It is not unusual to see me in a black suit with a white shirt and silver tie. ala Steve Carell...
For you long waisted guys (like me), I suggest that you consider the half-windsor knot. Otherwise, you will be searching for extra long ties.
When employers want to narrow a pool of candidates, they frequently use telephone interviews to decide whom to bring in for in-person interviews. Telephone interviews are also becoming more popular as employers continue to tighten their belts. And while phone interviews are a cheap and efficient way to vet a candidate, they can also feel overly casual and detached. So if you know you are going to have one, it's important to give it some thought and not let the medium trip you up.
Here are some tips for making the best impression during a telephone interview:
Be prepared. Since a telephone interview is usually a test to see if you will make it to the next round, be as prepared for a phone interview as you would for one in person. That means, do all your research about the company or organization as well as the people you'll be speaking with during the call. And of course, work on your pitch for why you're the best candidate for the job.
Dress up. Really. There's lots of evidence showing that how we dress affects how we work. So, if you're home and tempted to do the call in your pajamas, take it up a notch.
Find a quiet and private place for the call. Control the environment where you take the call as much as possible. If you're at home, think about crying babies and construction noise. I work at home with my dog, a French bulldog who snores loudly. When I know I have an important call, I always put him in another room or send him to work with my partner that day.
Do not do anything else while on the call. Telephone interviews are not an ideal time to show off yourmultitasking abilities. Close all the windows on your computer, unless there is something on your computer you want to reference -- like your LinkedIn profile or the web site of the organization you're interviewing with. Close your email. And definitely don't eat, drink, chew gum or do anything else that would hamper your speech or create a distraction.
Control the technology. The more advanced we get with telephone technology, the more we seem to hamper the quality of our connections. Avoid using a cell phone since calls can get dropped. Disable call-waiting if you have that service.
Keep notes and documents handy. One advantage to a telephone interview is that you can have any papers you want to look at nearby. Also, have a pen and paper handy to take notes.
Practice. Have a friend call you and see how you sound. Ask whether you sound better standing or sitting. I've taken some classes on public speaking and learned that I sound much more relaxed when standing, or even pacing. So that's what I do when I take an important call.
Find out who will be in the call. If possible, get the names in advance of who will be on the call and know what roles they play. If there are multiple people on the call and you think you might not be able to distinguish their voices, ask them to identify themselves the first few times they speak.
Don't worry about brief silences. In fact, it's better to take a moment to digest the question than jump in and answer before you've thought about what you want to say. Plus, people pay attention to those who know how to listen.
I recently spoke about these issues on television with Asa Aarons from the television station NY1. If you want to see me putting some of these tips into practice (or more accurately, practicing putting some of these into practice), watch the clip.
That per-meal cost, averaged out across each week, is under the standard version of the "spring menu," which utilizes more fresh produce and seasonal ingredients. Go the "green" route, buying local and organic food, and your cart cost comes to about $1.99 per meal; switch back to the "winter menu," and it gets cheaper. All those prices are, as the site's creator points out, less than the individual food stamp allowance in many states.
The menu, devised by a former IBM engineer, is largely vegetarian, though it contains some surprisingly cheap but appealing items: spring onion and mustard green pizza, green egg scrambles, and noodles in spicy peanut sauce, as examples. Some menu days won't really surprise anyone who's made it through college on the cheap, as it leans on beans, peas, and rice fairly regularly. But the day-by-day planning is so comprehensive, and the options so thorough, that those looking to eat healthier, cheaper, or start out on a flexitarian diet will find Cook for Good's offerings a pretty great free resource.
Head over to the site to check out the winter, spring, and supplemental menus, as well as read more about the project. Update: Looks like Cook For Good's a little overwhelmed this morning; check back later for a better chance at access.
You love your laptop, right? It goes where you go and it's oh so handy for meetings. Well, personally I'm a pen and paper girl but if it's really important and will make things easier I will tote around my laptop and use it in meetings.
