Interviewers who see themselves in the driver’s seat,  need to check their side view mirrors. Their would be  passengers can afford to be selective about where and with whom they climb aboard.

Job applicants can get mighty frustrated when they arrive at their interviews and are told ”we’re busy, come back tomorrow.” Most of them are currently employed and find it challenging  to arrange time off without neglecting their ongoing responsibilities, and nerve wracking to explain their mysterious disappearances.

And there’s the other side. Interviewers have more to do than just, well, interview. Like the rest of  us, they are multi tasking their way through days that require a quick response to many masters. They are doing the best they can. Unfortunately,  juggling too many eggs at one time results in dropping a few along the way. When what goes splat are their applicants, the damage can be hard to estimate and the mess can be hard to clean up.

If you need a few examples from the annals of aggravated applicants, these might help:

“I was ready to jump in my car and head to my third and final interview when the phone rang. It was the employer’s secretary telling me that her boss was out of town and  would reschedule my interview as soon as possible. When they didn’t call back, I called them. Their response? ”Didn’t anyone tell you? We aren’t hiring for that job anymore.”

“My husband accepted a job offer, passed the physical, resigned  from his old job, and called his new boss to confirm a start date. The boss said that something had come up. He’d call right back. He never did.”

“I got to my interview with plenty of time to spare and wasn’t seen by anyone for two hours. No one could tell me what the hold up was or how  much longer I should expect to wait. Finally, some guy said they were really busy;  that I should come back another day.”

Recent calls and e-mails report more cases of  applicant-neglect than I have space to print. I’m not the first person who will hear their story and I’ll not be the last.  Bad news spreads quickly.

Why? People are more apt to talk about bad experiences when they believe that they have been dealt with badly. Maybe they’re  trying to move past it and feel that talking about it will help. Maybe they want someone to say, ”You’re right. You were done wrong and that company shouldn’t have treated you that way.”

Is it fair, this one sided story telling? No, it’s not. But that’s the only side anyone who is willing to listen is going to hear.

You’ve all heard stories about companies with poor customer service and places that treat their employees badly. You know because the offended individuals tell you and everyone else they can find. You also know that unless companies change their ways, their turnover and related costs increase, and their customer base erodes.

Whether public or private, service related or product driven, companies are  known for the way they treat people.  Interviewing for a job is intimidating stuff. Rejection is a bummer. That’s life. There is no acceptable reason for companies to make the process more difficult or dehumanizing than it has to be.

And so, for those interviewers, and the rest of us,  who sometimes lose sight of what’s really important, here are a few reminders:

Keep your word.

Say what you mean.

Be courageous.

Be courteous.

And tell the truth.

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Yes! You may use this article by Executive and Career Coach, Joyce Richman, in your blog, article in your blog, newsletter or website as long as you include the following bio box:

Joyce Richman (www.richmanresources.com) has been specializing in executive and career coaching since she started her own practice in 1982. She works in a variety of environments including: higher education, manufacturing, sales, marketing, media, technology, pharmaceuticals, medicine, banking and finance, service, IT, and non-profit sectors. A member of the adjunct faculty at the Center for Creative Leadership, Joyce is certified to administer a number of feedback and psychological instruments. Joyce is a weekly guest on WFMY-TV and the career columnist for The Greensboro News & Record. She is the author of Roads, Routes and Ruts: A Guidebook to Career Success and co-author of Getting Your Kid Out of the House and Into a Job. A popular speaker, Richman conducts seminars and workshops throughout the United States, Canada and Europe. Her coaching profile can be found at TheCoachingAssociation.com.

Don’t get me started on my telephone service. I’ve already blown too much time trying to report a telephone number that is out of order.

It started last night when I received voice mail from an out of state client requesting an urgent consult. He asked that I return his call as soon as possible. I began the quest as soon as I received his message.

His  line rang busy. It  continued busy into the evening. I tried his line again this morning, and to my frustration, the busy signal continued.  Aha. I realized it was probably out of order, that I would report it, and get on with my life.

