Alvino: Notarium, yeah, notarium. It's okay. CX Joe: I knew it, Notarium. Thank you, I'm learning a lot today. Beyond her corporate role, Gina is a LinkedIn content creator and has built a community, drum roll folks, of over 110,000 followers on LinkedIn, where she shares career advice, behind the scenes insights into working at Elf and content focused on helping people land jobs and grow their careers. Heck yeah, all the things we're so passionate on at Pod. Lastly, but also very, very importantly, Gina Alvino: You Lynda Harvey: Yeah. CX Joe: to get a whole picture of Gina also as a human being. When she's not working, you'll find her at the beach with her husband Scott doing pilates with friends or hanging out with her German shepherd puppy Pepper. That's a mouthful, but a happy mouthful. Gina is driven by teamwork, collaboration and building passionate relationships. And we're so excited to have you here today. Woo! Gina Alvino: You Lynda Harvey: Yes, yes, welcome. Yeah. I will say, the thing that was left off of this intro that I don't know that people would know is that Gina also has an amazing singing voice. Yeah, yeah, she does. I've heard her and it's amazing. Gina Alvino: Thank you. I'm so happy to be here. Thank you both. Thanks so much. CX Joe: What? Gina Alvino: No. CX Joe: See you. Gina Alvino: Thank you, thank you, thank you. That's a little, ⁓ yeah, I don't think my family would agree with you on that, but I appreciate you so much on that. I think Ema on our team at Daily Harvest is more. Lynda Harvey: Listen, I spend my day telling people, I was like, spend my day telling people they're wrong. I can tell your family they're wrong. Your voice is lovely. Gina Alvino: Please, I would love that. I love that, thank you. Thanks so much. CX Joe: Well, we were joking before the, before we hit record two. I mean, Gina's already getting the full Lynda and Joe podcast experience. mean, beforehand, I was just getting my AirPods connected. Lynda was just calling me out. Just blasting me on the echo. said, Gina, this is, this is the typical experience. And now you're getting thrown your first curve ball of the podcast. Gina Alvino: It's amazing. I love it. I love it. I feel like I'm at home. This is good. I'm so happy to be here. So it's amazing. CX Joe: You good, good. you know, you know what this relates to? And I know, Lindy, you some awesome questions and topics, but just like where I wanted to start out following the intro from my end is I think what that anecdote or secret knowledge that Lynda has and Gina just kind of speaks to is we had a really special shared career experience all of us several years at Daily Harvest during just absolute, you know, glory days at DH. And we were just reminiscing a bit that it was really hard charging work environment kind of in the right ways, but also Gina Alvino: Yeah. CX Joe: did have that really tight community feel. A lot of us worked together during COVID too, which kind of opened up the doors, you know, even more into our homes and our families ⁓ and so many special experiences. And Gina, what I want to remind you of is when I came into Daily Harvest for my final interview rounds, you were one of the people who greeted me into the office. And I always remember so distinctly for some reason, Gina Alvino: Mm-hmm. Lynda Harvey: Mm-hmm. CX Joe: You offered to make me a smoothie and I was so happy. I mean, you had such an amazing presence already. And I'm kind of looking around this office going, shoot, you know, maybe I'm going to work here as like, as, a VP, this is going to be so great. You offered me the smoothie. And since I'm a very awkward person, it was like one of those immediate conundrums where I'm like, I love a smoothie and this person's so kind, but I'm about to meet with the founder, the CFO, these different people. And I just pictured like, you know, spitting out smoothie on everybody. It's dropping on my notepad, whatever. Gina Alvino: Yeah. You CX Joe: So I had to refuse the smoothie and then I got the job, had so many smoothies. ⁓ And then, you know, over the next few years, I mean, it really is just one of those really special experiences in career because we sort of, think everybody in the company admired and loved you so much. And we were kind of watching you rise the ranks at Daily Harvest. And we had such a special group of talent and people at the company. And you were one of those people, everyone's kind of just, you know, reveling and working with and watching and going, yeah, this one's going to do big things. Gina Alvino: Mm-hmm. CX Joe: And so now when I see what you're up to already, it's just so awesome. And it's the least surprising thing ever in the world. Gina Alvino: Thank you. My gosh, thank you so much. No, I think it's because like our team made me want to be better. And I think we all wanted to win and like lift each other up. So I think it's like the environment that we had, the people that we had, we just had just such special people at Daily Harvest. I, you know, I tell myself every single day, like I would not be here sitting in the role of Amanda Elf if I didn't have the Daily Harvest experience. So we'll talk more about it probably in a couple of minutes. But, ⁓ you know, when I started at Children's Specialized Hospital, I was a recruiter. And then at Daily Harvest, I like took a step back to a coordinator role because I really wanted to like get a full picture of what it was like to recruit an in-house job, et cetera. And I think like taking a step back like totally helped me leap so much more forward. But I think it was because of all you guys. Like it was so fun to come to work every day, virtually or in person, even though my girl in Salt Lake. ⁓ But, you know, it was just an amazing place to be. And it just, you wanted to be better because you wanted to win with the people we had on our team, which was just top notch. CX Joe: Okay. ⁓ huh. Really well said. Lynda Harvey: We'll also throw in a small amount of trauma bonding. I mean, there is a small amount of trauma bonding that took place. Oh, I don't know. I don't know. But I do, I was, while we were kind of doing the pre-show get together, right? We were talking a little bit about a book that depresses me immensely and yet everybody talks about it. And the book is called Outliers. Gina Alvino: think that comes with every job, that comes with every job, so it's okay. Mm-hmm. Lynda Harvey: And it depresses me immensely because half of the book just talks about how it is based on opportunity, right? Where you are, where you're born, the people around you talks about the success of Microsoft, Apple, the New York City school districts, like in the seventies and eighties, like how the education was top notch in public schools in the seventies and eighties because of interestingly enough, private schools in New York. And it forced like really good teachers to be in the public. education. And I just I remember reading this book going I'm just depressed because I wasn't born in January so I can't be a sports star. I wasn't like born in the 70s and 80s in New York or I didn't have access to Microsoft or the computers the same way that you know Bill did and all of these things. So but I do wonder if in 20 years because I've watched so many people from our round at Daily Harvest really rise the ranks and really go on to do better things. I wonder if there will be some kind of case study done about Daily Harvest and like the people that came from those ranks. So it should be interesting. Gina Alvino: Yeah, we should make it happen. I think so. But I think it's because we learned how to treat team members and show up at work. think it's like some of those like passionate relationships we built at Daily Harvest, I think take you farther in your career, because it's all about relationships and how you treat up treat each other at work, how you show up at work. And I think we learned how to do that so well, because we were so excited to work with each other. I think those experiences and moments are what helped. It's like catapult to the next career, but I know I look at them LinkedIn all the time and I see you know Someone on our ops teams like get farmers dog someone's