Fanni Gambero went from office admin to co-founder and president, and is passionate about helping small business assistants take their career to the next level.
In this episode of The Leader Assistant Podcast, Fanni shares a snapshot of the DISC personality assessment and how it is a helpful tool for pairing assistants with executives. She also shares her favorite interview questions and tips, and talks about the importance of networking.
LEADERSHIP QUOTE
There is no shortage of talent out there but a shortage of effective hiring processes… AND leaders who know what to do with untamed talent.
– Fletcher Whimbush in collaboration with Fanni Gambero
CONNECT WITH FANNI
ABOUT FANNI
Fanni Gambero is an office admin turned President and co-founder of XM Talent Pros, an up and coming business that LINKS and SYNCS top-notch assistants and visionary entrepreneurs to level up their business. She serves small businesses as a Casting Director to find their Co-Star roles.
Fanni earned her bachelor’s degree in international business administration from the College of Szolnok in Hungary. She immigrated to the US in 2014. In 2018, Fanni landed a job as an assistant to a visionary executive and began to understand the tremendous power in two differently wired individuals to multiply a business’ impact together. This new-found passion began to overflow to the clients they served, and XM Talent Pros was born.
Ms. Gambero was recognized as the 2020 DFW Rookie of the Year by The Admin Awards, a nationally recognized organization for Administrative Professionals, for which she served as an Advisory Board Member and Judge. She is the chapter president of Success Champions Networking Group, the Founder of The Table, a Networking group for Small Business Xcelerators and is certified in TTI DISC and 12 Driving Forces. Fanni resides in the DFW area with her husband Danny and two small children.
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EPISODE TRANSCRIPT
00:00:00.200 –> 00:00:06.040
FANNI: Hi, my name is Fanni Gambero, and today’s leadership quote comes from my friend Fletcher Wimbush.
00:00:06.040 –> 00:00:12.020
FANNI: There is no shortage of talent out there, but a shortage of effective hiring processes.
00:00:12.040 –> 00:00:16.020
FANNI: And I added a little blurb at the end of this quote myself.
00:00:16.020 –> 00:00:21.480
FANNI: I think there’s a shortage of leaders who know what to do with untamed talent.
00:00:28.024 –> 00:00:35.584
<v SPEAKER_3>The Leader Assistant Podcast exists to encourage and challenge assistants to become confident, game-changing leader assistants.
00:00:44.893 –> 00:00:48.953
JEREMY: Are you a strategic senior executive assistant thinking about what’s next?
00:00:48.953 –> 00:00:57.753
JEREMY: Whether you’re ready for a promotion or loving the job you’re in, NOVA Chief of Staff’s certification course may be just the resource you’re hungry for.
00:00:57.753 –> 00:01:14.853
JEREMY: With over 400 students across 20 countries and rave reviews, students graduate from NOVA’s hands-on, self-paced online course with the confidence, knowledge, and power to make the move to Chief of Staff for their executive.
00:01:14.853 –> 00:01:16.393
JEREMY: But don’t take my word for it.
00:01:16.393 –> 00:01:26.293
JEREMY: Visit leaderassistant.com/nova to find countless testimonials, the course syllabus, and lots of free resources to support you in your career journey.
00:01:26.293 –> 00:01:28.633
JEREMY: Hey friends, welcome to The Leader Assistant Podcast.
00:01:28.633 –> 00:01:32.593
JEREMY: It’s your host Jeremy Burrows and this is episode 284.
00:01:32.593 –> 00:01:37.233
JEREMY: You can check out the show notes for this episode at leaderassistant.com/284.
00:01:40.893 –> 00:01:50.653
JEREMY: Today, I’m excited to be speaking with my friend Fanni Gambero, and Fanni is the president and co-founder of XM Talent Pros.
00:01:50.653 –> 00:01:52.753
JEREMY: Fanni, welcome to the show.
00:01:52.753 –> 00:01:53.493
FANNI: Hi Jeremy.
00:01:53.493 –> 00:01:54.233
FANNI: Hi everybody.
00:01:54.233 –> 00:01:56.773
FANNI: It’s so nice to be here.
00:01:56.773 –> 00:01:57.993
JEREMY: Love it.
00:01:57.993 –> 00:02:00.313
JEREMY: What part of the world are you in?
00:02:00.313 –> 00:02:06.533
FANNI: Right now, I am in Haslett, Texas, which is right in between Dallas and Fort Worth.
00:02:06.533 –> 00:02:07.073
JEREMY: Awesome.
00:02:07.073 –> 00:02:09.093
JEREMY: Then where are you from originally?
00:02:09.793 –> 00:02:16.993
FANNI: I’m originally from Hungary, and I’m actually traveling very soon back home, so I’m excited to be visiting family.
00:02:17.013 –> 00:02:18.633
JEREMY: Oh, cool, cool.