That wasn’t going to happen.

Remember how easy it used to be? Before they took away all the humans and replaced them with technology. I won’t bore you with the details. Suffice it to say, there is no “press” anything for reporting a phone line problem when it isn’t your own and it is out of town. And I did manage to talk to telephone humans. But they have no telephones.

“I don’t have a phone. I can’t report your problem.”

They can’t report problems. They give you numbers to call. Those numbers are connected to recordings that signal options that I don’t need.

Welcome to the high tech version of, ”it’s not my job”.

“It’s not my job” is an attitude that turns into a behavior that turns customers against servers, from whatever the source.

You’ve all experienced those frustrations, and you know the ”I’m climbin’ over this counter and we’ll see whose job it is!!” feelings, You also know that your experiences are not limited to any one telephone service, airline, or drycleaners.

Thankfully,  there’s a flip side to the story:

I  recently had an minor accident that  required medical attention. Rather than head to a local emergency department and miss my flight, I figured that if it got bad enough, I’d take care of it at my destination. By the time I reached my hotel, I realized that I needed to get some help. The hotel staffers were excellent and went the extra mile to be sure that I was properly tended to. Even after I sounded the “all clear” they continued to check to see how I was doing.

I was so impressed with the hotel’s manner of  service, that I spoke with the front desk manager and asked what she thought contributed to that outcome. This is what she said:

“I hire people who genuinely want to be here and want to work with the public. Although I look for individuals who are good with the details and getting the job done, our reason for being is to serve those who choose to stay here. We realize that it’s about choice. Demonstrating that we care about serving them, in an efficient, effective, and caring way,  is what we’re all about.”

She went on to describe the ways that  managers and supervisors are supportive of their staff and reinforce a “winning spirit” throughout their organization.

I wrote to the president of the hotel chain, praising what this young woman had been able to achieve at their hotel.

Fast forward. Another hotel. Another city. Another accident. Not mine, not terribly serious, but to my colleague, it was and it needed attention. He put in a call to the hotel operator. The operator suggested the concierge. The concierge was on break and the call rolled over to the front desk. The front desk had people to check out and she tossed the call to housekeeping. Housekeeping suggested maintenance and maintenance laughed out loud.

No one had a clue how to help nor demonstrated a desire to get any.

“I can’t help you. Good-bye”.

“I don’t know where you should go, call someone else.”

“No one can help at this extension. Call back this afternoon.”

In the former hotel, every staff person that I met was cheerful, helpful, and efficient. The employees in the latter hotel appeared neutral at best, rude at worst, and when they lost our stored luggage, inefficient, too.

I don’t know what isn’t working at that hotel, but whatever it is, it needs fixing. Is anything broken where you work? If so, it probably shows, to more people than you want knowing about it.

Employees should want to be where they work, or they should leave. They should be hired to do what they do best, in an environment that supports success.

Employees deserve feedback that is instructive, helpful, and timely. They should receive it from those who practice the way that it ought to be. Employees should realize that no one is obligated to spend their disposable time or money where it benefits them least. And if no one buys a ticket, no one gets paid.

* * * *

Yes! You may use this article by Executive and Career Coach, Joyce Richman, in your blog, article in your blog, newsletter or website as long as you include the following bio box:

Joyce Richman (www.richmanresources.com) has been specializing in executive and career coaching since she started her own practice in 1982. She works in a variety of environments including: higher education, manufacturing, sales, marketing, media, technology, pharmaceuticals, medicine, banking and finance, service, IT, and non-profit sectors. A member of the adjunct faculty at the Center for Creative Leadership, Joyce is certified to administer a number of feedback and psychological instruments. Joyce is a weekly guest on WFMY-TV and the career columnist for The Greensboro News & Record. She is the author of Roads, Routes and Ruts: A Guidebook to Career Success and co-author of Getting Your Kid Out of the House and Into a Job. A popular speaker, Richman conducts seminars and workshops throughout the United States, Canada and Europe. Her coaching profile can be found at TheCoachingAssociation.com.