I just saw someone just got a job like a big VP roll at Nattin it Like you know all these cool companies. I'm like, wow I'm so proud of all of us for going to such cool places. Like it's unbelievable So for I think also just forever just being cheerleaders of that team was just something that I'll Always be so happy to be on the sidelines for all the Daily Harvest peeps But whenever there's a case study sign me up. I'll be on that pod next Lynda Harvey: Love that, love that. ⁓ Well, I think it's probably really a great time to kind of transition in and talk about, I want to talk about some hot topics today. I want to talk about the job market. I want to talk about ⁓ the insider tips and tricks. CX Joe: you Lynda Harvey: when it comes to getting on a recruiter's calendar because the thing that we're hearing so much is, and I mean, listen, I live in the real world. I understand that, I mean, Metta just did a huge layoff. I was just talking to somebody at Upwork. Upwork did a 25 % layoff of their ⁓ people also, shots fired, because the way they did it was really crappy. ⁓ So the thing is, is we're hearing constantly about the job market and the reports out there talking about how the job market is the worst that it's been in quite a while. Also the fact that the landscape has changed. AI has changed the game for recruiting and for hiring. And, and, and even like, you know, 10 years ago, you would get maybe 20 applicants where today you get hundreds of applicants. When I was hiring my last role, I would post a role and I would get a thousand applicants and there's just no way to even give time and space to a thousand applications. So I really kind of want to unpack a little bit, the insider kind of tips and tricks. ⁓ And of course we wouldn't be us if we didn't spill some tea. So I want to know like all the scandalous things as well. ⁓ So should we should we kind of get into it? Amazing, amazing. So. Gina Alvino: you Okay. Let's do it. I'm ready. Lynda Harvey: I led with the job market. Tell me, again, we're hearing all of this stuff. What is your take on the job market? Gina Alvino: Yeah, it's it's definitely a challenging job market right now. Like it's it's it's it's crazy. You know how many you know, people are out there looking for jobs and you're speaking about resumes. I can even share us here at elf. We have like an alternative program this summer. And as of we posted all the rules in like early January and as of April 27, we received 65,407 resumes for like 46 internships. So ⁓ lack of talents. Definitely. There's no lack of talent. I think it's CX Joe: ⁓ my gosh. Gina Alvino: Just it is it is a hard market right now and I think it's a really cool opportunity though to reframe the mindset that Getting a job is really not that easy at any time. I think this since it's so challenged right now It's a cool trying to like build new skills. So like while you're figuring out, you know what your dream job is What are some of the skills that a job description that you don't have yet that you can go on like LinkedIn learning or try and use AI to learn more about different skill like build different skills during this time while you're you know, applying to those jobs. I think also it's a cool time to pivot as well meaning that like, like me for example, when I was a recruiter at Children's Specialized, I took a coordinator job to take a step back to launch forward. So I think it's like, it might not be exactly what you're looking for for your next job, but get creative, really take that moment and pause to say like, what do I want to do with my career? And if I don't know, try something new, and really just also use your network. I think that's the biggest thing is like, you know, try and have coffee chats with people try and you know, reach out to previous employees, co workers that you've worked with in the past, like to start to network and see, you know, what else is coming down the pipe for their company. But I think it's really just a mix of, know, you're not alone. You're not the only person that doesn't have a job. There's a ton of people that are struggling, which it is a really bad market right now. But like, use this as a learning moment for yourself to say like, you know, While I was applying these roles, I learned about AI. learned about project management skills. you know, became an expert in Canva. Those things can help you get your dream job. And I'd also love to hear that as a recruiter hearing like, Oh, while I was doing my job search, I learned these three new skills, you know, to help me with my next job. So I think it's really, you know, trying to reframe your mindset that it's like, it's a tough market, but how can I use this opportunity to learn new skills while I don't have a job to launch me to my dream job? CX Joe: I say, I find that a really valuable thought. have to admit, I've always thought about job application periods. when I'm chatting or trying to give advice to a friend, I always picture that their profile at the beginning of that chapter is going to remain constant. Like I have to admit, like static during that period, it's just a matter of applying to more and more places, working connections, which is something that I always talk about, like you said. But this idea of actually like during that very Gina Alvino: Mm-hmm. CX Joe: chapter of your life and your careers, you're applying, your stock is actually rising. Your LinkedIn, your resume is sparkling more. You're adding more to it. ⁓ it's like, that's brilliant. It's one of those, those simple epiphanies that I think people could really learn from. Gina Alvino: shortly. Yeah, totally. Lynda Harvey: And the thing I really liked was the, you kind of touched on the coffee chat piece. know, I, interestingly enough, I work, I have a connection that I've made and has become a really good friend through TikTok, like you do. ⁓ But she's an engineer by trade and she built a kind of job delivery system to help people find jobs in a different way. Because the thing is, is you're sent off your resume and it goes into an abyss really. And it's got AIs. Gina Alvino: Love it. Love it. Mm. Lynda Harvey: checking it it's got all the things you've got 65,000 what 704 is that what you said? Gina Alvino: As of April 27th. yep. Lynda Harvey: Yeah, 65,000 people for less than 50 roles, right? And the thing is, like, yes, your resume is going to get lost in something, but having the coffee chats, I think is so crucial, you know, and it doesn't even, and I was speaking with a client the other day and she's like, well, do I talk to HR? Do I talk to the hiring manager? I'm like, no, just talk to somebody who's on the team or talk to somebody who's adjacent to the team. And I think this is also this time. Gina Alvino: Yep, yep, yep. Yeah. Lynda Harvey: because again, I spend my entire day talking about like tough workplaces and navigating these places and reach out to somebody who's not even on the high, who doesn't have any hiring influence at all and find out if you like the culture, like reach out to them and have the conversation and say, hey, would you refer a friend or family member to work there? Right, like because so often I've worked places where I'm like run. Gina Alvino: Totally. Yeah. Yeah. Lynda Harvey: Run away, don't work here, right? And so I really liked the coffee chat piece. Not only are you expanding your network, but you're learning about the culture, the company culture. And let's be really honest. If we're giving people the tips and tricks and we're spilling the tea on potential ways to get on somebody's calendar, a lot of companies offer bonuses for referrals, right? Lots of them do it. Gina Alvino: Yeah, yeah, true, yeah, yeah. Yes. Yeah, ⁓ yeah, yeah, ⁓ yeah, yep, yep. Lynda Harvey: And ⁓ I've been, ⁓ I'm sure Joe, can talk to this too, ⁓ I had an employee who came to me and said, Hey Lynda, I'm referring somebody in, I would at least always look at the resume. I wouldn't guarantee hiring, but I would always like put the resume at the top of the stack. ⁓ if I felt like they were a good fit, they would always get an interview. Gina Alvino: always definitely yeah yeah yes Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Yeah, absolutely, for