42 DECEMBER 2019 By Angela Copeland Have you ever had a date with someone who had recently been through a bad breakup? There’s a good chance they were nervous to go through the same thing again. You can practically see the fear in their eyes. In relationships, we call this sort of thing emotional baggage. And it can be tough to overcome. Companies can have emotional baggage too and it starts in the form of a bad hire. It’s a bad hire that happened long before they met you. It’s like an ex- spouse. It’s someone who is long gone, but whose emotional damage still remains. The company hasn’t forgotten them, years later. You may wonder what exactly I’m talking about. Here’s an example: an interviewer may say to a job seeker, “We hired an entrepreneur once before. That person was really controlling. He was hard to work with. Ever since, I really don’t like hiring anyone who has ever been self-employed.” (Disclosure: This really happened.) For a job seeker who’s currently self- employed, for example, this statement is a hard one to overcome. How can you combat worries about problems caused by an employee that no longer works at the company? In this example, it might be best to be friendly and understanding and try to reassure the interviewer. Show them you can get along well with others. Quiet their fears. In reality though, it’s possible that old employee wasn’t difficult because they had been self-employed at some point. Perhaps they were difficult because they are just a difficult person. Wouldn’t that make a little more sense? These types of generalizations are biases, plain and simple. It’s like assuming that because you dated a chemist once who was very rigid, all chemists are rigid people. That’s not true. Each person has their own unique personality. Just like in the world of dating, if you want to find your perfect match, you’ve got to stop looking at things through an old lens. You can’t assume every relationship won’t work out. Otherwise, you’ll never get anywhere. Similarly, you’ve got to judge each job seeker on their character and their individual experience. Don’t hold them up to a standard set by someone else. Ask the job seeker about their skills and their past jobs. Ask them why they’re interested in the role. Learn about them. Find out if they will get along with your team. Evaluate them based on what’s important today – not something that happened before. Try your best to look at them as a unique person. If you can drop the emotional baggage, you might find that you pick up a great new hire. The more that biases drive the decision- making process, the less you’re evaluating the current candidate. You’re allowing the old employee who isn’t even there anymore to continue to run the show. — Angela Copeland, a career expert and founder of Copeland Coaching, can be reached at copelandcoaching.com. Like people, companies must also drop off ‘emotional baggage’ If you want to find your perfect match, you’ve got to stop looking at things through an old lens.” CAREER ADVICE Serving the Arcadia area since 1958          Find us on Facebook! Member Since 1959      •  •    •    •    •         4855 E Thomas Rd, Phoenix AZ 85018 | www.ingleside.com HAPPY HOLIDAYS! Schedule Your Holiday Boarding Today! BRIAN A. SERBIN, DVM • LINDSAY BUSH, DVM • KATHERINE HEWITT, DVM SAMANTHA MIELKE, DVM • TALI TONCRAY, DVM HOSPITAL 602-840-3446 | GROOMING 602-952-1754 Grooming OPEN Tues - Sat PLAY LOCAL. PLAY BALL. REGISTER online for the 2020 Spring BASEBALL and SOFTBALL Season – Boys & Girls Ages 4-14 PLEASE VISIT OUR WEBSITE AND REGISTER TODAY www.ArcadiaLittleLeague.com Mandatory player evaluations for upper divisions will be held Saturday, January 18, and Saturday, January 25 at Ingleside Middle School Practices Begin February 1 – Spring Season Runs Early March through End of May Take advantage of EARLY BIRD PRICING through December 31, 2019 Re gister at www. ArcadiaLittleLeague.com

43 DECEMBER 2019 By Pam R. Selthun A few years ago, a small focus group within the Scottsdale Unified School District Foundation (SUSDF), had a brainstorming session to discover a new way to showcase talented students in the district and raise funds for scholarships. “We really wanted to maximize our attendance and the amounts that we were able to give back to the kids,” said Anne Kaufman, a 2019 event co-chair. Scottsdale on Stage, a performance event that showcases the singing and acting talents of Scottsdale students, was born from that brainstorming session. It helped reduce the cost of staging the fundraising galas of the past, while increasing community participation. “The galas were wonderful events in amazing venues, but this fall event seems to be a hit with some of our business partners too. We tried to mimic America’s Got Talent with ‘celebrity’ judges and a people’s choice award,” Kaufman said. “It’s a great way for the community to see the amazing talent within the district.” More than 40 students auditioned this year. A $1,500 scholarship is awarded to the “People’s Choice,” which is the performer who receives the most audience votes during the event. “Last year, we had singers, dancers, musicians, song writers, a magician, an actor monologue and a comedian. All of the acts were literally amazing. Just when you thought you knew who the winner would be another awesome performer would be next,” Kaufman said. This year, Scottsdale on Stage was emceed by CBS 5’s Kim Quintero in October at Harley Davidson of Scottsdale. The winner of this year’s show was Shea Levine, a Hopi Elementary student whose contortionist act wowed the judges and crowd alike. There were two students who tied for second place. This years acts included singing, dancing, cheering and drum solos. ABOUT SUSDF Through fundraisers like Scottsdale on Stage and the annual golf tournament held in the spring, the foundation has helped raise funds for programs and unique student-and teacher-driven initiatives that align with the mission, vision and goals of the school district. Since 2006, the foundation has funded many SUSD programs and grants, such as the Quest for Excellence Mini-Grants, National Board Certification for Teachers, All-City Athletic Awards Banquets, Collective Capacity, Camp Invention, Common Core Standards Training and others, totaling more than $800,000 to date. SUSDF raises funds year after year in support of educational opportunities that would otherwise go unfunded. The foundation’s mission is to help students achieve educational excellence by supporting programs that enhance the learning experience and by bringing community awareness to the significant financial challenges within public schools. For more: susdfoundation.org. Students shine in Scottsdale on Stage talent show 2019 Scottsdale on Stage winner Shea Levine (from left) Pueblo Elementary 3rd grader, Zaiba; Cocopah Middle Schooler, Jenna; Desert Mountain sophomore, Yeju; Cherokee Elementary 1st grader, Janessa; Hopi Elementary student, Shea. PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE SUSD FOUNDATION NEWS BRIEFS CRUMBL COOKIES Crumbl Cookies will be opening its newest location in Arizona this month at 38th St. and Indian School. The first shop opened in 2017 in Logan, Utah. There are now 31 cookie spots in six states. Crumbl offers a variety of cookie flavors, with six options on rotation every week. On December 6, folks are invited to come out to the new location for Free Cookie Day. For more: crumblcookies.com. ROCK ‘N’ ROLL MARATHON Registration is now open for the 17th annual Rock ‘n’ Roll Arizona Marathon, half-marathon and the Kids Rock race. Starting at the Arizona Center on Van Buren and 2nd St. in downtown Phoenix, the full marathon will wind its way through the Arcadia neighborhood before concluding in Tempe on Saturday, January 18 and Sunday, January 19. Registration is $20-$120. For more: runrocknroll.com. WWW.JCASTLELAW.COM 480.542.5885 DIVORCE • CUSTODY • SUPPORT JASON CASTLE, ESQ.