“What am I going to do with the rest of my life?”

That’s not a question asked or answered lightly.

Retirement is possibly the only life stage you plan and direct on your own. There are no clear expectations with ladders to climb and salary levels to achieve. There’s no one telling you how it ought to be; how it used to be; or how it’s going to be. The models you have are a scattered sampling of senior family members and former associates who didsomething in retirement. Did it work? Would it work for you?

“Where do I want retirement to take me?”

If you want retirement to “take you someplace”, you may be in for an unsettling trip. It won’t take you anywhere. It will leave you where you are.

You’re in charge of what happens next. Step back and examine your current situation. Where do you want to go? If you’re not sure, you may not be ready to retire. Here are some questions to get your thinking in gear:

What will end when you retire and are you prepared to let it go? Some examples:

Are you prepared to let go of a dependable income with benefits that you’ve grown accustomed to; a structured lifestyle of expectations and deadlines to meet; a community of colleagues who you know and know you, an identity that you can count on, that defines your purpose and perhaps your sense of self worth?

What will begin once you retire? Examples: Time. More time than you’ve had in years. Time to do whatever you choose at whatever time you choose to do it. Anonymity. Freedom. Sleep. Possibilities. Endless possibilities.

What do you need? A strategy that addresses the expanse of time that lies ahead. A plan that covers more than the six months it takes to complete the projects you want to do; a plan that is more than a filler between playing golf and sleeping, and fishing and sleeping, and sleeping and sleeping.

Everything is created twice. You conceptualize something before you do it.

That’s the Carpenter’s Rule: Measure twice. Cut once.  Now’s the time to plan for what can be the best time of your life by asking some big questions:

What do you care about most?

Who do you care about most?

How do you want to remember the life that you’ve lived?

How do you want to be remembered by those you care about most?

Once you’ve identified what’s really important, you’re open to pathways that enable you to respond to those questions.

This discussion might sound more altruistic than you can stand. You may have already dedicated your most productive years to taking care of others while working hard to just provide the basics. You may want to take some time for yourself. And you want to enjoy taking it, without guilt. You want to keep it simple because you’ve had enough complexity to last a lifetime. You can do that.

There are four dimensions to the human condition: emotional, physical, spiritual, and intellectual. Fulfilling any one of these areas can sustain and even increase your capacity to be creative and productive. The more you expand each dimension, the more capable you are of doing more and feeling better doing it.

Emotional fulfillment can come from keeping and maintaining positive relationships with family and friends; exploring and building new friendships; and getting involved in acts of service to the community.

Physical fulfillment can draw from an exercise, diet, and sleep regimen that promotes health and fitness while providing a positive release for stress.

Spiritual fulfillment can come from observation and appreciation of nature, involvement in the arts, observance of edifying religious practice.

Intellectual fulfillment can be derived from reading, travel, listening to music, independent or classroom study, writing.

Design your future. Take time in your creation. Measure twice. Then live fully.

* * * *

Yes! You may use this article by Executive and Career Coach, Joyce Richman, in your blog, article in your blog, newsletter or website as long as you include the following bio box:

Joyce Richman (www.richmanresources.com) has been specializing in executive and career coaching since she started her own practice in 1982. She works in a variety of environments including: higher education, manufacturing, sales, marketing, media, technology, pharmaceuticals, medicine, banking and finance, service, IT, and non-profit sectors. A member of the adjunct faculty at the Center for Creative Leadership, Joyce is certified to administer a number of feedback and psychological instruments. Joyce is a weekly guest on WFMY-TV and the career columnist for The Greensboro News & Record. She is the author of Roads, Routes and Ruts: A Guidebook to Career Success and co-author of Getting Your Kid Out of the House and Into a Job. A popular speaker, Richman conducts seminars and workshops throughout the United States, Canada and Europe. Her coaching profile can be found at TheCoachingAssociation.com.