sure. Lynda Harvey: And I wouldn't do that because, I mean, I was doing it because I was hiring. I wouldn't do it because I was getting paid, but the thing is, is that's a great way to kind of be a little opportunistic, right? Gina Alvino: Totally, totally. Yeah, absolutely. You know, no here at elf, we always make sure that we're you know, at least looking at the resumes. Absolutely. Passing you the hiring managers and letting them bet the resume for any referral that comes through and elf has an amazing referral bonus you actually team members receive $2,000 if they refer team members. So we have a we have a couple elves that have sent a couple through I'm like, you got a good thing going on here. You know what you're doing. ⁓ But ⁓ yeah, if you say 120 days, you get a referral bonus of $2,000 but Yeah, even, you know, our CEO, he even says that we will make sure to pass your resume forward. We can't guarantee a hire or an interview, but we'll make sure to the recruiting team will look at your resume, the hiring manager will look at your resume, and then it'll go from there. yeah, I think connections, coffee chats, ⁓ so important. I also think I've also received a message on LinkedIn before, which we should definitely talk about LinkedIn messages for recruiters, what to do and what not to do. ⁓ But ⁓ something about like someone mentioned referral bonus like in the message being like, and assuming you'll get a referral bonus, like please send my resume. And I was like, that's funny. Like I don't get a referral bonus. I'm on the town acquisition team, but I would definitely push it forward. So like getting creative with the messages, but also on the flip side, talking to teams, one to yes, about the culture to see if the culture is great. But if you're having a hiring chat, like I had someone on the team that was like, I want to move into the sales team. was like, okay, we'll go have a conversation with the sales team to make sure you want to. And they had a conversation. They're like, Maybe I don't want to join the sales team. Maybe this isn't what I want to do. So like, I think it's important to have conversations like, you know, build your network, networks are everything, connections are everything. But then also making sure you're using that time to see like, do I really want to do this? Or am I just looking to either stay at a company or pivot somewhere else? CX Joe: Mm. Yeah, a hundred percent. And it's interesting because, you know, I'm thinking about it for any listeners who are either in or might soon embark on a, on a job hunt. And, ⁓ it's interesting because having coffee chat, let's say you really want to work at Elf, you're desperate to work at Elf and having a coffee chat with anyone who works at Elf is obviously a great idea. And interestingly, I would add onto that, that having coffee chats with anybody is kind of a good idea. If you want to work at Elf, you know, yesterday I had coffee slash lunch chats with two friends in my network. Gina Alvino: Definitely. CX Joe: ⁓ two amazing brands, Terra Cafe and Pros. And, ⁓ you know, we just start chatting and we're comparing notes and want to help each other out. And just when you get out there, no matter what brand the person works at, they have their own network. People want to be helpful in the spaces we're all in. And so just by putting yourself out there is what I'm saying. And having coffee chats with any, any friendly person who works anywhere, you're kind of increasing the odds that you could get that connection. But what I want to pivot this into a question, Gina, because something we do talk about on the podcast a lot is. Gina Alvino: Yeah. CX Joe: you know, networking and I have a passion. I've been helped a lot by personal connections in my career. So many acts of grace and, you know, just luck on my end. And then I've tried to pay it forward. And so, you know, make really helpful connections for other people. So we talk about this on the pot. think what's interesting and if I had to admit the closest I get to pessimistic or a little beaten up for friends who are in a job search as they start to feel like, you know, that cliche of like, nowadays, like Gina Alvino: Yeah. CX Joe: a connection and in is the only way to get in. Like it's hopeless otherwise, it's like how people start to feel. But I know that's not completely the case. And Lynda, I wanna shout you out. You mentioned something that kind of sparked this question for me. So it's credit to Lynda, but you know, that's not the only way, right? That's not completely true. Like what are ways can we get into any advice or tactics of like short of a connection, how do people break through and jump onto your radar? Gina Alvino: Mm-hmm. Yeah, totally. So I think specifically at elf, we love to see a lot of people connecting with our elf beauty posts on LinkedIn, you know, commenting, engaging, reacting. There's like a couple of names I've had even two that we've hired that like, we just see as like, advocates of the brand and really excited about the brand and like staying in touch on like what we're doing and making sure that they're like, staying up to date on like I said, posts that are happening cheering us on and you just like kept you kept I kept seeing those like repeat names. CX Joe: Mmm. Gina Alvino: So I was like, maybe they're interested. Let's see if they applied to a role and they did. So I think that's a big thing for a brand you're passionate about. Start to like engage, interact with their LinkedIn's because that's recruiting. Like all of us recruiters are on there all day long so we can see the names that pop up. I think another thing is what we saw a lot with our Elf turnchips this past year are the portfolios and projects that people would post on LinkedIn. ⁓ people would say like, this is like a brand campaign for Elf that I designed through Canva and this is my thoughts about it. So like that was a really cool way where we're like, ⁓ that's cool. That's let me look at their resume because their portfolio or their project they created was really cool. And even our comm scene was like sending us some that they saw. We would have conversations and I think we hired like two or three from that, which is awesome too. So it's like thinking differently and doing things different I think is what gets you to stand out for recruiting, especially in our world that like we recruited. ⁓ Lynda Harvey: You CX Joe: Wow. Wow. Lynda Harvey: Wow. Gina Alvino: with those projects that I like to caveat is that we can tell which ones are totally made by AI. So if you just ask chat, like make a campaign with Elf and Starbucks post and then you post on LinkedIn, like you could tell it's AI. But we like to see the people that pull it, you know, use AI because that's important, but then put into Canva, put your own spin on it, find our brand formatting and colors that we use. I think just figuring out different ways to stand out. on LinkedIn because we are like on that all day long can make your name pop out to us for us to then go into our system, see if you applied, have a conversation or we can have a coffee chat or a zoom and say like, hey, it's not now but not yet. Maybe we'll have a role in the future in the fall or waiting for new roles to drop. Like we'll keep you on our radar. And we truly do. There's so many names that I have. ⁓ I feel like being in the recruiting role for a while now, my brain is just like a Rolodex of candidates. CX Joe: Mm-hmm. ⁓ Gina Alvino: I like Lynda D, we're just looking at you, I can think about a couple roles we hired for Daily Harvest that like we made me they're like, where's our number two, or we hired them like they're all in there still. But yeah, I think it's just standing out on LinkedIn and like showing ways that you can, you know, how you'd perform on the job, especially like brand and social, that's like a really easier way to show like what you can create from a visual standpoint. ⁓ Lynda Harvey: You CX Joe: you Right. Gina Alvino: So think those are like the big things we've been seeing, which is great. And then also like with me now that I'm posting on LinkedIn and posting a lot of like our elves themselves