00:02:18.633 –> 00:02:22.173
JEREMY: And what brought you to the US?
00:02:22.173 –> 00:02:32.093
FANNI: Yeah, so I actually met my husband on a mission trip when I was 18, and I was a translator at the Bible Camp that we attended, and we kept in touch.
00:02:32.093 –> 00:02:38.613
FANNI: We did long distance for about three years when I was 20, not even 20.
00:02:39.093 –> 00:02:40.593
FANNI: Yeah, I was 21.
00:02:41.733 –> 00:02:49.393
FANNI: He proposed and we got married in Hungary, but then we moved to South Korea to kind of see the world for two years.
00:02:49.393 –> 00:02:51.213
FANNI: We love traveling.
00:02:51.213 –> 00:02:53.533
FANNI: And then he is from the US.
00:02:53.533 –> 00:02:59.973
FANNI: So after that two-year endeavor, we decided to move to the US in 2014.
00:02:59.973 –> 00:03:02.513
FANNI: So I’ve been here since then, and I’m an American citizen now.
00:03:03.333 –> 00:03:04.193
JEREMY: Oh, awesome.
00:03:04.193 –> 00:03:05.153
JEREMY: Congrats.
00:03:05.153 –> 00:03:06.273
FANNI: Thanks.
00:03:06.273 –> 00:03:06.873
JEREMY: That’s great.
00:03:06.873 –> 00:03:12.293
JEREMY: So how did you end up becoming an assistant?
00:03:12.293 –> 00:03:13.573
FANNI: You know, it’s kind of funny.
00:03:13.573 –> 00:03:20.693
FANNI: Whenever I listen to your show, I hear everybody say, oh, I just kind of fell into it, and that’s kind of the same thing for me.
00:03:20.693 –> 00:03:31.933
FANNI: So one of my friends and I were playing tabletop games, and I was complaining to her about my current job, where the leader was just a terrible leader.
00:03:32.553 –> 00:03:33.993
FANNI: He’s not listening.
00:03:33.993 –> 00:03:36.913
FANNI: But he was just not a great leader.
00:03:36.913 –> 00:03:41.613
FANNI: And she said that, hey, I work with a lot of small businesses.
00:03:41.613 –> 00:03:46.073
FANNI: Why don’t we have coffee and kind of just see what you want to do?
00:03:46.073 –> 00:03:51.813
FANNI: I really didn’t know what I wanted to do, but I knew it was going to be in the business world.
00:03:51.813 –> 00:03:53.973
FANNI: And then we had that coffee.
00:03:53.973 –> 00:03:58.713
FANNI: I was definitely late because I didn’t take the right exit, but we had coffee.
00:03:58.713 –> 00:04:04.473
FANNI: And then she was very gracious, just asked me, she asked me a lot of questions.
00:04:05.513 –> 00:04:12.033
FANNI: And I did not know that they were actually hiring for an office admin position.
00:04:12.033 –> 00:04:16.653
FANNI: But it seemed like whatever I was searching for and looking for was what they wanted.
00:04:16.653 –> 00:04:27.813
FANNI: And yeah, in 2018, I got hired at XM Performance, which is a coaching consulting training company in South Lake, Texas.
00:04:27.833 –> 00:04:31.073
FANNI: And yeah, that was almost six years ago.
00:04:31.253 –> 00:04:35.373
FANNI: My sixth anniversary is soon coming up, so.
00:04:35.373 –> 00:04:36.133
JEREMY: Wow.
00:04:36.153 –> 00:04:43.173
JEREMY: So how has your role evolved over those six years?
00:04:43.173 –> 00:04:43.613
FANNI: Wow.
00:04:44.573 –> 00:04:47.493
FANNI: It’s evolved quite a lot.
00:04:47.493 –> 00:04:52.633
FANNI: As I said, I didn’t really know what I wanted to do in the business world.
00:04:52.633 –> 00:05:01.753
FANNI: So we kind of just put me in the office admin role where I had to learn like everything about the business and kind of manage events and stuff like that.
00:05:01.753 –> 00:05:09.093
FANNI: But after about two months, I earned the title office manager.
00:05:09.093 –> 00:05:09.613
FANNI: Right.
00:05:09.613 –> 00:05:17.713
FANNI: And then whenever I actually was pregnant when I got hired, they didn’t know, but I tricked them.
00:05:17.713 –> 00:05:19.293
FANNI: Ross always jokes about that.
00:05:19.293 –> 00:05:21.433
FANNI: I tricked them and deceived them.
00:05:21.453 –> 00:05:27.433
FANNI: And then after my first maternity leave, we were trying to figure out where do my strengths really lie?
00:05:27.513 –> 00:05:43.353
FANNI: And I really loved serving and I loved figuring out processes and systems and kind of just being Jack of all trades, Jill of all trades, and I became the president’s executive assistant.
00:05:43.393 –> 00:05:49.053
FANNI: And I did that for about a year, year and a half, and that was super fun.
