NAME: Christina Gangidino
TITLE: Talent Engagement Manager (recruiter), East Coast Office
TERRITORY: New York City, New Jersey, Connecticut and the greater Boston area.
How long have you been a recruiter?
I’ve been a recruiter for about 2 1/2 years within the creative industry and will be celebrating my 1 year anniversary with WunderLand on April 1st! Before I became a recruiter, I worked as a Social Media Marketer working with various clients maintaining their social media accounts and writing blog posts.
What’s wonderful about working for WunderLand?
One of my favorite things (queue Julie Andrews) about working for WunderLand is my team. We have a great vibe and truly work together to get the job done! I also work side by side with our marketing team and will be writing some of WunderLand’s blog posts, which is a great creative outlet for me.
I think of myself as a people person, so talking to creative people, viewing portfolios, and learning more about where they have been in their career is extremely interesting to me. .
You’re also a yoga instructor. How is yoga like recruiting?
As a yoga instructor and recruiter, you have to feel comfortable talking to people and commanding a room or an interview. It is also important to be personable and approachable so that people feel comfortable in your presence so that they want come back to your class or work with you in the future. Yoga has also helped me to remain calm and centered within the workplace when stress creeps up on you. I can take a few deep breaths and all is well in the world!
When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
Aren’t we always in the process of growing up? As a child I wanted to be a fashion designer and was always doodling outfits in my notebook, but I was terrible at drawing so I’m glad I didn’t go down that path!
What’s awesome about recruiting in your area?
New York City has something creative happening at every turn whether it’s a new architecturally sound building being built, or a painter sitting near the Hudson River painting a landscape. I have found that the design talent within the NYC area is simply amazing. These are the designers and marketers who are developing campaigns for huge companies like Chanel and Showtime that are being seen across the world and that is fascinating to me.
What’s your favorite event for making new connections?
Last spring we attended the HOW Design conference in Boston and met both talent and hiring managers from up and down the East Coast. The conference was a great atmosphere to hear about new software programs or processes designers are using and new company initiatives from hiring managers. I also won an Instagram challenge from How Design and won a piece of artwork that is currently hanging up in my apartment.
In December WunderLand East threw a holiday party for our talent and clients and it was a great way to put a face to a name and learn more about them beyond their work.
What do you ask a candidate to get to the heart of his or her talent?
One of my favorite questions to ask is “What is one of your favorite projects that you have worked on in your career?” The purpose of this question is to learn more about their involvement, what they enjoyed, what obstacles they had to overcome, and what the final outcome/result was for that particular project. I like to dig in and see what makes them tick.
How does a candidate win you over?
As I mentioned earlier, I am a people person so I love being able to have an organic conversation with candidates to build rapport. I’m here to help them so someone who is candid and honest with me is a huge plus.
What’s your favorite new device, app or website?
Lately I’ve been using YPlan and ScoutMob, which are two great apps that show you different events happening in your city. They feature off the grid events and restaurants, not tourist traps like Times Square and Broadway.
If you had one tip for a job seeker, what would it be?
My advice would be to have a LinkedIn account and have a social media presence. You don’t have to be posting every day, but you could be missing out on opportunities if your profile’s not up to date with a link to your resume or portfolio. Even if you’re not looking for a job, it’s a good way to stay connected with industry trends.