videos, which is like day in the life at elf, seeing the people that are constantly keeping up and like, you know, commenting on those and engaging and interacting is another thing that we just look for. One thing to not do on LinkedIn is I think it's, I think it's, well, like, I think one thing is, Lynda Harvey: Tell us all those things. CX Joe: Lynda's eyes just lit up. Gina Alvino: I feel like you can have a couple brands that you're excited about, but I wouldn't recommend pushing out portfolio and brand campaigns for so many brands. It's like dating. You don't want to like, you want to date a lot of frogs before you find your prince, but you don't want to like do too, too, too, too much. Cause I see like there's a couple people on LinkedIn where they're just like pushing out brand campaigns from all different industries. It's like, are you just trying to like see what sticks or are you excited about our brands? So like making sure you're, you know, being specific on like the targeted brands that you want to post about. But another thing is like, please don't message me on LinkedIn saying like hi, here's my resume What job do you have for me? I would love to get you in the door But I have 65,000 other ones knocking at the door where I need specifics on like what role why and what makes you stand out versus like Can we have a coffee chat and talk about opportunities at elf? That's it's just CX Joe: Mm-hmm. Hmm. Gina Alvino: I wish there was more hours in the day. I wish I could hire everybody at L.F.U.D.E. and have this experience, but I just can't with what we have. So it's like, be specific with what you want, ⁓ why you'd be a bold disruptor with us, meaning that like, what makes you stand out? What's your superpowers? What's your strengths? And what really you want? What job do you want? And if, you know, if not, tell me what like department you want, at least it's a step in the right direction. CX Joe: Those are great, great insights. Like, yeah, a couple of quick comments and I'll kick it over to Lynda. But one thing is, ⁓ I'll probably sound really old saying this in a lot of things on this episode, but one thing that I liked about your feedback, I was like, you know what? That's a little bit old school in a satisfying way. Sometimes you do have to put yourself out there a little bit. Like you have to do a little bit of work, ⁓ hustle a little bit, you know, get on people's radars. And, ⁓ you know, this is the older, slightly jokey part, but people talk about like, Lynda Harvey: that. I love that. Gina Alvino: Yeah. Yeah. No. CX Joe: you know, more recent generations kind of having that era of entitlement or, know, just this whole question in career of like, do you expect to be rewarded before you put more out there or vice versa? And of course, like in any good workplace, want, I mean, you want to be treated like gold and all of that, be treated fairly, but especially in such a crowded job market. I think you made a great point there of like, sometimes you have to put yourself out there. It's a small risk. It's like an investment in yourself. And, um, I, I really, I really love that point. Gina Alvino: Yeah, we actually had ⁓ a ⁓ someone at Elf, I just won't say her name, but she's amazing. She's a star. She's full time now. She actually posted on TikTok her interview experience with us and how she was dropping off a resume at the New York office. And ⁓ it was amazing. She did such an amazing job and then crushed the interview. She ended up getting an Elf internship with us and like documented the entire process. And then now she's hired on full time. She's on our brand team. She's like an absolute star. But it was like a really cool way where it was before everyone was doing this on TikTok. But it was like, I'm going to beauty office and like 0.5. I'm 31. So I'm not like Jenzy, but she's in 0.5. She's like, I'm going to beauty office to drop off my resume. And like we followed her whole journey and she was actually like amazing, but that was before everyone was doing it. And we actually ended up hiring her because she was great for the job too. But just like thinking of different disruptive ways, like get your name and your, ⁓ you know, profile resume experience in front of us. ⁓ nothing's going to be handed to you. goes back to the question about the job market being hard. It's yeah, no one's going to hand you a job. So it's going to be hard no matter what, if you're not going to do the extra effort to get there. So I think it's, ⁓ you know, finding ways to do things differently. That's also the mindset we try and body. do embody here at ELF where, ⁓ we're bold disruptors with kind hearts. We like to say, so we're always trying to think outside of the box. Like I tell my team, let's not look about, look at what recruiters are doing and do it better. It's like, what's never been done before. So I have a. CX Joe: Yeah. Yeah. Gina Alvino: secret idea, which I'll share with you guys off the pot of what I want to do. ⁓ But it's something that's like never been done before for recruiting, which is so exciting. ⁓ So just like thinking differently and just like making yourself stand out. CX Joe: ⁓ my gosh. Lynda Harvey: Yeah, yeah. And I think one of the other points that I would really like to kind of hone in on is the overwhelming sense of entitlement, but it's also specificity. So here's my resume. What do you have for me? It's like, I don't know. What do you want? You need to be specific. CX Joe: Amazing. Gina Alvino: Exactly, Yes. Lynda Harvey: Why would you give your career over to somebody and say, okay, well, what do you think? Where should I go? And it's like, no, get a little bit more specific. And I think to the people who are out job searching, again, in a tough market, when unemployment is what it is, so many people are like, I will just take anything, right? And I understand that. Gina Alvino: Choo, choo. Lynda Harvey: that desperation of like, listen, I've got to pay the bills. I've got to be able to do the things. So I will literally take anything. But on the flip side, the brand doesn't want to hear that. They don't want to hear, I'll just take anything you'll give me. And it's like, yeah, but okay. So then how are you a value add to the business, right? How are you going to help change the culture or change the market or do the things if you're just going to do anything? And so I do think the the specificity I thought was very important for us to talk about. CX Joe: Yeah, that has to be assigned to a specific role. I'm glad you brought that up. And Lynda, wanted to sort of amplify Gina's point there too. Cause I think having these like more tactical gems, you know, is also really helpful for the audience. And as someone who myself, I've never been on the recruiting team, but I've either been a thorn in the recruiting team side, cause I'd always get so excited about my referrals and the process. Or now as an advisor, it's one of the joys. It's like, have a little more time now to really try to make these connections for people. Lynda Harvey: You Gina Alvino: you CX Joe: but it has to be attached to a specific role. kind of, you're asking somebody to sort of break the system otherwise. And I had my first ⁓ like mature startup job after my first startup that was like the Wild West was this place First Dibs. It really great to me. And I have a friend to this day, this guy Ricky, who is like a recruiting legend. He's now his own entrepreneur, but bless that man because he had to be so patient with me. I didn't know how this stuff worked and I go to him. and write him a four page email about like my best friends in the world and all of their values and like, let's find a role for this person. He's like, Joe, love you. They sound like a lovely person. What role is this going to be attached to? So Gina, it's gotta be whether it's the recruiting team and adjacent team, or even if you have like advisor, big job people in your life like me who want to help out, it's always gotta be attached to a specific role. It's not gonna go anywhere otherwise. Gina Alvino: Yeah. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Totally, absolutely. Because like I said, there's unfortunately not enough hours in the day. So for us to do that, even though it sounds so simple, like, well, what role? That can just help us just like save an extra second to either, you know, ⁓ I trust Joe and his referral will pass the hiring manager done, we move on to the next role. So I think being able to be specific on what you want can help us just get it to the right person and get you in the door hopefully faster. Lynda Harvey: Yeah. So what's the most creative thing that somebody has done to get on your radar? CX Joe: Definitely. Gina Alvino: yes, That's I wanted. ⁓ No, the... CX Joe: Are you filtering Gino? We don't filter on this podcast. Come on. We want to hear the good one. Lynda Harvey: Hehehehehe Gina Alvino: Well, someone, someone. Yeah, so I mean, someone showed up to it like an a pop up ⁓ event at at at our company. ⁓ And was like, I saw you were clicked that you were going on LinkedIn, and I wanted to come meet you in person. So so that was that was definitely creative. ⁓ So I was like, Okay, no problem. Nice to meet you. But what else? No, I think I think the one I mentioned about TikTok definitely was a big one, which were, you know, tagging us and showing their experience and why elf. ⁓ But I think probably that this showing up at the pop-up was most creative. ⁓ Other ones, probably like specific, ⁓ you know, the brand campaigns and tagging us. There was one that was just like incredible that someone did around, you know, a potential collab with, I think it was like us and like McDonald's, which was really cool. So I think it's just. being able to go that extra mile and do something differently is what like we love to see. But I think the showing up at the pop up was the biggest one. So it's like, okay, so you saw my LinkedIn that I was going into come in person. I was like, I love it. Honestly, that's great. You know, I mean, I, I probably wouldn't have the courage to do that. But I appreciate it. And I had a conversation with the person. She was great. ⁓ I don't think we ended up hiring her by appreciate the conversation. But I have her name, my Rolodex. If there's another role in the future, you know, definitely keep it on there. But that's probably probably the one there's like, is Gina Alvino here? I'm like, me? Sure. Oh, hi. How are you? I was like, I was coming as a guest. CX Joe: Ha ha ha! Lynda Harvey: Like, hey! CX Joe: Yeah, excitement and terror all striking you at once. You're like, should I admit that that's me? What's about to happen? Gina Alvino: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I was like, why? What's going on? Like, ⁓ no, I want to roll. saw a senior brand marketer. I'll say, ⁓ hey, how are you? Nice to meet you. Let's chat. So that was probably the one. Lynda Harvey: Yeah. CX Joe: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Lynda Harvey: It's amazing. Were you with Daily Harvest when we got the cereal box? Somebody sent their resume. They built a cereal box and sent that as their... Do you remember that one? Gina Alvino: So yes, hmm, I Do remember that so I think I don't know if I was there for that But I know that we when we moved to our new office I think the cereal box came with us and that was like decoration the office ⁓ So I remember that Italy Harvest. ⁓ there was one actually. Thank you for bringing that up one at our current company Someone sent us a hula hoop to the New York office and was like jumping through hoops to get my resume in the door I was like, that's super cute CX Joe: ⁓ okay, I like that. Gina Alvino: ⁓ I do not recommend do not spend money on things just send us your resume don't spend money, but someone Amazon like a hula hoop to us, which was really funny. So I thought that was a good one. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Lynda Harvey: funny. ⁓ Yeah, yeah. What are some like red flags? when you're getting, what are some things that are pitfalls or red flags or something that people should avoid when they go into the interview funnel? I mean, there's got to be some red flags, some common red flags. CX Joe: I give props for that. Gina Alvino: Yeah, I would say ⁓ maybe like red flags or things like not to do is... like we've had a couple candidates where, ⁓ you know, we always try and be like as responsive as possible. But like for human we make mistakes. And there's been like a couple candidates where they've like, emailed our CEO and saying like the recruiting team didn't answer us or something like that. And I think like some of those things where I understand you're frustrated and like we can be better and we always try and like respond to all 65,000 resumes. But I think it's like, why like why do that? Like, would you do that to a friend? Like do you but you know what mean? Where it's like why? you know, get someone in trouble just for them making an error. Like I think on the recruiting side, like we truly are. That's why I think it's important to keep humans in the recruiting process and understand like we're not AI like we are humans too. We want to get back to everyone as quick as we can. But if we're not as fast as we can, like Maybe don't tell our boss it like don't get us in trouble. Like that's just like not fair because we didn't we don't do it maliciously. At least I could speak on my team where we're always trying to answer. But you know if we if we don't get back as fast as we can like we always make sure that we close the loop at the end of a process where like we're either rejecting all resumes or having a touch point at some point. But I think it's like like what. like, why would I want to hire somebody when they just like, acted a certain way? Like, is that a co-worker I want to have one day? Is that good for our culture? So I mean, I know that's like, I totally understand recruiters can be better than we should answer faster. And I always try to do it. But like, I'm not perfect. And my team's not perfect. We try our best. But it's like, why would we hire somebody that's like, already thrown us under the bus? If we're one team, one dream and like building a culture, is that is that the right person we want on the team? I don't know. So I think that's probably one. Lynda Harvey: Right? Gina Alvino: ⁓ What other what other red flags you're looking for interview process wise? Like when you do mean like as a candidate in the interview of what they can listen for and maybe say that watch out for Lynda Harvey: Yeah, I just think like there's sometimes, you know, I'm very intuitive. I believe I'm very intuitive. And there are certain things that I'll listen for. know, I like to ask, when I'm interviewing people, I really like to ask questions where there's a negative outcome. So I like to ask the question of like, tell me about a time you missed a deadline or tell me about a time that you had conflict at work or tell me about a time you failed. Gina Alvino: Mmm, yeah. Right. Yeah. Yeah. Lynda Harvey: I like to ask these questions because first of all, I think it's important for us to understand that we all have flaws, right? We all have flaws, we are all imperfect humans, right? And it's really important to me for somebody to be able to admit that they had a flaw and I'm not trying to get their goat or I'm not trying to make them feel badly. Ultimately what I wanna know is how did they pick themselves up from this failure? Gina Alvino: Totally, totally. Yep. Yep. Yep. totally. Lynda Harvey: Right? I have openly spoken about I have been fired three times and I've been laid off twice and I have had many, many failures. And it's really important to like for me to say, okay, because I'm probably going to give you an impossible deadline or I'm probably going to give you an impossible task or something that feels impossible to you. Gina Alvino: Mm-hmm. Lynda Harvey: If you fail, I need to know that it's not gonna be like a death spiral after that, or that you're never gonna learn anything, or you're going to blame shift to other individuals. So, know, kind of what are things that you listen for? Are there certain types of phrases that you're like, ooh, this is probably not a pass-go situation? You know, I want our listeners to... be able to go into an interview with confidence, but also understand that