Once again, Mark and Mike at Manager Tools hit a very important pet peeve of mine, how to use voice mail effectively. It amazes me that we still have to educate people about this, but anyone who has received voice mail knows that there is a problem.

My favorite tip from this show, "Move the conversation forward!" For me, this is the main issue. No more "Call Me" voice mails would be top of the list for Christmas this year. (SMILE)

How to Leave a Voicemail

This cast describes how to leave an effective voicemail.

If you’ve ever gotten a voicemail which sounded like, “[your name], this is [their name], call me,” you know why we’re doing this cast.

Phone manners have been steadily decreasing for decades. When boys used to call for Mark’s daughter Kate, they would slouch verbally through, “Is Kate there?” and Mark would answer, “Yes,” and hang up. He safely assumed that any person who asked that question was a boy, and not enough of a gentleman to be allowed to speak with her. (At first she rolled her eyes, but later she liked the hurdle that Mark’s demand created: those boys that never got it ended up being…well, boys.)

What about at work? The “Bob this is Joe call me” is only one example. It ranks right up there with “saw that you called, what’s up?” answered with, “did you, errrrr…listen to my voicemail?”

In this cast, we have recommendations for how to leave a voicemail. We think of this as the first cast on phone skills…out of several hundred to come.

(Via Manager Tools.)

Technorati Tags: job, audio, business, employee, employment, high-tech, how-to, howto, learn, learning, management, manager, managers, podcast, technology, work, workplace, voicemail

Labels: audio, career, careers, communication, education, effective, employment, high-tech, how-to, howto, management, manager, managers, podcast, work

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This is a special from Careers in Podcasting and New Media...

Listen to this show

In this interview, I talk with Kevin Devin, founder of Friends in Tech and former co-host of In The Trenches: The Podcast for Sys Admins.

When faced with the outsourcing of his traditional IT position, Kevin was able to use his podcasting skills to create a new position for himself in the company.

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Join me on these networks:

Douglas on MySpace | Douglas on Facebook | Douglas on LinkedIn

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Support Careers in Podcasting and New Media:

iTunes Review | Call the Reader/Listener Line @ 818-804-5049

Technorati Tags: audio, newmedia, mp3, job, audio, career, podcast, podcasting, work, workplace

Labels: audio, business, career, careers, interview, interviews, mp3, podcast, podcasting

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This article from Lifehacker.com, provides some great advice, much like I wrote about in my column, A Little Recognition, (June 1998) and Make Your Resume A Blog ( Jan 5, 2007). The notes described in the article are just the type of thing you should be adding to your career portfolio, just as an artist adds there work and show reviews to theirs.

Work: Keep a File of Your Accomplishments

If you're doing a good job at work, keep a record. Office productivity site Slacker Manager suggests keeping a "yay-me!" file:

The basic idea is simple: you just keep a file of good stuff you do. When you figure out some trick new process that saves hours per week, you make a note about (don't forget to datestamp it) and drop it in the yay-me file.

There are two benefits of this practice: first, you can always give yourself a pat on the back when you're feeling down. Second, you're storing up good karma for your annual (or otherwise) evaluation. Do you have a "yay-me" file? Share how you've used it in the comments. Yay-me! file [Slacker Manager]

(Via Lifehacker.)

Technorati Tags: career, employment, job, jobs, work, workplace, portfolio

Labels: career, careers, employment, job, jobs, portfolio, respect, work, workplace

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The second week of July, the entire family is heading off to Columbia, MO for the Stephens College Summer Film Workshop. My wife is the writer-in-residence and I will be speaking on podcasting and online video.

If you are a Career Opportunities listener in the area, let's try to arrange a meetup.

Columbia is about 2 hours from Kansas City and St. Louis and is also the home of the a Univeristy of Missouri-Columbia. Not an easy trip, but I'm up for a meetup if you are.



Add your comment to this post using the Comments link below or send an email to career@welchwrite.com.

I look forward to meeting you!

Technorati Tags: missouri

Labels: career, careers, job, jobs, missouri, work, workplace

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This week I launched a new blog and podcast here at WelchWrite.com, Careers in Podcasting.

