Cherry Blossom Corporation’s Post

I choose to wind down this work week on a high note while holding a two-sided record. Side A - The attached creative results from my upskilling and combining decades of natural human intelligence to bring ideas to life. I remind Keith of what he is capable of. Side B- Having been a creative director in the past, I know creative work much like this took designers, copywriters, photographers, models, and location scouts. I'm not even factoring in makeup, wardrobe, or the person who ensured folks had snacks and at least water to drink. For this record, I don't want anyone to be out of work or their skills to be irrelevant. I've chosen to reframe the problem. How might I leverage the additional intelligence to enhance or even access creativity different than my own? I know it's humbling, but I'm not simply surrendering to it. I've been in situations where the quietest software engineer on the team has a fascinating breakthrough thought. I call those folks "silent dynamite." There is always room for other ideas that differ from mine.  I am sorting through moments where I'm mad, bitter, and threatened by AI. As the feelings settle, I think about it in this way. I have the opportunity to share a singular idea focused on something I enjoy, and I can share it with as many people as it reaches. Most of the time, I'm too afraid to share it. Experimentation permits for it to be received or to flop. So, what you're looking at is simply an experiment. It doesn't have to be great or mediocre, for that matter. However, I managed to get it out of my head with some help. Housekeeping: Discogs didn't ask me to do this; I chose to create it. I believe it aligns with their mission and brand. It's their logo and reputation. They appreciate fans of their brand, so it's a safe experiment. I crafted the generative imagery and copy and pulled everything together in a layout after editing the images and writing. Have a great weekend, and experiment a little.

Hey Creatives! Let’s take a look at what quiet-quitting means for creatives, because it's time we stopped normalizing this. It keeps us in those dead-end jobs, toxic environments, or in roles way below our current skill level. 😣 Treading water is not “doing your best creative work.” So, tell me if any of these sound familiar... 🚫 Avoiding discussion on timelines, work scopes, or creative constraints, and silently suffering through the consequences. 🚫 Giving your micromanager the creative changes they dictate, even when you know it sucks, won't work, or will cause problems later. 🚫 Opting out of presenting your work at meetings, because you feel like you didn't actually do it, or are embarrassed by the outcome. 🚫 Seeing areas for creative improvement, but assuming that it's not worth speaking up about––even if it excites you to do that work. 🚫 Reusing old ideas because you can't muster the energy it requires to come up with new creative concepts or solutions anymore. Resonate with this a bit too much? Yeah, I've been there also. 😖 We normalize these experiences simply to avoid taking action, which is often more terrifying than allowing our creative skills to atrophy. THIS IS NOT OK FOR CREATIVES. It's dangerous. Because you have immense value to add to this world––and that requires your energy, your talent, and your creative spark.💥 Don't suffer in silence. I have lots of free resources on my website to help you reignite that spark. I got you––and you've got this! 🔥👩🏻💻🎨 #creativecareers #quietquitting #toxicworkplace #mentalhealth #yougotthis #jobsearch #designcareer #creativejobs # #energy #talent #designjobs #rockthatcreativejob

This was the worst hire I've made in the last 2 years at D RefleQtion. Recently, I took on a graphic design intern for my team. We had a rocky start as his communication with the team felt a little off. I decided to give him the benefit of the doubt. Unfortunately, his unprofessional behavior quickly became apparent. He was forgetful and missed deadlines. Worst of all, he plagiarized logos for a project—copying directly from Pinterest and passing them off as his work. The final nail in the coffin was when he missed joining at his start time and said he simply forgot. 🤷🏻♀️ It became clear that his lack of professionalism was too great a risk for my business. Firing him within a week was something I wasn’t prepared for, but professionalism and ethics are non-negotiable. Key takeaways from my recent experience: → Professionalism > Skill Skills can be taught, but professionalism requires discipline. At D RefleQtion, finding skilled talent is easy, but finding those with basic etiquette and professionalism is the real challenge. → Team Dynamics: The right team member lifts everyone up, but the wrong hire can pull the whole team down. → Trust Your Instincts: Mistakes happen. If something feels off, act quickly. Your intuition is a powerful guide. → Communication: Please communicate professionally. It’s not just about what you say, but how you say it. Hiring the right people can make or break a business. What are your thoughts on new hires and team building?