maybe they can like self assess and say, these things that I've said in the past, or these are things that are going to turn off a recruiter or they're going to turn off a hiring manager. Gina Alvino: Yes. Mm-hmm. Yeah, think two things maybe for like an IC role, like an individual contributor or a manager role. I think for like an IC role, I wouldn't recommend, even if you maybe didn't have the best experience at your previous company, talking down about them or bashing them or talking negatively about, previous experiences, you know, I would definitely try and stay positive whether it's, you know, don't mind an interview, but you don't be brutally honest on how the experience was and how you but it's always like figuring out how people can. take the learnings and spin it to a positive. I'm like, well, X, Y, and Z happened, but then I was able to learn these skills through it that took me to my next spot. So I think it's really making sure that whether the question might want to have a negative response, how you're able to spin it into a positive, I think is one thing to learn. And that comes with practice. That's not easy, because sometimes hiring interviewers ask harder questions. But I think being able to take the response and end in the positive is always what I'm trying to listen for. I always ask candidates ⁓ like what energizes and drains you about your current role that way to hear about like what they love about their current role. Then also what's like maybe something they don't love as much whether it's like a role that needs to be a lot of admin work and they're like, ⁓ well the admin work is the worst part of the role. And I was like, and that's, you one thing I'm listening for where it's like, well, we need that person that like likes to do the unsexy stuff too. ⁓ So I think it's just like, whether it's like, you the admin stuff, I know it's a lot, but know it's a part of the gig. But you know, I balance that out with, you know, working on creative projects and you know, doing other things like finding that positive spin at the end, I think is like one thing to learn when you're in interviews for an IC role for a manager level role. I want to hear more about the we versus an I meaning that like, what did we do as a team? What did you know? How did you support your team? Like one question I love to also ask for like manager roles, like what's the accomplishment you're most proud of? CX Joe: Hmm. Gina Alvino: And I love when managers say, ⁓ actually, you know, my team is high performers, and I actually was able to promote to people and like, speaking about the we versus the I think I also love to hear from managers because like, we want people that are going to support grow develop ⁓ their talent under them. So I think listening for that in manager level roles where it's like, what's the accomplishment? What are you proud of? What are your strengths? It's lifting up my team as I lift up to so ⁓ I think those are the two things that I listen for is if it's manager, it's like, well, I did this and I did that and I did this and I did that. Yes, you want to sell yourself on an interview, but it's good to have that cross-functional team camaraderie, ⁓ you know, experience you can talk about and show that you can bring to the team too, because we are in this together. Lynda Harvey: Yeah, yeah, I love that. ⁓ Do you have any questions that you can't stand it when people ask you? I have one. Gina Alvino: Okay, you go first, I wanna hear yours. Okay, fine, fine, fine. Ones that I can't stand, probably... CX Joe: Right. Lynda Harvey: No, no, I asked you first. Gina Alvino: ⁓ goodness, now I'm drawing a blank. ⁓ Well, I guess like some questions that just are obvious that you didn't do any research on our company, ⁓ like some little things like that, because whether you have all the skills to throw or not, make sure you're an expert at the brand because we're looking for brand ambassadors here. No matter if you're an ops, chain, finance, recruiting or on the brand team, like do your research. ⁓ What's another question? Lynda Harvey: Mmm. Gina Alvino: Mmm, I mean like like silly ones like what's your favorite product? It's like I'll answer that absolutely and I'll tell you all my favorites and I'll go through my entire skincare and makeup routine for you, but it's like What's that gonna do? The ones I love are like what does success look like in this role? Like what is the 30 60 90 day like? Plan how is someone successful, you know at your company, you know, the forward-thinking questions is what the ones that I love So I think the ones the questions that like I know you put a little thought into it I'm the type of recruiter that I don't need you to ask me five questions if you have just like one to two solid ones That's great If you say to me like I had a list of questions and list them out, but you already answered all them like that's okay for me I'm not gonna be the recruiter where it's like they didn't ask me one question. That's ridiculous. It's like Maybe they're nervous. I just grilled you for 30 minutes. It's okay. It's not a big deal. So Lynda Harvey: Yeah. Yeah. Gina Alvino: I think if you have just like one to two solid questions that you put a little thought into it, it's not just like a typical like, what's your favorite part of working at X, Y and Z? You know, I'll talk about that all day because I can talk about why I love working in L for hours and hours. ⁓ But I think it's, ⁓ you know, put a little thought into it and be a little bit of creative if it's like, have, you know, and just like, I just need like thoughtful questions. ⁓ I want to be also put on my toes like Lynda Harvey: Yeah. Gina Alvino: What was the question I got? I got one question at Daily Harvest. ⁓ I think it was like, if you were to describe the culture in three words, what would it be? And I like love that. So I was like, passionate, like humble and like hungry or something like that. And ⁓ I like the tough questions because it makes me a better recruiter at end of the day. But what was your question? CX Joe: Mm-hmm. Mm. Heh. Heh heh heh heh. Lynda Harvey: glad I wasn't asked that question at Daily Harvest. ⁓ No, no, we're not. is not the episode for that. So I, and Joe, I want to get your take on this too, because I think between the three of us, we have probably interviewed thousands of people, right? Like, and I don't know a lot of people who can say that. I don't know a lot of people who'd be like, I've interviewed Gina Alvino: What would you say? What would you say? Okay. CX Joe: No, let it be, Gina. Gina Alvino: Okay. Okay. ⁓ dear. Yeah. Lynda Harvey: thousand people and I think easily between the three of us it's probably tens of thousands like it's a lot and with that being said the question that I cannot stand and I can see it coming a mile away they light up and they think they're so clever so for listeners you're not clever this is not a clever question it's the same one for you of like what's your favorite product What's your favorite part about working where you're working? I hate that question. It is not original. It doesn't spark. would, I literally, and for nobody here really knows, well, Joe knows like I'm really not good at multitasking in the sense of. Gina Alvino: Yeah, yeah, yeah. Lynda Harvey: answering emails or answering slacks during a one-on-one, would always get frustrated. He's like, Lynda, you wait. And I was like, I was in a one-on-one. I cannot be focused in a one-on-one ⁓ type a message. ⁓ man, when that would come on, I could literally pull up Slack and answer 10, because my answer was so automatic and it was so rehearsed and it had been asked so many times ⁓ I could literally just answer slacks while I was responding. to that question and I was just, hate that question. So be better listeners have a better question. Gina Alvino: Yeah, well, that's the one. Yeah, I said the same thing. So it's like, just there's not much thoughtfulness in that because everybody asks it. But I mean, but I'll talk about it because I have a great response for the alpha. I like, I light up and talk about it. I could talk about it all day long. But ⁓ yeah, that's definitely one where there's no thoughtfulness