Not using it for every meeting makes me acutely aware of some of the bad habits people adopt when they use their gadgets around other people. Remember, being an office goddess is all about making it look easy, seamless, effortless. So don't get side-swiped by gadgets: follow these tips for office gadget etiquette.
Laptops
Phones and BlackBerries
OK, no excuses now. Set a good example for everyone else!
Editor's note: This is a guest post from Jeff Rose. We last heard from Mr. Rose when he was kind enough to give us a glimpse into the life of a financial planner. Today he fills us in on how to be financially studly.
Jeff Rose is an Illinois Certified Financial Planner and co-founder of Alliance Investment Planning Group. He is also the author of Good Financial Cents, a financial planning and investment blog. You can also learn more about Jeff at his website Jeff Rose Financial.
Throughout a man's life, he is presented with opportunities to leave his mark. The title that all men desire and hope that their name is mentioned in the same breath as is the unmistakable title of "Stud." In grade school, being a stud was making the starting five of the basketball team and being the first to french kiss a girl. In high school, it was cruising around in your slick hot rod, leading the football team to state, and landing the hottest cheerleader on the team. College introduced the beer bong and how much cooler your parties were than the one down the street. After graduation and well into your career, the next studly phase of your life begins. At this point in your life, women don't care how much you "could" bench press, the fact that you did 21 shots in one night (and lived to tell about it), or that you almost won the state championship in 2004. They want a man who has control of their finances and has a plan in place. They want a financial stud.
You better have some cash in your wallet and in the bank. I make it a point to always have at least $100-$200 cash in my wallet. For me, that's weird to say because I've always been an ATM guy. I keep cash on hand for times that debit cards just won't work. Whether it's buying the next round, leaving a generous tip, or simplifying the splitting of a dinner bill, having some cash on hand looks impressive.
But don't just keep cash in your wallet. You want to make sure you have a decent amount of cash stashed away in your savings account as an emergency fund as well. Having a decent amount of money in your savings is a sign that you are financially responsible and have the discipline to be able to put some money away. How much is enough? 3 months of your monthly household expenses is a start, but to be a true financial stud you should be somewhere in the 6-8 month range. If you want to feel like Arnold Schwarzenegger is his prime, then 12 months will give you "the pump" you're looking for.
Whether young or old, there's nothing less attractive than having extra baggage. Even worse than having flabby love handles is having a mountain of debt. Just to confirm, I had a fellow female blogger, Mrs. Micah, give me her take on what makes a man a financial stud. Mrs. Micah says, "I think that being debt-free is sexy. It shows you can look after yourself, it frees up your future together, etc." For anybody that has struggled with debt, I know how burdensome it can be. It's even worse when you have to pass that burden on to your significant other. If you have debt, then having an action plan to get out of it will keep your stud credentials.
For the younger investor, maxing out your Roth IRA each year is the equivalent of being able to bench press 415 for reps. Let's say that by the age of 25 you are able to sock away the maximum Roth IRA limit of $5,000. If you continue to do so for 30 years, averaging 8% return, you'll have a $600,000 tax free nest egg waiting for you at retirement. And when you're finally put out to pasture, you'll be one happy stud.
Many times I hear of people just picking funds in their 401k because of what their co-workers are doing or because they thought the fund sounded cool. Whatever you do, do not be that guy. I had a friend in his early 20's who was putting most of his money in the "Total Return Fund" because it sounded the most aggressive. Newsflash: it was 100% bond fund. Granted, it helped him prevent major losses in the past year, but for a long term strategy, it's not the way to go. Don't get your 401k advice from chats around the water cooler; head to Google and do some research.
A financial stud doesn't spend just to spend. A man needs to know where his money is going month to month. If spreadsheets aren't your thing, try writing down your bills so you can see how much money is really going out each month.
Don't just take my word for it. Check out J. Money's blog, Budgets Are Sexy, to get a grip on your finances. Here's what J. Money says, "Short answer: Budgets = Confidence = Manly. Long answer: Maintaining a budget is key in becoming financially studly. If you know where your money is coming and going, you'll know your strengths & limitations. And if you know your strengths & limitations, you can outwit your opponent at any time! Plus, you'll be able to make quick decisions on the spot which girls love. And you know what else girls love? Confidence. And this, my friend, is what the budget gives you."