In some ways, I consider it a spin-off of Career Opportunities, as the growing opportunities for podcasting-related careers are growing dramatically.

I will be highlighting news and events and also detailing my own forays into podcast producing and consulting.

Link: Careers in Podcasting

Labels: career, careers, job, jobs, podasting, podcast, work, workplace

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Here is a shot taken of John Braheny and myself taken after our interview on May 8, 2007. I had a great time with this interview and I hope you found it interesting as well.

If you missed the LIVE edition of the interview, simply scroll down on this page and you will find it.

More pictures from that night taken by JoAnn Braheny:

Labels: braheny, career, careers, interview, interviews, photo, photos, podcast, podcasting

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Do you have questions for John Braheny, our next guest on Career Opportunities LIVE? (See complete annoucement for this show) We'll be discussing "A Career in Music".

If you can't join us LIVE, email or phone in your questions. Email them to career@welchwrite.com or call 206-338-5832 any time prior to the event and we will try to get them into the show.

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Listen, Chat or Phone in your questions LIVE!

You can listen or join in the interview live, via online chat or telephone, by setting up your FREE account at Talkshoe.com. For more information on joining a Talkshoe Talkcast visit: http://tinyurl.com/2fmk4h

We will also be using uStream.tv to stream live audio and video for those who would just like to watch the interview. You can tune in to the show by visiting: http://ustream.tv/channel/career-opportunities

Press the large Play icon in the middle of the picture to begin streaming the video.

Note: when you enter this page, you will be asked to run an applet for the built-in chat room. You can click Trust, if you would like to join the chat, or simply press Don't Trust to ignore.

Finally, the interview will also be released as a podcast on Career Opportunities and JohnBraheny.com soon after the event.



Subscribe using iTunes and receive the show automatically!



Link: Previous epoisodes of Career Opportunities LIVE

Technorati Tags: howto, how-to, career, job, jobs, work, workplace, podcast, podcasting, events, losangeles, video, music

Labels: career, careers, friendsintech, how-to, howto, podcast, podcasting, video

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Even if you listen to my podcasts directly from the web site, or see the Subscribe links on this page, you still may be wondering what this "subscription" thing is all about.

Well, here is a video that shows you exactly how to subscribe to podcast using iTunes or the Juice podcatching client.

Watch How to Subscribe to a Podcast

After you watch the video, you can use the links below to subscribe to Career Opportunities and and receive each new episode automatically.


Subscribe with iTunes

Copy this link to Subscribe using other podcatching clients or RSS feed readers

Technorati Tags: howto, how-to, career, job, jobs, work, workplace, podcast, podcasting, tutorial, technology, video

Labels: career, careers, how-to, howto, job, jobs, learning, podcast, podcasting, technology, tutorial, video

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On his blog, The Dip, author Seth Godin is collecting some interesting career stories from folks who decided to leave behind what they thought was a great job for something more important. This is the first he has posted and well worth reading and thinking about.

Not settling

TZ wrote to me today. Here's his story about quitting and then becoming the best in the world:

I rose up the ranks in [name of bank] Bank Financial Group to become a Program Manager in Operations...specifically Change Management.

According to how my parents used to define success: I was a superstar. A 29 year old with a senior level position at a huge company with a safe salary, crazy benefits and a religious adherence to a 9-5 order.

(Continues)

(Via The Dip by Seth Godin.)

Technorati Tags: howto, how-to, career, job, jobs, work, workplace, business

Labels: business, career, careers, job, jobs, work, workplace

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A few weeks ago, I interviewed creativity consultant Jo Ann Braheny for the Career Opportunities podcast. This interview started me thinking about how important it is to integrate creativity into your career, regardless of the type of work you do. You can no longer divide jobs into "creative" and "functional". Much like my belief that every career has become a high-tech career (See http://welchwrite.com/dewelch/ce/2006/co060217.asp), every career can and should also be a creative career. If you embrace this fact, you can take your career to an entirely new level.



Next Friday: April 12, 2007: Productive Waiting

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Support Career Opportunities:

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Technorati Tags: career, job, jobs, work, workplace, podcast, podcasting, technology, high-tech, creativity, creative

Labels: career, careers, create, creativity, high-tech, job, jobs, podcast, podcasting, technology, work, workplace

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This podcast is well worth a listen for an introduction to Sutton's book and the concepts within.

