Posted on Thursday, 28th May 2009 by CathyG
Good advice from Marci Alboher right here.
Among other things, she recommends dressing up for the phone interview as if you would be interviewing in person. I think that’s an excellent idea. Although I work at home, I have to get dressed because I take the dog out three times a day. Living in an urban area, walking around in pajamas is not an option. I wear jeans, sweats or shorts.
When talking to clients or holding teleseminars, I’ve found I do better when I get dressed up a little. For me, that means jeans or nice shorts and a nice top. It’s like putting on a costume or uniform.
Even more important: get rid of distractions.
Your dog needs a crate or a separate room. Even a dog-loving interviewer will be turned off by background barking. Most dogs can be trained to remain quietly in their crates. I give my own dog a peanut butter kong so she won’t feel that she’s being punished. She has come to associate “peanut butter” with “crate” so she’s very happy to stay there while I hold teleseminars or talk to clients without interruption.
Even if your dog isn’t a barker, she might be a chewer (like mine!). If she’s not crated I get distracted when I see her nibbling on a shoe or a ball point pen. Visions of vet bills can interfere with my professional presentation.
Don’t answer the door. For a fee (about $200 a year), your packages can be delivered to a mail drop. Who needs UPS interrupting your call, demanding a signature?
Your family, friends and neighbors need to be trained to respect your boundaries. Because I work at home, I sometimes get asked to accept deliveries or take a frivolous social phone call. I say “no” because I want to train everyone to respect my work time. If you give in “just this on once,” you’ve lost the war.
Anyway, these days your neighbors rarely need to be home during the day. I schedule deliveries for weekends and evenings. For a small fee, anyone can hire a concierge service to hold the fort while waiting for the cable guy.
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