Life insurance when you're single isn't really that important, but when a family is involved, it should take precedence. Face it, there is a 100% chance you are going to die. Last time I checked, that's better odds than Sea Biscuit at the Kentucky Derby. The last thing you want to do is croak too soon and leave your family in financial distress. Let me give you you an example. I had a married couple as clients where the husband was physically fit. He was not overweight, exercised regularly and didn't smoke. He was a doctor whose financial resume qualified him as a legitimate stud. Unfortunately, an unexpected massive heart attack left the wife and their two kids without a father. Thankfully, the father was wise enough to have enough life insurance for his wife to pay off what little debt they had left, pay the kids' way through college, and give the wife the option not to have to work the rest of her life. Dealing with the loss of a loved one is tough enough, but adding unnecessary financial burden can leave a mourning family in shambles.
Are you a financial stud? Don't worry it's not too late. If you are missing some of these studly qualities, make a commitment to make some changes. You'll go from a "dud" to "stud" in no time.
If you enjoyed Jeff's post, read more of his stuff at Good Financial Cents, and subscribe to his RSS feed.
photo via atailoredsuit.comTailoring, tailoring-tailoring. Take the best suit money can buy, and leave off good tailoring and it'll hang on your body like a cheap suit. Buy a suit at Target and have it finely tailored ...
... and it'll look fantastic. It won't wear or dryclean great, but it'll fit you like a champ. I'm from the old school of suit wearing, allow me to impart my sage advice. ;)
1. Find a good local tailor, have 'em measure you.
2. Try on a few suit coats with said measurement, make sure they hang about right. Same with slacks.
3. Cuffs are good - contrary to belief they're never "out", and they have a functional advantage, they make slacks hang just right. They keep the pant legs from hanging getting caught in your shoes as well.
4. Dryclean the suit coat *and* the slacks at the same time. If you wear the suit on Saturday, get some gunk on the slacks, do NOT have just the slacks only cleaned. Even the best suit can fade a teeny tad with a cleaning, so keep the wear/fading even - clean both at the same time.
5. A suit that's not stained does NOT need to be drycleaned after each wearing, or each 5 wearings. Your under garmets take on the body oil and stink, its not a worry, a suit will last years longer if not over cleaned.
6. Wear a t shirt - it looks better. Period.
7. Make sure your tie meets the middle of your belt, please, please, oh please.
8. Show some cuff. Have your tailor cut the suit coat so your Properly long dress shirt shows just a bit. It looks sharp, and adds contrast to between your suit and hand.
9. Don't forget the dress shirt, 100% cotton ONLY, get them professionally laundered, and get a dry cleaner who knows what heavy starch means. Ya, I know, it sounds like it'll be "itchy", but after wearing the shirt for about 15 minutes its no more "itchy" than light starch. Ahh, the look of a crisp starched shirt. You'll have people ask you how your shirts look so crisp and sharp.
10. Pit stains? Schmit stains! When you take off your nice dress shirt, hit the pits with some stain stick action, let it sit, it'll be ok. Then when you get the shirt laundered the pits will come out nice and clean. Take about 30 seconds.
11. Traveling? Your dry cleaner has you covered. Instead of having your shirts on hangers as per usual, request they fold the shirts. They'll fold them, use some cardboard like a brand new shirt to save the collar from pressing down, and package it all up in a plastic bag - again just like a new shirt. That shirt is ready to travel!
12. Wrinkles? Well just hang your suit up. 100% wool will hang out nicely. Tough wrinkles? Travelling? Hang the suit in the bathroom when you shower, the steam will let the wrinkles release. And, if you have an otherwise clean suit have your drycleaner give it a press before that special event, it just costs a few bucks and your suit will look like it was just cleaned. Never have a suit that doesn't need a cleaning put through the rigors of dry-cleaning.
There. 20 years of wearing a suit 5 days a week imparted in 4 minutes.