in that one. So I think just like, you don't have to be creative. We don't have to ask a question that's too crazy, but just like think about, just be like, what answer would I be wanting from this question? Like, am I just asking this question to say like, check, I asked the recruiter question or like, do I really care about their answer? So I think, you know, you can phrase the question differently versus like, what's your favorite part about working at X company? It's like, you know, what sets this culture apart from a different beauty company, for example, like, there's a different way you can ask the question and be like, ⁓ I think I like the way you phrase it. And like, you know, you took an extra second, you know, before CX Joe: Yeah. Lynda Harvey: Mm-hmm. Gina Alvino: you prepared for your interview and you took an extra second. So I think it's like that thoughtfulness and it goes back to being different. How do you stand out? Like you said, we do have thousands of interviews. Yeah, I average about like eight a day. So eight times five, what is that? Like 40, 40, 45, 40. Math is hard, it's Friday, it's almost more of a weekend. But I mean, yeah, so just to think if I'm getting that question like eight times a day, how can it be different? How can your question stand out that? CX Joe: Wow. ⁓ my gosh. Gina Alvino: when I go and hang out with my dog Pepper and my husband Scott. ⁓ someone asked me this question in the interview. Like it was so cool. Like how would you answer that? Like that's our dinner conversation. So. Lynda Harvey: Mm-hmm. CX Joe: Yeah, you know, I think it's great like masterclass advice. One of the things I'm hearing from you is sure it's great to bond over the products in the industry, but the advanced way of doing that would be to show that in, you know, the work that you're presenting, the answers that you're giving. Of course, you want to know like what the person loves about working there. But again, you could maybe flash that or show your enthusiasm about that in the heart of the conversation. One of things I'm hearing that I think is worth for people to keep in mind is don't assume that you have time for throwaway questions. Gina Alvino: Mm-hmm. Totally. CX Joe: because as a long-winded person myself, it's like you might think that you're going on this great progression of like, I'll ask this, this, then my two real questions. You might not have time for the two real questions or their career might start to tune you out after the one or two throwaways. So just skip the throwaways is kind of part of what I'm hearing. ⁓ Gina, I was really excited to ask you a question you mentioned like at a brand like Elf, you want everybody to be brand ambassadors. And something I was really excited to ask you about today is, Gina Alvino: Yeah. CX Joe: You know, and I'm not, this isn't just for fluff or to keep complimenting you, but one of the things you do an amazing job at is when you post, it's seems to me like it's one part kind of your personal brands. And we had, by the way, another DH alum, Alexa on a season one, she talked about personal branding and it's another topic that we love. And it's like in part, yes, we do too. Everybody does. And so in part, it occurs to me, you're really advancing your personal brands. also seems to my knowledge, you know, perfectly on point with advancing else brand. Gina Alvino: Love her. Yeah. you CX Joe: How much intention goes into that? You know, do you think of it when you go to post like, is there training? Is this like, I'm an ambassador of health. Do you embrace the side of advancing your personal brand as well? Gina Alvino: Yeah, that's something I'm truly figuring out every day because, ⁓ you know, I'm trying to see what works on LinkedIn with like personal advice and, ⁓ you know, working on ELF. I think right now, a lot of people definitely use my page for getting into the door at ELF, which is totally fine. That's why I'm here. So I think it's really just... figuring out what sticks and what doesn't stick on LinkedIn, truthfully. And yeah, I make sure that like every post that I post out there is intentional for the company as well as my personal brand. You know, I really do view LinkedIn as a digital resume. You know, there's all employers that are all on there. You know, whether it's for future opportunities for me personally, or you know, for also my network that needs help getting new jobs. So I think that, you know, I'm just trying to see typically like what's working on LinkedIn, what the community wants. ⁓ And really just continuing to show Yeah, I do what I do for my community But then also show a brand like future brands that I maybe i'll work with one day like what I can do for their brand too So that's kind of what I balance for myself is like helping people in their next chapters of like What works at elf and like what marines you can take in a next job? And then also what it's like to work here too What a good culture could look like because if they can't get their foot in the door I hope someone can find a culture that's just as great as elf because you want to spend your time in a great place. So Lynda Harvey: Okay. Gina Alvino: I'm learning in real time how it's all how to do both. But I truly view LinkedIn as a digital resume. think that you know, when the how you kicked off this call, like someone commenting something on your ⁓ LinkedIn, it's like there's so many brands that can see that like I know that I love how LinkedIn is trans like changing into social media. Like I've dropped a couple of memes on there and they worked and they've hit for you know, likes and, and impressions but Lynda Harvey: You Yeah. Gina Alvino: ⁓ You know that that's that's whatever you post online whether it's on LinkedIn or social media ⁓ You know brand see that so it's just like be intentional and there's one thing that someone said to me like Would you want what you posted like posted on like the front page of the New York Times or the Wall Street Journal? Something like that, so I'm I'm proud of everything that I put out so I think to answer your question Joe bring it back. CX Joe: Mm-hmm. Yeah. Gina Alvino: it's yeah, figuring out how to do both. And I think that's why my page has been pretty successful is because it's balancing the half the community wants to know how to get that next job, the other half wants to work at Elf. figuring out that and being able to show myself and being me, because I really do feel like ⁓ I was on an interview a while ago, obviously, before Elf. They're like, do you always show up like this? Or is this just like interview, Gina? I'm like, this is what you get. I think both of you can attest that this is me. CX Joe: Yes. Lynda Harvey: Yep. Gina Alvino: I show up like this at work every single day and on LinkedIn and on pods and on interviews. So it's like, be yourself because you're gonna want a company that wants all of you and who you are. You shouldn't change for that. ⁓ So it's, I wanna show like who I am professionally, personally, a mix of both on LinkedIn and show another brand in the future. Like what I can maybe do for them in the future. In the future, I don't wanna leave off anytime soon. Lynda Harvey: Yeah, that was great. That was great. Well, I mean, we have I think we've dropped a lot of gems in this. I think that there is some prescriptive advice. There's some anecdotal advice. There's a lot of my saltiness in this particular episode, which I mean, you know, I'm showing up as me. ⁓ But I think I think we have reached the end of the episode. So before we close out, I have a ⁓ CX Joe: Perfect, that was super well said. Gina Alvino: Yeah. Lynda Harvey: A question, one final question that I like to ask and it's time to share, right? ⁓ Aside from all of the things we talked about, anything that's got you kind of hot under the collar, anything that's like on your radar, something you want the people to know and it can be about jobs, it can be about life, it can be about German shepherds, like what do you want the people to know that like gets you kind of hot under the collar? Gina Alvino: Mm-hmm. Hahaha ⁓ I'll go professionally well, I'll go professionally then personally I'll do professionally