00:05:49.053 –> 00:05:53.173
FANNI: And that’s when I actually got introduced to The Leader Assistant Podcast.
00:05:53.173 –> 00:05:55.013
FANNI: That’s when I first started listening to it.
00:05:55.233 –> 00:06:01.013
FANNI: And I remember, I think you had probably 60 episodes out at that point.
00:06:01.013 –> 00:06:04.013
FANNI: And I scrolled down to the bottom all the way.
00:06:04.013 –> 00:06:06.713
FANNI: And I started listening from Episode 1.
00:06:06.713 –> 00:06:07.113
JEREMY: Nice.
00:06:07.113 –> 00:06:14.433
FANNI: And I just absorb all of the information because I’ve never been an executive assistant before in the past.
00:06:14.433 –> 00:06:20.573
FANNI: And so I wanted to be the best or at least serve my executive real well.
00:06:20.573 –> 00:06:27.133
FANNI: And so that was one of the catalysts for me to really enjoy and dive into this world of assisting.
00:06:28.713 –> 00:06:29.033
JEREMY: Nice.
00:06:29.033 –> 00:06:36.833
JEREMY: So then, what’s, I’m trying to figure out your story, and this is why I wanted to talk with you.
00:06:36.833 –> 00:06:41.493
JEREMY: So you’re now the president and co-founder of XM Talent Pros.
00:06:41.493 –> 00:06:44.513
JEREMY: So you’re technically not an assistant anymore, is that correct?
00:06:44.513 –> 00:06:45.673
FANNI: Yeah, that’s correct.
00:06:45.673 –> 00:06:46.513
FANNI: So thank you.
00:06:46.513 –> 00:06:56.493
FANNI: I know my story, as I said, it’s a long journey, and there has been a lot of iterations of what Fanni is doing at XM Performance.
00:06:56.493 –> 00:07:02.153
FANNI: So, yeah, so I became the president’s EA, and I did that for about a year and a half.
00:07:02.153 –> 00:07:07.493
FANNI: And actually, my friend who recruited me to the business, left the business, exited the business.
00:07:07.493 –> 00:07:11.993
FANNI: So I took on the role of chief of staff at the time.
00:07:11.993 –> 00:07:23.153
FANNI: So making sure, of course, all projects are moving forward and the team is kind of aligned, and rowing in the same boat based on the president’s vision.
00:07:23.153 –> 00:07:35.013
FANNI: And then our business revolves around helping small to mid-sized businesses become the best places to work in America.
00:07:35.013 –> 00:07:40.573
FANNI: And so we work with a lot of small businesses, and we help them grow their business and have strategic clarity.
00:07:40.573 –> 00:07:54.313
FANNI: And we had, I attended a lot of mastermind groups, and we just kept hearing from our clients that they needed Fanni, in their business, they needed a small business accelerator, what we call it, in their business.
00:07:54.313 –> 00:08:05.573
FANNI: And a lot of our clients kept asking us, you know, hey, how do I find somebody like Fanni or somebody who can help me with my calendar and email management?
00:08:05.573 –> 00:08:10.853
FANNI: And, you know, at first, we just said, you know, like, engage some recruiters.
00:08:10.853 –> 00:08:19.053
FANNI: But after some time, we said, well, we can actually help you find a person like that or a person that you need.
00:08:19.073 –> 00:08:29.533
FANNI: And so about, yeah, three years ago, we started experimenting with the process of recruiting into small businesses.
00:08:29.533 –> 00:08:34.273
FANNI: And now we are actually expanding our brand.
00:08:34.273 –> 00:08:45.113
FANNI: So I get to work with my executive on co-founding this business called XM Talent Pros, which is our recruiting side of our business.
00:08:45.233 –> 00:08:51.613
FANNI: I don’t like to call it recruiting because we’re more like casting directors to find the co-star roles for small businesses.
00:08:51.613 –> 00:08:53.553
JEREMY: Yeah, I like that.
00:08:53.553 –> 00:09:01.473
FANNI: Because we know, yeah, we know admins are co-stars, definitely, in small businesses and in any business, too.
00:09:01.473 –> 00:09:03.313
FANNI: You know, any EA is the co-star.
00:09:04.613 –> 00:09:04.813
JEREMY: Yeah.
00:09:05.813 –> 00:09:20.493
JEREMY: So, XM Talent Pros is essentially, are you focused on the executive assistant slash president or CEO partnership and helping executives find assistance?
00:09:20.493 –> 00:09:21.933
JEREMY: Is that what you’re focused on?
00:09:21.933 –> 00:09:23.493
FANNI: Yeah, that’s exactly it.
00:09:23.493 –> 00:09:23.773
FANNI: Okay.
00:09:23.773 –> 00:09:24.873
FANNI: That’s exactly it.
00:09:24.873 –> 00:09:30.513
FANNI: I just focus on the small business community because that’s where our heart is.