Day 23 of helping Julie Smith-Belton find work in Denmark 🇩🇰 I opened the door and Julie ran to greet me. Normally when I arrive home, it's the youngest in our family, the marketing intern from the Day 22 post, who gets to me first. But yesterday it was Julie, her eyes awash with excitement. Do you know that feeling when you can feel the wind begin to turn? Maybe it's because you feel a change in the temperature. Or suddenly you're aware that the wind has dropped. You begin to hear the birds. Something is shifting. That's the kind of excitement I saw in Julie's eyes. Make no mistake, through this journey, she's experienced all the emotions. If you're looking for work, and I know there are a lot of you, you know exactly what I'm referring to. But right now, although we can't put our fingers on it, we can sense movement. And that is good enough. Will that movement attract substance and form? Only time will tell. Until then, I will be VP'ing the chutney out of the LinkedIn algorithm and your feeds. (I have no idea what that really means, but it felt good writing it.) Lastly, a reminder: We are focusing Julie's search on super creative, fun, playful companies in Denmark. We're going for the big prize, like LEGO Education and the LEGO Group. But perhaps you know of, or work at some other wildly creative, imaginative, playful and special company like I have described? Please would you mention that company below? Help me cover my blindspots. #FindJulieSomeWork #FreedomAndResponsibility ----------------------------------- Behance: https://lnkd.in/drsWwhS7 Insta: https://lnkd.in/dMG7XugT Web: https://lnkd.in/dkw7QqUR Here are some things YOU can do to help get Julie hired. 1️⃣ Do you work at a super creative place? Hire her 2️⃣ Get to know her. Invite her for a casual coffee chat - she's so chill 3️⃣ Connect with her or follow her - but don't follow her on the streets 4️⃣ React to, comment on or repost these posts - as often as you can Did you miss a previous post? Find the previous 5 posts below Day 22: https://lnkd.in/dJx8uMPa Day 21: https://lnkd.in/dixkppg2 Day 20: https://lnkd.in/dCTX9HY9 Day 19: https://lnkd.in/d3PcaqSm Day 18: https://lnkd.in/dNgYA_2Q

Hey Creatives! Let’s take a look at what quiet-quitting means for creatives, because it's time we stopped normalizing this. It keeps us in those dead-end jobs, toxic environments, or in roles way below our current skill level. 😣 Treading water is not “doing your best creative work.” So, tell me if any of these sound familiar... 🚫 Avoiding discussion on timelines, work scopes, or creative constraints, and silently suffering through the consequences. 🚫 Giving your micromanager the creative changes they dictate, even when you know it sucks, won't work, or will cause problems later. 🚫 Opting out of presenting your work at meetings, because you feel like you didn't actually do it, or are embarrassed by the outcome. 🚫 Seeing areas for creative improvement, but assuming that it's not worth speaking up about––even if it excites you to do that work. 🚫 Reusing old ideas because you can't muster the energy it requires to come up with new creative concepts or solutions anymore. Resonate with this a bit too much? Yeah, I've been there also. 😖 We normalize these experiences simply to avoid taking action, which is often more terrifying than allowing our creative skills to atrophy. THIS IS NOT OK FOR CREATIVES. It's dangerous. Because you have immense value to add to this world––and that requires your energy, your talent, and your creative spark.💥 Don't suffer in silence. I have lots of free resources on my website to help you reignite that spark. I got you––and you've got this! 🔥👩🏻💻🎨 #creativecareers #quietquitting #toxicworkplace #mentalhealth #yougotthis #jobsearch #designcareer #creativejobs # #energy #talent #designjobs #rockthatcreativejob

Career Day Challenge: Employer Branding for Toddlers! Today, I visited my son's pre-school to talk about what I do. Building a "cool company image" with the 2-year-old crowd is quite an adventure! Here are some engaging ways to introduce basic work concepts to little ones: 👔 Play pretend! Create a pretend office with dress-up clothes and office supplies. Let the kids take turns being the "boss" and explore different types of work roles. 🎨 Arts & Crafts Extravaganza! Encourage the kids to design their dream company logos or craft badges for various job titles, fostering creativity and imagination. 📚 Story Time! Dive into children's books that showcase diverse careers, sparking conversations about the value of work and the many possibilities ahead. #CareerDay #WorkLifeBalance #EarlyLearning