I would say ⁓ you know just find ways to be yourself but disruptive in this crazy market meaning that like You know See what works for you. See what you want to do in your next job what can you add to a company and really figure out like what your strengths are and run with that because you know, you'll be more you'll be happier and you'll be more successful in a company when you're able to show off your strengths and show off how you can, you know, really add value to a company. So like, for me, for example, you know, the LinkedIn ⁓ videos I've been posting, like, I love the employer branding parts of my job, but that's something I did on my own. And I ran with that. And now the company loves it. So it's like, figure out what your strengths are and show a company like, hey, this is a value add I have for your company. Like, this is why you need me for your role and why I'd be great for x, and z role. So I would say like, Don't get frustrated. The job market's not amazing, but you are amazing. You're not alone. There is a job for you. It's not it might not be now, but it's just not yet. You will find a job and there is a place for you. Just figure out you know what your strengths are and maybe where your weaknesses are too and use this time to find ways to learn about them online. ⁓ So that's maybe one another one someone mentioned I was at a conference the other day with AI. I feel like some people are nervous about AI. Some people are excited about AI. ⁓ someone gave good advice that when social media started, there was the social media roles and everyone was like, what are all these? What is what is social media? And now there's all these jobs. So it's like, be open to AI, we're all using it at home, you try to figure out ways you can use it professionally. I use it every night for like a different salmon recipe of like what marinade I put on my salmon. So like, you know, don't be afraid of it. It's just like, you just have to figure out how it works for you in your role. ⁓ Lynda Harvey: Mm-hmm. CX Joe: Hahaha Gina Alvino: And then probably personally the last thing, if we're going to talk about German Shepherds and Pepper, German Shepherds are the best family dogs ever. Do not be afraid of them. They are cuddly. They are the most loving, intelligent, kind dogs on earth. So, you know, if your family's looking for a new dog, German Shepherds are where it's at. CX Joe: you Lynda Harvey: Okay, Joe, what's got you hot under the collar? CX Joe: Yeah, so you know, we got German shepherds and salmon recipes into the episode and see, this is why Gina and I got along so well, Lynda, because I'm going to invoke our season one tradition and answer the question that I know you just asked, which is what has me feeling fulfilled and inspired today? So thank you for asking that. And my answer is, you know, back to today's guest, Gina, but not just heaping more praise upon you, Gina, which is easy, but also I think what's really cool listening to you is Lynda Harvey: ⁓ Gina Alvino: you Lynda Harvey: ⁓ are we? Okay, do it. Gina Alvino: Ooh. Lynda Harvey: Yeah. CX Joe: ⁓ like it has me feeling inspired this idea of people just finding the groove in a certain job in a certain profession where they could be their true self. And I just think that's so satisfying and inspiring. You know, I was actually leading up to today's episode, thinking of a would be questioned just around how, as you rise the career ranks, you know, how you continue to stay so genuine and humble and positive and bring the energy that you reminded me today, spending an hour with you that you don't have to really try or put effort into that, I don't think. I think you get to just be yourself and just bringing your whole self and being yourself and putting yourself out there like is one with your job and everything you do for your organization, which is a lot. So yes, more compliments in there, but also I think that's, yeah, it's one of those like, it's what it's all about kind of things. So I find it inspiring. I know sometimes, you know, people could find it troubling if they haven't found that thing yet, but I'm really a firm believer. Like we all have one or more things past that. Gina Alvino: Thanks. Thanks. Thanks. Lynda Harvey: Mm-hmm. CX Joe: that will click and be our thing. You just gotta keep looking sometimes. So look at Gina, it's out there, it can happen. Lynda Harvey: Yeah. Yeah. Gina Alvino: Thank you. Thank you. think I think one other thing just like just to go off of that is another like quick tip of advice is when you're in an interview process and you you have those gut feelings that you're like, I'm not sure about these people. Your gut is always right. I know for me when I was interviewing at elf I was like, I have a really good group around me of people that let me be myself. I need to find that in the next spot to make sure it's the right spot. I always say we spend way too much time at work to not love who we're working with. So make sure you find good people even in this tough job market like Lynda Harvey: you Gina Alvino: Don't waste your time with shitty people, it's not worth it. CX Joe: No doubt. Lynda, hope you're not frustrated with us. What about you, Lynda? Kicking it over to you for your thoughts. Lynda Harvey: Listen, as per usual, I will be taking a hard left turn here. ⁓ And I'm fine with that. the thing that's got me under the collar this week is the lead-in statement of, so I had this really weird dream. And I think we need to stop saying that intro statement, because aren't all dreams weird? Gina Alvino: True. That's true. Yeah. Lynda Harvey: Like, aren't they all weird? So couldn't we just skip it and go, so I had this dream. And we could all just get on board that it's gonna get weird after you open with, so I had this dream, right? Because, yeah, of course it was weird. Your brain is like literally off gassing and playing you visuals of something you may or may not understand. So let's. Gina Alvino: Mm-hmm. Yeah. CX Joe: Wait, so are you saying you never have dreams about just doing like totally mundane everyday things? Yeah, I think so. Gina Alvino: Mm-hmm. Lynda Harvey: You do? Gina Alvino: I'm like falling in every single one of my dreams. Like, I don't know why I'm always like, oh my gosh, I'm awake. It's like, why is that? sad. I need to talk to CX Joe: you Lynda Harvey: You CX Joe: I think sometimes I'm just like hanging out eating a sandwich to be honest. Yeah. And then I wake up and I'm like, let me go make that. That sounded really good. Lynda Harvey: ⁓ all right. Gina Alvino: Wow, I don't have, I wish my dreams were like that. no, I might have Lynda dreams, yeah. Lynda Harvey: But to somebody that might be weird, right? So to somebody that might be weird. so let's just normalize opening with, so I had this dream, instead of us being specific about a weird dream because it's probably gonna get weird. Gina Alvino: Yeah. CX Joe: It's all weird. Hmm. Could we say I had this and then like pregnant pause? I had this dream. Would that work for you? Okay. I think that's how I have to do it. Try really hard to hold myself back. Okay. Fine. All right. Meet in the middle. Gina Alvino: That's fair. Lynda Harvey: fine, it's fine. I'm just saying like I just don't think we need to layer in the word weird. I just don't think we do. Alright so so Gina Alvino: That's fair. That's fair. Yeah, I agree with that. Lynda Harvey: our love turn. ⁓ Alright ⁓ so go have a wonderful day, ⁓ wonderful all the things ⁓ and ⁓ for all the people who are still us and listening like, subscribe, feedback, the things. CX Joe: Once again, we figured it all out. Gina Alvino: Love it. CX Joe: You Let's go make a sandwich. once again, thank you, Lynda, and massive, massive thank you to you, Gina You've been such a wonderful guest, and we're just so privileged to have you on the pod. Lynda Harvey: Yes. Gina Alvino: Thank you both. No privilege to be in both of your orbits. I'm so lucky to have you both in my corner and I'm forever your cheerleader on the sidelines. And thank you so much for having me. I appreciate it so much. Bye. Thank you. CX Joe: Thanks, Gina Keep crushing it. Bye, y'all. Lynda Harvey: Thank you. Bye everybody.