Career Advice

Think the interview is the first step to landing your next job? Think again. Most jobs start with a phone call; either with a recruiter, HR manager, or hiring manager—and sometimes, all three. So before you’ve chosen your interview outfit or practiced your handshake, you’ve got to cross the first hurdle: the phone interview. In the age of texting, Snapchat, and hashtags, phone conversations are something of a lost art. It is, however, a skill that can be quickly mastered if you know some of the basics—and plan appropriately. But before you pick up the phone, make sure you’re prepared to show off your best professional self to potential employers. Here are five expert tips that will help you get through even the toughest phone interview situations.

Many job seekers wonder: Can I apply to sales jobs that require two years of experience when I don’t have two years of experience? Will it immediately disqualify me from the running?  Good news! You don’t need experience to kick off a career in sales. It’s an industry that welcomes go-getters of all types and levels of work experience. You have to be willing to do the legwork required of newbies.

By now, you’ve likely got a list of New Year goals you hope to accomplish in 2019. More networking! More exercise! More wins! But in all that goal-setting, have you taken a moment to think about all the bad habits you should stop doing, or at least do less? If you want to be happier and more respected at work this year, you’d be well off to eliminate some pesky, all-too-common counterproductive behaviours. We’re talking about the bad work habits that not only hinder your professional success but also make you just plain miserable at your job.

Simple to see why working somewhere prestigious has cachet. Personal reputations soar. Future interviewers will fawn over these applicants, arm wrestling to hire them.   There are good reasons to target places that aren’t higher tier. While these companies may not be household names or be industry leaders in the minds of most people, they may, however, provide a better overall fit.

“…we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender.” Winston Churchill, former Prime Minister of Britain during WWII   The Brits unequivocally showed grit in 1940 as World War Two raged. Churchill famously swore to defend Britain from enemy hoards by fighting unrelentingly.

It seemed like a hella good idea at the time. Dive deep into a specialty area of study. Get educated to score a specific kind of job. Then lap up the rewards of being narrowly-trained (and oh so hirable).   Except along the way something fractured. Initial excitement vanished. Doubts spread like cracks in shattering glass. By graduation, you make a hard decision: this particular career isn't for you.

If you want something done right, do it yourself! If that’s your motto, then you’re probably a crappy manager and acting like a control freak and seldom trusting staff to handle sensitive assignments.   An excellent way to make them feel stifled. And resentful. Also, a superb path to burning yourself out pronto. What to do instead?

Think about networking, and you probably think of stuffy events and conferences where your peers play a game of “who can run out of business cards first.” If reading that sentence made your stomach churn, you’re not alone. “I don’t even like the word networking—I think it’s icky and manipulative,” says Judy Robinett, author of How to be a Power Connector.

If you’re feeling consumed by your job but refuse to loosen your grip on your duties, take a moment to ask yourself why. If your answer has less to do a need for accomplishments and more to do with fear of being seen as disposable, there’s a chance you’re a work martyr.