The Phone is Your Friend

A post on the Job Loss Guide Network brought up a very real problem for a lot of people. Not everyone uses the telephone in their job, and lots of us don't have phone skills that are great, even if we use the phone every day. Here are some tips that might make the difference in whether you get a job offer or not.

1. Whenever you make a phone call, identify yourself first. Never leave the person on the other end of the line wondering who you are.
2. Don't ask whether the person you want to talk to is there, is available, etc. Simply ask to speak to the person you are calling if you are calling a specific person. If you are calling for a section or department of a company, ask for that. If you are calling about a newspaper notice or if someone recommended that you call, just say so and ask the person who answered if they can direct you to the right place.
3. Use notes. (Don't write out everything so it sounds like you are a bad telemarketer, though.) You don't want to blank out just as the person answers the phone. Always have a script in front of you that states who you are (yes, you could stumble when telling who you are if your are nervous,) who you are calling, what your are calling about, and anything else you may want to talk about. If this is a really important call (treat all calls as really important - even if it's just for practice,) rehearse what you are going to say and what they might say to you.
4. Be prepared to speak to voice mail. Don't try to carry on a one-sided conversation with a "machine." State your purpose in calling and ask them to return your call (if that is necessary.)
5. Make sure your voice mail or answering machine has a professional quality greeting. Never have "cute stuff," background music, your child talking, etc., if you expect a caller to take you seriously.

There is a lot more, of course, but at least this will get you started in the right direction.

For some more good phone tips, try these links:

Job Search Rule #21 - Use Good Telephone Skills - Part I

Phone Interview Skills

Making calls: reasons, etiquette & effectiveness

When employers don't return your calls

Receiving calls from employers

Telephone interviews

Cell phone use in your job search

Self-Discipline: You Can Do It!

Discipline. It’s one of the keys to successfully coping with job loss. But, what is it really?

A couple of years ago, when the school year was winding down, there was an article in the newspaper about a graduating senior being honored for never missing a day of school for all twelve grades. The principal made the comment that he was more accustomed to disciplining students than to giving them awards. That statement showed how most people commonly view discipline – as punishment. In my opinion, that student showed a better understanding of discipline than the principal did. It certainly took discipline to do what she did.

Dictionary.com gives nine different definitions for discipline. Here are the first three:
1. training to act in accordance with rules; drill: military discipline.
2. activity, exercise, or a regimen that develops or improves a skill; training: A daily stint at the typewriter is excellent discipline for a writer.
3. punishment inflicted by way of correction and training.

None of the other definitions even refers to punishment.

Notice that punishment is not first, or even second. And even when it is mentioned, it’s punishment with the purpose of correction and training.

The discipline that you are going to need won’t come from a parent, a teacher, your boss, or any other person. It will come from you. From within. And, it’s never easy.

You will almost certainly find that you need some help developing this skill, of course. I'm sure that the girl with the perfect attendance record needed help accomplishing that feat. Take advantage of your support system (family, friends, etc.) to help. There is a great resource link listed at the end of this article, too.

Also, you may as well start out by deciding to leave off the punishment. This may seem like it would be easy to do, since you will be the one making the decisions. But, it's anything but easy.

Just wait until you have had an interview that you blew. You'll have all sorts of negative thoughts and emotions - downright anger at yourself. But, it's not going to do any good to "beat yourself over the head." It may take some firm words with yourself to stay in control of the situation and learn from your mistakes so you don't repeat them. But, self-abuse is never going to make things better. If you ever needed yourself on your own side, now's the time.

Another thing that may take all the will power you can muster at times is the "simple, day-to-day stuff" such as getting up in the morning, eating right, and exercising. And keeping a positive outlook, when nothing seems positive, can be a real bear.

Read how one person's self-discipline made all the difference.

Learn to build self-discipline

Laid Off!

From http://www.aarpmagazine.org/

By Barry Yeoman, March & April 2009
For factory workers in America—especially those 45 and older—job security is a dying dream. Over the past year record numbers of employees have gotten pink slips. But some are managing to bounce back. Here are their stories.

KNOXVILLE NEWS SENTINEL: Have you been laid off?

Share Your Story

The Knoxville News-Sentinel is looking for people in the Knoxville, TN area who have lost their jobs and are willing to talk about it. This is something that would be good for every newspaper in the country to do. If you have lost your job or know someone who has and are in the Knoxville area please consider participating. You'll be doing yourself and a lot of others a big favor. You can also post your story on the Job Loss Guide Network, regardless of where you live.

Below, I have included a copy of the News-Sentinel email:

----- Original Message -----

From: Webmaster Knoxville

To: mailto:NEWSSENTINEL@LISTS.SCRIPPS.COM

Sent: Wednesday, February 18, 2009 7:48 AM

Subject: NEWS SENTINEL: Have you been laid off?

February 18, 2009

Hello,

Have you or someone you know been laid off recently from a Knoxville-area company?

The News Sentinel is working on an upcoming project about the layoffs taking place locally and is looking for people willing to share their stories.