💡 I am back sharing tips for #ProductDesign and #UXR job seekers! Those are part of my talks & workshops around "𝙈𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙟𝙤𝙗 𝙨𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙘𝙝" ⤵ Today´s topic : "𝙃𝙤𝙬 𝙩𝙤 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙘𝙝 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙣𝙚𝙚𝙙 𝙖 𝙟𝙤𝙗 𝙤𝙧 𝙘𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙚𝙧 𝙖𝙙𝙫𝙞𝙘𝙚" 𝟭. 𝗕𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗲 : 🚫 "Hey how are you?" + nothing else -> worst engagement start possible ✅ 𝗽𝘂𝗿𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵 :  • I am exploring new job opportunities • I need career advise/coaching on (be precise again, ex: growing from Senior IC to Lead) • I need coaching on my job search (CV/portfolio review, mock-interview training..) 𝟮. 𝗗𝗼𝗻´𝘁 𝗯𝗲 𝘁𝗼𝗼 𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴 : 🚫 As 1st approach, writing 6 paragraphs to list all your skills, how amazing you are, your hobbies, certificates & eventually finally a little sentence about what you expect at the end -> NO this is too much 😅 ✅ 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 : • synthesis skills are key to land your dream design job  • hiring managers want to see this to trust putting you in front of c-level stakeholders ex: "I am a UX Designer with 6 years of experience, mostly on native mobile apps in the b2b FinTech space. I am currently looking for a new position (what level/titel) in ("type of company" or "vertical"), ideally remote or based in ("city/country"). I can start ("date/notice period") and my salary expectations are ("range or ideal figure"). Looking forward to hearing back from you & having a intro call if you have a job opening ligned aligned with those criteria..." + 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗮𝗹𝘀𝗼 𝗮𝗱𝗱 : • your super power/top soft or hard skill (short)  • potential vertical focus especially if you´re looking to stay in this space(ex: "FinTech expert")  • product focus (B2B VS B2C, mobile app or web based...) 𝟯. 𝗗𝗼𝗰𝘂𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗮𝗰𝗵: • updated resume with active hyperlink to your portfolio with most recent case studies • calendly link (to make engagement for interview coordination easy) 🚀 Next topic : "𝙃𝙤𝙬 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙪𝙞𝙡𝙙 𝙖 𝙪𝙨𝙚𝙧 𝙚𝙣𝙜𝙖𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙪𝙢𝙚 𝙜𝙚𝙣𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙫𝙞𝙚𝙬 𝙞𝙣𝙫𝙞𝙩𝙚𝙨" 📲 𝗙𝗼𝗿 𝗳𝗮𝗶𝗿 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗲𝘀, 𝗜 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝟭:𝟭 𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗹𝗼𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗰𝘀 𝘃𝗶𝗮 𝗔𝗗𝗣𝗟𝗶𝘀𝘁: https://rb.gy/22nmj7 With love 🌸 Mathieu Ritter Founder at Undiscovered https://lnkd.in/dDvuziyY https://lnkd.in/d4auX4Ka

I once broke my golden rule of 'hiring for company culture and shared values': "Skills can be taught, but attitude can't." And here’s what happened... If I have two people—one who fits our culture and values better and the other with stronger skills... I always hire the one who aligns with our culture and then train for the skills. But once I broke that rule, I paid the price I hired a thumbnail designer whose work was incredible, the best I’d seen However, I noticed some red flags during the assessment stage I ignored them because his skills were off the charts The outcome? His designs were amazing, but his communication was terrible and didn’t keep me updated on project deadlines, and he missed several of them We ended up being late four weeks in a row with our YouTube video postings I decided to adjust our process, thinking the issue might be on my end. My rule is to always look internally first before pointing fingers I gave him several videos in advance and plenty of time to complete them But it was radio silence—no feedback on the new process, no updates on deadlines When it came time to post, I had to chase him down, and we still missed the deadline His skills were great, but he didn’t align with our core values—one of which is respecting each other's time This experience reinforced what I always teach: attitude trumps skills every time! If I have to choose, I’ll always pick someone who fits our culture, values, and vision Skills can be taught, but a good attitude is priceless Plus, someone with less experience usually has fewer bad habits, making them easier to train It’s a win-win really... This short but painful lesson only strengthened my belief in hiring for culture I won’t make that mistake again --- Liked this? Double-tap ❤️ and follow for more tips! . . . #howtohire #remotelifestyle #remotehiring #HiringForCulture #CultureVsSkills

Creating a successful employer brand is about being specific about what your company offers. In a sea of the same claims of being a "great place to work, making it clear that expectations are insanely high (SpaceX), or that working there will tell the world that you’re the best at what you do (Netflix), or highlighting an intense work environment (as seen at OpenAI) is key to attracting talent who seek more than just a job, but precisely what you offer. The idea is to have people invited for interviews who already know how is it to work with you and pre-sold on what you are offering. They know what you stand for and what to expect. #employerbranding https://lnkd.in/dgXxn9Q4

If you're investing time and energy into employee testimonial content: 🚨 You're leaving money on the table! 🚨 Testimonials and stories are not the same. Testimonies TELL. Stories SHOW. Saying, "My company is a great place to work" is *telling*. Saying, "My company invested in my development, promoted me internally, and worked with me to balance my work and life responsibilities when my mother was sick" is *showing*. How can you easily spot the difference between a testimonial and a story? 💫 Specific examples 💫 Stories don't need to be full length blog posts, or articles, or even several hundred word LinkedIn posts. They just need to be specific, individual experiences. 🚩 Testimonial Red Flags 🚩 - "I love working here" with no reasons listed as to why - "It's a fun working environment" without describing in what way - "There's room to grow" with no explanation of how they have grown - "I'm so happy I work here" BUT WHY JEFF? WHY ARE YOU HAPPY? Great employer brand content isn't just about showing THAT you are a good place to work, but WHY you're a good place to work, and HOW people thrive in your company. Without specificity there's no telling whether or not any individual would be a good fit for your work culture. Save yourself some time, energy, and money—get specific in your content. ------------------------------------------------------ If you want a partner in telling employee stories: hi 👋, I'm an Employee Storytelling Specialist! Let's chat about the ways storytelling can impact every aspect of your Employer Brand efficacy. #EmployerBranding #EmployeeStorytelling #Storytelling #CorporateEmpathy