My Career UK

1. Speak in such a way that the listener can understand your words.

2. Make sure that you are talking slowly.

3. Make up a script to read if you are nervous. Also, think of what the listener might say and compose a list of responses for that as well.

4. Make sure you dial the right number and the right person.

5. Ask God to grant you a miracle in that nobody picks up the phone and you get to talk to answering machines.

6. When the listener picks up the phone, immediately launch into an introduction of yourself, your company and the reason that you are calling. Then stop and allow the other person to respond.

7. Do not be rude to the person you are calling no matter what.

8. When someone you call asks to be taken off your calling list or declines to give you information, listen to them, express your gratitude, and remove them from the masterlist.

9. If the name of the person you are calling is foreign, practice pronouncing the name before calling the person.

10. When calling a couple with two names listed, find out which person you should ask for.

11. If you have a choice between business and residential numbers, try the business number. During the day, you have more of a chance of getting a hold of them at their business.

12. Noon is a bad time to call, as people are at lunch.

13. Calling before ten o’clock in the morning is a bad idea.

14. Calling after five o’clock in the afternoon is not a good idea.

15. Don’t speak too loudly into the phone - they can hear you if you speak normally.

16. Don’t ever be rude to someone you are calling, even if they started it. Be polite and respectful. Business dictates that customers should always be held first.

17. When you are sick and it affects your voice, if possible, make your phone calls on a different day when your voice sounds normal.

18. Keep track of everyone whom you have called to ensure that there are no double calls.

19. If something happens on the call and you get embarrassed, just say you’re sorry and that you are new to this job. Usually, people will be ok with that and think you’re adorable.

20. When you need to ask someone to hold, put the hold or mute button on. The caller should not have to listen to the all the office sounds, and they may accidentally overhear something not for their ears.

21. If someone does not have the information you are calling for, get a time that you can call back.

22. When you are finished with a call, make sure to hang up.

1. Make sure you know what you are applying for. Tailor your resume to match the job you will be interviewing for.

2. Make sure your resume is not too long and wordy. Nobody cares about how you worked at a coffee shop during college twenty years ago if you are now an electrician.

3. Always ask people if it’s ok to put them down as a reference before you do so. If you skip this step, you may really regret it when you find out that your boss secretly hated you and would love to backstab you on the way out.

4. Put together a list of things that you are good at and talk about how they are relevant in your work experience.

5. If your resume is on an online job website, you have to use the right keywords to guarantee that potential employers can find your resume.

6. Your job title is very important. Do not be vague about it and say you work in Human Resources- say that you are the junior HR liaison.

7. When you are finished writing your resume, read it and make sure everything is correct. Typos will cause the employer to think less of you and negatively affect your chances of being hired.

8. Use bullet points to make your resume short, concise and easy to read. The employer shouldn’t have to sit and decipher the content of your resume.

9. The crucial information goes at the head of the resume.

10. Examine your contact info and make sure that it is right.

11. Elaborate upon things you have succeeded in doing, not things you are obligated to do.

12. Adding a photograph of you is not a good idea. Your physical appearance is not relevant in the hiring process.

13. Put together individual and specific cover letters for each resume you submit.

14. Do not include how old you are on your resume. Your boss does not need to know this - he can figure it out when he meets you.

15. There is no need to put down all the jobs you have worked in. If you are not ok with doing so, then don’t do it. But the employer may question you in regards to the years you appeared to be absent from the work force.

16. It’s a good idea to put Mr. or Ms. in front of your name if it’s hard to tell if you are a girl or boy due to your gender-neutral name.

17. Falsifying information on your resume can lead to trouble. Employers can easily run a background check and find out the truth. Just don’t do it.

18. Unless you speak multiple languages, your hobbies are not important in regards to your job, so don’t put them down.

If your coworker has a constantly negative attitude and is forever complaining, there are several things you can do before throwing in the towel and simply avoiding them. First of all, sit down and actually listen to their complaint. Maybe they are always complaining because they do not feel like anyone is actually listening to them. Ask them lots of questions and clarify their complaint until you have gotten down to the bottom of the problem. Figure out whether your coworker actually has a legitimate complaint or is just a whiny person. If it is a legitimate complaint, ask them if they would like some help in resolving it.

Some typical complaints include lack of praise or acknowledgement from employers, bad management, an excessively heavy or unreasonable workload, work related anxiety, lack of challenge, and insufficient wages.

However, do not let yourself become completely involved in their tale of woe. You are not their therapist, merely a caring friend. You can point them in the right direction, offer a few tips or give them some good self help books, but that should be the extent of your involvement. Make sure that you know what your limits are or else you will find yourself turning into your coworkers personal therapist. If your coworker is a somewhat reasonable individual, hopefully this approach will work. Sometimes people just need to complain and get it out of their system.

If this does not work because your coworker is either incredibly negative, nitpicky or downright insane, then either stand up to them and tell them what you think or practice avoidance techniques. Tell them that you refuse to listen to their constant complaining and that you have better things to do with your life, and maybe they should get a new hobby. Maybe they can consider making rubber band balls.

Contact your employer or Human Resources if your coworker simply will not shut up. It is their responsibility to handle the situation ” do not resort to verbal warfare or violence, as this will only get your fired from your job. If the coworker does not cease complaining, the negative atmosphere that they are producing will eventually affect your ability to work. If your employer is unable or declines to deal with your coworker and all else fails, consider getting a new job, because after you have done everything suggested in this article, there is honestly nothing else left to do. Good luck!