00:09:30.513 –> 00:09:32.593
FANNI: I’m familiar with the small business community.
00:09:33.573 –> 00:09:50.253
FANNI: And I know, yes, of course, every president and CEO needs somebody different, but especially in small business, you have to have a person who can cover and learn a lot of areas of the business, right?
00:09:50.253 –> 00:10:01.813
FANNI: And so we do a consultative session with the presidents that we talk to about who they are, who do they need, where are their blind spots.
00:10:02.753 –> 00:10:07.853
FANNI: We help attract talent into their business based on our process.
00:10:07.853 –> 00:10:15.073
FANNI: We do the interviewing for them, the first round of interviewing, and then ultimately it’s their decision who they pick.
00:10:15.073 –> 00:10:27.053
FANNI: But then after that, we stay on board and we help coach the entrepreneur and the new Small Business Accelerator, or EA, how to learn about each other faster.
00:10:27.053 –> 00:10:30.233
FANNI: So we leverage personality assessments in that process.
00:10:31.653 –> 00:10:32.433
JEREMY: Nice.
00:10:33.433 –> 00:10:49.453
JEREMY: So what would you say is the prime profile, if you will, of a casting director or of a small business accelerator?
00:10:49.573 –> 00:10:51.093
JEREMY: A slash assistant.
00:10:51.093 –> 00:10:51.533
FANNI: Yeah.
00:10:51.533 –> 00:10:54.133
FANNI: So that is a great question, Jeremy.
00:10:54.133 –> 00:10:57.813
FANNI: I would say that there isn’t really one.
00:10:58.613 –> 00:11:08.753
FANNI: However, the way we look at it is what we learned is, for example, Ross and I are completely different personalities.
00:11:08.753 –> 00:11:15.293
FANNI: We use disk and 12 driving forces and we’ve taken other personality assessments as well, but those two are our favorites.
00:11:15.293 –> 00:11:26.673
FANNI: And Ross is the typical entrepreneur, high D personality, he shoes before he aims type person, right?
00:11:26.673 –> 00:11:31.933
FANNI: And I, on the other hand, I’m a little bit more reserved and I like to take a step back before I act.
00:11:31.933 –> 00:11:42.373
FANNI: So we really are completely different personalities, and that’s what comes in handy in an EA entrepreneur partnership, we feel like.
00:11:42.373 –> 00:11:45.133
FANNI: However, EAs have to be very detail-oriented.
00:11:45.213 –> 00:11:50.513
FANNI: You know, we don’t want to have little things fall through the cracks.
00:11:50.513 –> 00:11:52.873
FANNI: We have to come up with our own systems and processes.
00:11:52.873 –> 00:11:55.253
FANNI: We kind of have to get fired up about that.
00:11:55.253 –> 00:12:11.153
FANNI: So I would say, you know, my preference is always either an SC or DC for an EA on the Dysprofile if you guys are familiar with that.
00:12:11.733 –> 00:12:14.573
JEREMY: Could you share like a short version of what that means?
00:12:14.573 –> 00:12:16.793
JEREMY: Like what the D and the SC?
00:12:16.793 –> 00:12:18.073
JEREMY: It’s been a long time since I’ve done it.
00:12:18.073 –> 00:12:18.913
FANNI: It’s been a long time.
00:12:18.913 –> 00:12:19.913
FANNI: Yeah, definitely.
00:12:19.913 –> 00:12:22.673
FANNI: So D, I, S, and C, they all stand for something.
00:12:22.673 –> 00:12:25.133
FANNI: So D stands for dominance.
00:12:25.153 –> 00:12:26.833
FANNI: I is influence.
00:12:26.913 –> 00:12:28.133
FANNI: S is steadiness.
00:12:28.133 –> 00:12:30.153
FANNI: And C is compliance.
00:12:30.153 –> 00:12:33.633
FANNI: So imagine a high D personality as a lion in the animal world.
00:12:33.633 –> 00:12:34.833
FANNI: You can’t tell them what to do.
00:12:34.833 –> 00:12:36.513
FANNI: They always go after their own prey.
00:12:36.513 –> 00:12:39.033
FANNI: And, you know, again, there’s no rules for them, right?
00:12:40.133 –> 00:12:44.753
FANNI: High I is like an otter in the animal world.
00:12:44.753 –> 00:12:49.933
FANNI: So they’re very social, outgoing, just fun, you know, cute creatures.
00:12:51.113 –> 00:12:54.333
FANNI: And then high S is like a golden retriever.
00:12:54.333 –> 00:12:56.853
FANNI: So what characterizes a golden retriever?
00:12:56.853 –> 00:13:00.353
FANNI: They’re very mellow, loyal.
00:13:00.353 –> 00:13:02.593
FANNI: The environment is very steady.
00:13:02.593 –> 00:13:04.553
FANNI: That’s what they prefer, right?
