Articles - Page 246 of 247 - The Voice of Job Seekers

Kids, SHUT UP! During a Phone Interview?

Kids. Job interview. They don’t co-exist in the same space. Not job interviews. It never ends well. And it shouldn’t.

That is what happened to my client, Sharon, a year ago in middle of a shouting match between her 7 & 12 year old girls. It was obvious to her prospective employer that her response to her children was not the transferable skill the company desired.

Sharon (not her real name) was the most mild mannered person I’ve known. We wrote and edited her resume to a lean 1 1/2 pages. We produced a cover letter that was pretty unique and compelling. She received calls for meetings within two weeks. But…

The most temperate person will blow his or her top under the worst circumstances. The person on the other end thinks, “If she can not control her kids, how will she deal with a difficult customer or coworker.”

Tell your kids to stifle before an interview, without an audience, before disqualifying yourself as a serious candidate.

I suggest the following to remind parents to master the restraint button before you have life-changing conversations of any kind:

Don’t: Threaten them, and punish them for being kids. They run, they chase, and they throw things.

Do: Prepare them by giving them toys or a temporary hiatus during the duration of the call. Explain to them the significance of the call, and the rewards when you get the job.

Don’t: Yell at children during the call. No one wants to know, or hear you yell, scream, or screech!

Do: Train them to lower their voices when anyone is on the phone anytime.

Don’t: Be where you are visible or distracted.

Do: Be in an office with the door shut, locked, or bolted.

Don’t: Expect your small children to understand.

Do: Demonstrate patience and provide them with careful instruction.

Debatable: Don’t interview on a busy day.

Do: Have an quiet hour or two before the phone interview, and to quiet your children. If Dad is not around to help, then maybe they will sleep while you have an uninterrupted interview over the phone.

Remember that you cannot ask an employer to hold unless it is an emergency. Some interviewers tolerate it, but most have zero patience. You have to know your children, and prepare them accordingly. Good luck. May the force be with you.

Social Media Breeds Career Competition

Social media works with patience and due diligence. It evolved with intelligence that each user possesses and curates.

The more training you receive, the larger the repertoire.

The more you read to perfect your skills, the better you can explain the results.

The more you perform and perfect your skills, the more you can teach them to others.

When you listen and act on sound advice, does that motivate you to listen more? An idea takes a second to birth, and a minute to decide to implement. Listening is great, isn’t it?

Grow your integrity. Increase your social media use.

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Grow your network. Grow your career by unleashing the potential of learning from everyone.

If this is the time when you are embracing social media, blogs, tweets, statuses, and pluses (What are we calling Google Plus updates?), then good for you. Today’s information is more relevant than yesterday…most of the time. Pay attention to this stream of real-time flow of info, because relevance is a surprising fulfillment your curiosity.

Spur growth in your skills. It’s so easy, that someone else will take your job. Because, that is what your competition, and winner of that job did. He wrote a blog. His or her blog morphed into a résumé.

So what should you do? Pay more attention.

The more you give for free, and at least one person will freely give. To you. Without the caution. Because, that is how they were noticed.

Now is the time, working or not, seeking, job seeking, or freaking to learn. Absorb, and implement. Add it to your résumé, talk about it with your crew, find ways to share your expertise, and add value for you and your listeners.

Your eyes should dilate when you hear the word “FREE!” Education that costs nothing is more priceless than paid education. Knowledge can happen staring at a Twitter stream. At least it’s a start.

Value for your career is not cash, it’s priceless. That’s what someone understood.

10 HORRIBLE, Terrible, No Good Career Attributes For Job Seekers

Job seekers, let’s use some common sense. Your career aspirations don’t match your behavior. Little quirks can derail your goals. That’s the reason for this short conversations. To those who this doesn’t apply, there are many other useful articles on this blog.

Yeah, I stole the title from a child’s book. I read it a few times for 1st graders, who immensely enjoyed the book every time. People I talk to are continually committing the below list of job seeking crimes repeatedly, and regretting it much later. 10 subtle detrimental attributes that are not sin, and casts a negative dye on how interviewers perceive you as job seekers.

1. Don’t return phone calls, nor return email quickly.

2. You rarely smile, laugh, or act friendly.

3. Never ask for advice.

4. The lack of respect for the rules of engagement.

5. Late. All of the time.

6. Exude suspicious and lack integral behavior.

7. Forgetful is a way of life, and the excuse for everything.

8. Lack of humility. Lack of confidence.

9. Don’t know how to sell self.

10. Too soft spoken or too loud.

Since there is no need to pontificate on any of these characteristics, I do need to fulfill the expectation of all or any of these professional attributes say about the person that possess these characteristics:

May be likeable, but does not understand business.

Smile, friendly, at times too friendly causes suspicion.

Confident, prideful, will not listen to advice.

Lack of respect, well, is a lack of respect. The biggest job crime and is the inability to sell self. When the jobseeker allows shortcomings to inhibit the question, “Can I have the job?” then the work-in-progress evolution stifles.

Career growth stunted. You don’t grow. Ask Grandma if she asked for the job. Ask Mom (before she head slaps you) if she asked for the job.There are 10 attributes that can derail your success, but one that you could consciously control, you don’t. Or—you won’t.

If job seekers are unable to sell themselves, eloquently impress upon the interviewer his or her value in writing or verbally, then failure to get what the heart desires is eminent. Then like a banana, hope easily perishes, and tossed without appeal.