If you have a presentation, try memorizing your first sentence. This will let you start strongly and confidently, because you have practiced, and you’ll be able to make eye contact with your audience right from the beginning. Start it off well and you’ll make a good first impression.
Tag Archives: Work
Telephone Guidelines
If you are calling another person:
- Have a plan in your head before you call. You don’t want to forget an important question.
- Sound happy. The other person can’t see your face, so the only way they know that you are happy is through your tone. Make yourself fun to talk to and they’ll respond positively.
- Introduce yourself when they answer. “Hi, this is Dave Henderson from Big Bank, I was hoping to speak with Bob Plunkett about some billing details.” This lets the person who answers the phone send your call to the best person without having to ask you many questions.
- End the call yourself. You, the caller, have the responsibility of ending the call.
If you are answering the call:
- Start by saying your name and your company’s name.This will let people know who they are speaking to, and will help to give a positive first impression.
- Answer questions fully. Instead of saying “No, we don’t have that,” which sounds a bit rude, add helpful details that will let the caller choose their next action. Something like “I’m sorry, but we don’t have any right now. We are expecting some next week,though. Would you like me to put you on a waiting list?”
- Be careful when taking messages. Repeat information back to the caller to check that you understand correctly – for example, “five” and “nine” can often sound the same – and write clearly so that people can read the message you take.
- If you are transferring a call, tell the caller why you are doing it. Tell them who you are transferring them to, just in case they accidentally get disconnected. That way they can call back and ask for a specific person.
Congratulations!
I was fortunate to have a few students visit me recently. Congratulations to Jane and Onofre for completing their internships with excellent reviews, and to Lenka for getting a promotion to Assistant Manager at a very popular restaurant! Well done to you all!
Business Culture: Interviews
Some parts of Canadian business culture might seem a bit silly or strange to our foreign guests. In class, students often say that our emphasis on handshakes, formal interview clothing, or names are new to them.
Handshakes: Your gender doesn’t matter. Your social position doesn’t matter. In business, handshakes are a common way of greeting and showing respect. If you start them, you appear interested in getting to know the other person, or that you are polite. The easy way to remember: shake hands whenever you meet someone, when you make a deal or agreement, or just before you say goodbye.
Interview clothes: It’s better to look formal than it is to look casual. It’s better to look good than not good. Wearing formal clothes to an interview shows a prospective boss that you are serious about the interview, that you value the time, and that you understand Canadian business culture. You probably won’t wear a suit again for work, but as the saying goes,”Dress for the job you want, not the job you have.” An easy rule: if you wear that clothing with your friends, it’s too casual for a job interview.
Names: Unless you hear otherwise, call people at your level or below by their first name. Anyone higher than you in the company is Mr. Familyname or Ms. Familyname. If they prefer something different, they will tell you. We don’t use titles related to work (“Engineer Smith,” “Teacher Dave”)in this fashion, unless you work for a professor (“Professor Hanson”) or a doctor “Dr. Hart-Ake.”) Please, never use titles with a first name. Mr. Dave doesn’t show respect; it sounds like you want to sell me something that I don’t want.
Who needs references?
References Available Upon Request
The new trend is to eliminate this sentence. Hiring managers nowadays assume that everyone has references, so you don’t need to include a sentence saying that you have them available on your resumé. If you are applying at a very traditional company, though, you might want to use it. If so, put it at the bottom of the last page, center-justified.
Volunteers Needed
The Burnaby Velodrome is hosting four days of bike racing at the end of December, and they’re looking for volunteers to help out. Some of the jobs include selling tickets or drinks, setup and takedown, and traffic control. If you’re interested, connect with Galen through the Facebook page or with an email. The link is in the newest edition of the Paceline. See you there!
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