00:13:04.553 –> 00:13:06.753
FANNI: And a high C personality is like a beaver.
00:13:07.493 –> 00:13:11.273
FANNI: Beavers build dams and they follow processes and systems, right?
00:13:11.273 –> 00:13:18.813
FANNI: So a high C personality is driven to follow the rules and regulations set by others, right?
00:13:18.813 –> 00:13:22.273
FANNI: So that’s your crash course on the DISS profile.
00:13:22.273 –> 00:13:26.993
FANNI: And, you know, interesting differences between the D’s.
00:13:26.993 –> 00:13:35.533
FANNI: So if you pair them up, so D’s and I’s on the DISS profile are very fast paced individuals.
00:13:36.313 –> 00:13:39.253
FANNI: C’s and S’s are, on the other hand, they’re slower paced.
00:13:39.253 –> 00:13:45.233
FANNI: Doesn’t mean they’re slow completely or, you know, slow pokes and slow moving, but they’re thorough, right?
00:13:45.233 –> 00:13:52.633
FANNI: So they like to take their time to make sure the output or whatever project they’re working on is done correctly.
00:13:52.633 –> 00:14:03.493
FANNI: Now, if we pair the other ones, so D’s and C’s are task oriented, S’s and I’s are people oriented.
00:14:04.193 –> 00:14:15.113
FANNI: So high I, high S will come in to work, and the first thing they’ll talk about is what they did in the weekend, you know, what recipes they tried and kind of just have this personal connection that’s really important for them.
00:14:15.113 –> 00:14:18.393
FANNI: And then D’s and C’s will say, okay, hey, how’s it going?
00:14:18.393 –> 00:14:20.613
FANNI: What are the projects we got to get done today?
00:14:20.613 –> 00:14:40.673
FANNI: So, you know, that’s something that can create conflict between people, but also in an EA Entrepreneur Partnership, you know, when Ross gets excited about a chaotic environment, while I, on the other hand, like to bring the steadiness, the peace, the harmony, right?
00:14:40.673 –> 00:14:43.893
FANNI: So we can cover each other’s blind spots in that way.
00:14:43.893 –> 00:14:56.333
FANNI: And so to answer your original question, Jeremy, I think the best profile for an EA Entrepreneur is the profile that complements each other, kind of like a puzzle piece, right?
00:14:58.033 –> 00:15:02.593
FANNI: So opposites are great when it comes to.
00:15:02.593 –> 00:15:19.993
FANNI: Because I did hire a high I, or I did place a high I small business accelerator with an entrepreneur who is not that outgoing, but he knew that for his business, he had to be the salesperson and go to networking events and kind of just be social.
00:15:19.993 –> 00:15:28.253
FANNI: So we decided to hire a higher I, a very outgoing social personality as his EA.
00:15:28.253 –> 00:15:32.973
FANNI: And she was the one who would work the crowd and just bring the right connections to him.
00:15:32.973 –> 00:15:37.833
FANNI: So that was, that was kind of a different approach.
00:15:37.833 –> 00:15:39.233
FANNI: Yeah.
00:15:39.273 –> 00:15:40.333
JEREMY: That’s awesome.
00:15:40.653 –> 00:15:52.193
JEREMY: So what then, when you do these assessments and you try to pair, what are some other things you do in the interview process?
00:15:52.293 –> 00:16:04.273
JEREMY: So let’s say this executive scores high on the on the D and then the assistant scores high on the S and you’re like, oh, this on paper, this looks good.
00:16:04.273 –> 00:16:09.533
JEREMY: How do you filter via your conversations on interviews?
00:16:09.533 –> 00:16:11.653
JEREMY: What maybe what kind of questions do you ask?
00:16:11.653 –> 00:16:13.873
JEREMY: What kind of red flags do you look for?
00:16:13.873 –> 00:16:20.053
JEREMY: Because I’m sure there are times when on paper it looks like a good match, but then you talk to them and it’s like, yeah, this isn’t going to work.
00:16:20.053 –> 00:16:20.873
FANNI: Absolutely.
00:16:20.873 –> 00:16:22.073
FANNI: I love the question as well.
00:16:22.153 –> 00:16:26.513
FANNI: And I love sharing my favorite interview questions with people.
00:16:26.513 –> 00:16:35.453
FANNI: First and foremost, I focus on character skills because that’s something you cannot teach.
00:16:35.693 –> 00:16:41.353
FANNI: If somebody does not have the right attitude, it’s not something you can inspire them to have a better attitude.
00:16:41.913 –> 00:16:43.433
FANNI: There’s no way.
00:16:43.433 –> 00:16:55.553
FANNI: So a couple of things that I ask are, what’s the best place you’ve ever worked at, and why you loved it, and what’s the worst?
00:16:55.553 –> 00:17:01.313
FANNI: And then what I’m listening for is, how do they present that negative answer?