If you know someone who would be interested in talking with us, please pass along our contact information:

Josh Flory, News Sentinel business reporter, flory@knoxvillebiz.com, 865-342-6994.

Lauren Spuhler, Knoxnews.com Web producer, spuhlerl@knoxnews.com, 865-342-6448.

Thank you,

Josh Flory and Lauren Spuhler
Knoxville News Sentinel

How We Grow: Find a mentor! Be a mentor!

The Job Loss Survival Guide (part 11) suggests finding or being a mentor. Here is some really good, practical information you can use.

From Guideposts.com
By Jessica C. Kraft, San Francisco, California
September, 2007

Who would Luke Skywalker be without Obi-Wan Kenobi? How could Plato have developed his philosophy without the forceful questioning of Socrates? These days Diana Ross offers her expertise to Beyonce, Alicia Keys and contestants on American Idol. Throughout the ages, mentoring relationships have been a powerful force for character and career development, for both mentor and protege. A good mentor can propel you toward success much faster than if you're on a solo quest. Mentors can give guidance in areas outside of their profession—in fact, much mentoring is aimed at helping you achieve personal and professional balance, and mentors often assist with making major life decisions that may not be career-related.

Whether you are starting a new business, rejoining the workforce after having a child or just beginning a new path in life, a mentor can help you go after your dream. So what's the secret to finding a mentor in your stage of life? And who makes a good one?

Identify Candidates.Once you've decided what you want the mentor to help you with, compile a list of candidates. Even if it has been a while since you graduated, your school's career counseling office is a good place to start. Successful alumni are often willing to give informational interviews, and some schools offer networking opportunities to alums.

Business associations and professional organizations also have broad networks of contacts. SCORE (Service Corps of Retired Executives) will connect you, free of charge, with a small-business mentor anywhere in the United States. Look locally for individuals in your field and research their accomplishments.

Many companies offer formal mentoring programs. Research has shown that new hires who are paired with a mentor are twice as likely to remain in their jobs as those who aren't mentored. If your office doesn't have a program, you can seek out a workplace mentor on your own. Anyone in a leadership position whose work you admire is a good candidate.

Build a Relationship.What's the best way to propose a mentoring relationship? You might start by asking a prospective mentor for help on a specific project to see if you click first. Or you might feel comfortable discussing it right away. In any case, read everything you can about her—show her you know who she is and what she has done. Ask about her career path and current projects and get advice about your situation. It's a nice gesture to take her out for lunch or coffee. Send a thank-you note afterward. Contact her again to follow up on suggestions that you found helpful.

Read the entire article

How to Find Yourself After Losing a Job

Here's a story that happened a generation ago, but it is just as meaningful as if it had happened last year. In fact, it can be particularly helpful to realize that job loss is an issue that people have had to deal with throughout history. We sometimes get too wrapped up with our own predicaments and forget that we can learn from what others went through years ago. Technology may be different today, but human emotions like fear, grief, and disappointment are the same as they have been for thousands of years.

From Guideposts.com
The glimmer of knowledge that I'd be laid-off didn't make the reality any easier. Learning how to to make the best of unemployment was the real eye-opener for me.
By James Masters, Ovilla, Texas
September, 1982

Although I'd seen it coming for a few days, the reality of that December morning was devastating. I was fired after five years as superintendent of a private school near Dallas. I'd thought it was only people who performed poorly that lost jobs. But I was a professional and college-educated; I'd given my all to the school! I'd always had a good job and good pay. Now the letter I held in my hand told me that none of that mattered. A difference in philosophy with a school board had reduced me from an administrator to just another statistic among the unemployed.

At the beginning I was mainly angry and anxious about my family's finances. Then as I watched my wife, Jeanne, go off to her job and my daughter leave for high school every morning, I became overwhelmed by the aloneness I felt. I hadn't just lost a job—I had lost my whole identity.

For months I felt that I was hardly a person anymore. But slowly, during that time, I discovered how to deal not only with the loss of a job, but with the loss of me.

Read the entire article

Your Job Search Strategic Plan

"A Job Search Snippet"

One of the main things to avoid when you lose your job is taking the "panic approach" to finding a new one.

Shortly after I took early retirement (due to a "down-sizing) several years ago, I considered going into business for myself. Fortunately, I did some research and found out about the need for a business plan and enrolled in a short training course. In addition to discovering that I probably was not cut out to be in business for myself, I also became much more aware of the need for planning -- in business, and in life.

One of the first things that the session leader told us was that a high percentage of small businesses fail simply because they do not have a business plan. I have decided that a lot of people who are searching for a new job have the same problem.

One of the best ways to start is to take advantage of existing resources -- many of them in colleges and universities. I found one that can be very helpful. Take a close look and just remember that just because you are not a recent college graduate -- even if you are not a college graduate at all -- you can use most of the ideas and methods you will find. Just click on the title of this post.

“Job Search Snippets” are intended to just introduce you to ideas that have worked for others. They won’t take a long time to read, but hopefully they will each give you something to think about and use to help yourself get through this.