00:17:01.313 –> 00:17:10.973
FANNI: Are they telling me that, oh my goodness, this was the most terrible job I’ve ever had, and I’m never going to go back there?
00:17:10.973 –> 00:17:17.953
FANNI: Then what I’m hearing is, this person has kind of a victim mindset and I’m not looking for that.
00:17:17.953 –> 00:17:23.693
FANNI: I’m looking for a person who wants to grow and has learned from that situation.
00:17:23.693 –> 00:17:31.033
FANNI: Yeah, this situation or this work environment was not the one that fit me personally.
00:17:31.033 –> 00:17:39.733
FANNI: I am definitely looking for something else, but I learned a lot about what to look for in my next job or something like that, right?
00:17:39.733 –> 00:17:41.893
FANNI: So those are the things I’m looking for.
00:17:41.993 –> 00:17:44.733
FANNI: I’m also looking for if they’re showing up on time.
00:17:44.733 –> 00:17:48.453
FANNI: How do they present themselves, their communication skills?
00:17:49.993 –> 00:17:52.273
FANNI: What other questions do we ask?
00:17:52.273 –> 00:17:56.193
FANNI: Tell me about the best boss you’ve ever had and why you enjoyed working with them.
00:17:56.193 –> 00:18:06.713
FANNI: So we’re looking for what type of leader they’ve had experience working with and what did they enjoy about that personality or what was challenging.
00:18:06.713 –> 00:18:09.033
FANNI: Of course, I ask about their future dreams.
00:18:09.513 –> 00:18:14.233
FANNI: That’s how we can be casting directors at XM Talent Pros.
00:18:15.753 –> 00:18:23.833
FANNI: Basically, where the company is going, because I know where the company is going, that’s part of my conversation with my clients.
00:18:23.853 –> 00:18:33.613
FANNI: If the direction the company is going doesn’t align with the vision of the EA, it’s not going to be a long-term match, not going to be a long-term engagement.
00:18:34.353 –> 00:18:42.753
FANNI: So I want to see if this, a lot of people during interviews say, I’m looking for growth.
00:18:42.753 –> 00:18:46.973
FANNI: I usually pause them and say, what does that really mean for you?
00:18:46.973 –> 00:18:56.813
FANNI: Do you want to gain more new skills or growth as in a different status in the company or lead people?
00:18:56.813 –> 00:18:58.173
FANNI: What does that really mean for you?
00:18:58.713 –> 00:19:05.853
FANNI: And can the company, and sometimes small businesses are limited as far as growth opportunities, sometimes not always, right?
00:19:05.853 –> 00:19:10.813
FANNI: But can the company really give that to the candidate?
00:19:10.813 –> 00:19:16.693
FANNI: And that’s what I’m focusing on if there’s an alignment there as well, not just short-term but long-term too.
00:19:22.601 –> 00:19:25.981
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00:19:59.401 –> 00:20:00.141
JEREMY: That’s great.
00:20:00.141 –> 00:20:01.701
JEREMY: Super, super helpful tips.
00:20:01.701 –> 00:20:03.661
JEREMY: Thank you so much for sharing.
00:20:05.041 –> 00:20:24.241
JEREMY: Let’s take a step back for a second and share with us a little bit about your vision on, you know, what you want to help assistance with in general and, you know, big picture grand scheme of things.
00:20:24.241 –> 00:20:28.961
JEREMY: How do you want to impact the administrative profession with the work that you guys are doing?
00:20:28.961 –> 00:20:29.421
FANNI: Yeah.
00:20:29.421 –> 00:20:32.821
FANNI: And it’s, it’s really amplifying what you’re already doing, honestly.
00:20:34.161 –> 00:20:47.461
FANNI: And other bigger names in our community do, like Hallie Warner with The Force Multiplier and, and other, other individuals who are helping the admin community.
00:20:48.701 –> 00:21:04.281
FANNI: My vision, you know, one thing I realized about being a small business EA or a small business accelerator is, we’re usually alone and we’re the only person in our company, and we don’t have a community to turn to.
00:21:04.281 –> 00:21:18.541
FANNI: So we actually had a networking event that we did for a year in person in the Dallas area for small business accelerators or admins.
00:21:18.541 –> 00:21:26.341
FANNI: So we got together for a lunch and learn once a month, and we had a speaker come in or I, I had the topic I covered.
00:21:27.501 –> 00:21:42.301
FANNI: And we just shared a meal together and talked about, you know, the frustrating things about being an EA or the challenging things and all the, all the great parts as well.
00:21:42.301 –> 00:21:54.861
FANNI: So I’d love to just connect with a lot of small business admins who are hoping to take their career to the next level, just like you, Jeremy.
00:21:55.821 –> 00:22:07.681
FANNI: But also if somebody is growing in a company and they need to find their replacement, I can teach them how to find that person or I can take that off their plate as well.
00:22:08.801 –> 00:22:14.821
FANNI: So that would be, that would be a great collaboration, I think.
00:22:14.821 –> 00:22:22.941
FANNI: And also, I never knew that I was going to be somebody who hires people for a living.
00:22:23.021 –> 00:22:25.281
FANNI: I didn’t know I was going to do business consulting.
00:22:25.281 –> 00:22:28.901
FANNI: I just learned all that by shadowing my executive.
00:22:28.901 –> 00:22:29.881
JEREMY: Right.
00:22:29.881 –> 00:22:35.421
FANNI: And having him pour into me as an individual was huge.
00:22:35.421 –> 00:22:47.481
FANNI: And so I want to find businesses like that, where the leaders pour into their employees, especially their admin as well.
00:22:47.481 –> 00:23:07.741
FANNI: I want to find businesses like that so I can bring the right administrator to them so they can even double their business or triple their business in a short amount of time, and also benefit personally and professionally from this partnership.
00:23:08.981 –> 00:23:09.961
JEREMY: That’s great.
00:23:09.961 –> 00:23:11.881
JEREMY: Sounds like a good mission to me.
00:23:13.261 –> 00:23:15.141
FANNI: I know we’re aligned on that.
00:23:17.021 –> 00:23:17.581
JEREMY: That’s awesome.
00:23:17.581 –> 00:23:31.781
JEREMY: Well, what’s maybe another kind of final word for assistants out there, but specifically, I know a lot of assistants are currently looking for work.
00:23:31.781 –> 00:23:35.461
JEREMY: Maybe they were laid off for whatever reason or another.
00:23:35.481 –> 00:23:41.141
JEREMY: And what would be your encouragement to the unemployed assistants listening right now?
00:23:41.141 –> 00:23:42.341
FANNI: Yeah, absolutely.
00:23:42.341 –> 00:23:44.741
FANNI: It is tough to be in a position like that.
00:23:46.301 –> 00:23:55.961
FANNI: But I think the best thing is to network and ask around your friends, your family, if they have any connections.
00:23:55.961 –> 00:24:04.941
FANNI: So I think the easiest way to land a job is through your network.
00:24:04.941 –> 00:24:13.861
FANNI: My most recent projects were for remote EA positions, and we received about a thousand candidates.
00:24:14.701 –> 00:24:27.921
FANNI: So your resume really has to shine for me to see that you’re that servant-hearted and go-getter individual, right?
00:24:27.921 –> 00:24:32.321
FANNI: It’s really hard to communicate that on paper, right?
00:24:32.321 –> 00:24:38.141
FANNI: So sometimes the easiest way to find somebody is through our network.
00:24:39.041 –> 00:24:46.641
FANNI: And also, read the job description from top to bottom.
00:24:46.641 –> 00:24:55.921
FANNI: One of our secret sauces, I’ll tell you, the way we find assistants is we give them a lot of tasks to do, to edit their resume or cover letter in a certain way.
00:24:55.921 –> 00:24:57.661
FANNI: And we overlook those people.
00:24:57.661 –> 00:25:06.401
FANNI: We actually don’t even consider those people that don’t follow the instructions because we know that admins have to be detail-oriented.
00:25:06.521 –> 00:25:15.181
FANNI: So truly read every word that the job description say, because there might be other companies I know utilize this strategy.
00:25:15.181 –> 00:25:18.941
FANNI: So there might be something like that.
00:25:18.941 –> 00:25:26.761
FANNI: And it’s just an easy task, but that’s their first line of figuring out who’s going to come in that role next.
00:25:26.761 –> 00:25:32.161
FANNI: And then again, I don’t have a lot of experience with corporations.
00:25:32.161 –> 00:25:52.001
FANNI: If you have some friends or any people that you are connected with on LinkedIn, connect with them because I know in corporate environment, they have an applicant tracking system or a system that the company built where current employees can invite candidates.
00:25:52.001 –> 00:25:59.021
FANNI: And that’s how the resumes get noticed or placed on the top.
00:25:59.801 –> 00:26:01.481
FANNI: Yeah, exactly.
00:26:01.481 –> 00:26:05.561
FANNI: So that could be a good tip.
00:26:05.561 –> 00:26:06.621
FANNI: Hopefully, that’s helpful.
00:26:06.621 –> 00:26:07.681
JEREMY: Yeah.
00:26:07.681 –> 00:26:08.921
JEREMY: No, I 100% agree.
00:26:08.921 –> 00:26:21.421
JEREMY: I think that nowadays it’s even more important to network and have somebody on the inside, put your name at the top of the list or make sure you get a call back.
00:26:21.421 –> 00:26:23.761
JEREMY: So I definitely agree with you there.
00:26:24.361 –> 00:26:25.641
FANNI: Yeah.
00:26:25.641 –> 00:26:27.501
JEREMY: Well, Fanni, thank you so much for your time.
00:26:27.501 –> 00:26:29.881
JEREMY: This has been great, fun conversation.
00:26:29.881 –> 00:26:32.561
JEREMY: I do have one last fun, quick question.
00:26:33.661 –> 00:26:38.321
JEREMY: What is your favorite thing to do when you’re not working?
00:26:38.321 –> 00:26:40.801
FANNI: What’s my favorite thing to do when I’m not working?
00:26:40.801 –> 00:26:48.981
FANNI: Of course, hanging out with my kiddos and my husband, I love that, but escape rooms are something that I really enjoy doing.
00:26:48.981 –> 00:26:54.861
FANNI: I love figuring out puzzles and just the thrill of, oh, are we going to get out or not?
00:26:54.861 –> 00:26:55.881
FANNI: It’s super fun.
00:26:55.881 –> 00:26:56.921
JEREMY: Nice.
00:26:56.941 –> 00:26:57.441
JEREMY: Awesome.
00:26:57.441 –> 00:26:58.461
JEREMY: Well, thanks again.
00:26:58.461 –> 00:27:08.421
JEREMY: Is there a good place, one-stop shop and I’ll put all your links in the show notes as well, but is there a one-stop shop that people can reach out and say hi if they want to connect?
00:27:08.421 –> 00:27:13.581
FANNI: Yeah, Jeremy, it would be my LinkedIn profile, so connect with me on LinkedIn.
00:27:14.761 –> 00:27:22.421
FANNI: The link is going to be in the show notes, but if you visit xmtalentpros.com, definitely sign up for our newsletter.
00:27:24.041 –> 00:27:28.541
FANNI: I can’t wait to share our message with more people.
00:27:28.541 –> 00:27:44.141
FANNI: If you know any admins and smaller businesses that don’t have the support that they feel like they need or would want, or whoever is looking for jobs, feel free to connect me with them on LinkedIn as well.
00:27:44.141 –> 00:27:44.761
JEREMY: Sounds great.
00:27:44.761 –> 00:27:45.721
JEREMY: We’ll definitely do that.
00:27:46.021 –> 00:28:00.001
JEREMY: And again, the show notes are at leaderassistant.com/284, leaderassistant.com/284 to find out more about Fanni and her business and reach out and connect and say hi.
00:28:00.001 –> 00:28:02.061
JEREMY: So thanks again for being on the show.
00:28:02.061 –> 00:28:03.641
JEREMY: Thanks for being a listener of the show.
00:28:03.641 –> 00:28:04.141
JEREMY: I don’t know.
00:28:04.141 –> 00:28:07.141
JEREMY: You said you started back at one.
00:28:07.141 –> 00:28:10.881
JEREMY: I don’t know if you’re all caught up or are you in the hundreds?
00:28:12.981 –> 00:28:14.141
FANNI: I’m not.
00:28:14.141 –> 00:28:17.041
FANNI: I’ve had two kids in the middle.
00:28:17.041 –> 00:28:24.101
FANNI: Even though my drive time is quite a commute, it’s 40 minutes there and then 40 minutes back.
00:28:25.321 –> 00:28:28.721
FANNI: But yet the most recent episodes I feel I’m caught up on.
00:28:28.901 –> 00:28:29.421
JEREMY: Nice.
00:28:29.421 –> 00:28:31.481
JEREMY: Well, you’ll have to start listening to them.
00:28:31.481 –> 00:28:38.741
JEREMY: If you don’t already, you’ll have to start listening to them at 2x speed, which my voice is more interesting at 2x speed anyway.
00:28:39.041 –> 00:28:40.701
FANNI: So I should try that.
00:28:40.701 –> 00:28:42.501
JEREMY: I should get through a lot more episodes that way.
00:28:42.501 –> 00:28:43.201
<v SPEAKER_3>I know.
00:28:43.201 –> 00:28:43.821
<v SPEAKER_3>Yeah.
00:28:43.861 –> 00:28:44.521
FANNI: Thank you.
00:28:44.521 –> 00:28:46.881
FANNI: Thank you, Jeremy, for having me on the podcast.
00:28:46.881 –> 00:28:49.341
FANNI: This was super fun.
00:28:49.341 –> 00:28:52.101
FANNI: Thanks for all you do for the admin community.
00:28:52.101 –> 00:28:52.781
JEREMY: Yeah, you’re welcome.
00:28:52.781 –> 00:28:53.421
JEREMY: My pleasure.
00:28:53.901 –> 00:28:55.021
JEREMY: We’ll talk soon.
00:28:55.021 –> 00:28:55.441
FANNI: All right.
00:28:55.441 –> 00:28:55.661
<v SPEAKER_3>See you.
00:29:06.172 –> 00:29:08.852
<v SPEAKER_3>Please review on Apple Podcasts.
00:29:15.271 –> 00:29:16.971
<v SPEAKER_2>goburrows.com.