I have the book on-hold at my library already. Can't wait to read it!

Dr. Moira Gunn speaks with Robert Sutton, Author of The No Asshole Rule and the Stanford Professor and author, who has scientific research proving a negative work atmosphere is bad for you. They talk about Sutton's new book which looks at "Building a Civilized Workplace and Surviving One That Isn't."

Labels: abuse, book, books, career, careers, harrassment, jerk, job, jobs, work, workplace

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Sometimes, it can be a little difficult to tell when you should be investigating a new line of work, but in the case of this developer, the case seems very clear.

Boing Boing and Slashdot point out this story of a Macintosh software developer who is so fed up with the pirating of his software that he programmed in a "nuclear" defense. Instead of simply disabling the software when a pirated serial number is used, the developer included code that will delete a user's home directory (i.e. all your documents, pictures, music, preferences and settings) when it detects certain, pirated, serial numbers.

I do not support software piracy, but it seems clear that this developer has not only destroyed their own business, but may have opened themselves to legal action, up to and including felony charges, if this software bomb is ever activated.

Each business has its issues and software piracy is certainly a concern of any software developer, yet this action is clearly self-destructive. No one how is aware of this issue will ever install another piece of software from this developer, out of fear of what might happen.

You shouldn't wait for self-destructive behavior such as this to indicate when it is time to find a new job or career. Yet, we often find signs of such career suicide in our own lives. Workers who not only do worse and worse at their job over time, but also start actively sabotaging their companies and fellow employees. The truth is, you damage yourself far more than anyone else. In the end the damage to your own life could be so severe that you may have trouble finding any work at all.

If you are unsatisfied with your career, direct your energies to finding something new, not in destroying everything you have created.

Labels: career, careers, developement, developer, ethics, job, jobs, software, work, workplace

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One of the most important parts of any job, whether you are an employee, manager or executive is communication. Without regular communication among all the parts of your company, projects will fail, tasks will go incomplete and business will suffer. Furthermore, as an employee, if you are not communicating with your manager enough to know that you are doing the most critical work of the moment, you risk your job, as well. Have you talked with your manager today? Managers? Have you talked with your employees today? Does everyone know the critical path through this day, this week , the month? If not, why not?



Next Friday: March 3, 2007: Playing "the enforcer" could put your career at risk

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Support Career Opportunities:

iTunes Review | Career-Op Forums | Digg.com | Podcast Alley | Reader/Listener Line @ 206-338-5832


Technorati Tags: career, job, jobs, work, workplace, podcast, podcasting, technology, high-tech

Labels: career, careers, communication, job, jobs, podcast, work, workplace

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Treat Your Customers: Thirty Lessons on Service and Sales That I Leaned at My Family's Dairy Queen® Store by Bob Miglani.

I received this signed copy courtesy of the InBubbleWrap book giveaway blog. I have (gently) read it and am now offering it up to Career Opportunities readers and listeners.

For a chance to get the book, email me at career@welchwrite.com with a Subject of Book Giveaway by 11:59pm PST, March 3, 2007. I will randomly draw a name from the entries and mail the book to you.

From Amazon.com...

Customer service is the cornerstone of every successful business, and in Treat Your Customers, corporate businessman Bob Miglani reveals winning strategies for sales and service using anecdotes and analogies from his experiences working at his familys Dairy Queen store. Miglani cuts to the essence of what makes great customer service by sharing clear, concise techniques and guidelines for coping with angry customers, minimizing stress, and making customer service providers feel great about doing their jobs. Both charming and educational, Treat Your Customers will appeal to any business owner, manager, or corporate employee who wants to enhance sales, motivate employees, and keep customers coming back.

Labels: book, books, career, careers, customer, family, giveaway, job, jobs, service, work, workplace

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by Douglas E. Welch, career@welchwrite.com
206-338-5832 Reader/Listener Line

Recorded LIVE Friday, January 26, 2007

A short show discussing what managers and staffers wished their counterparts knew and more.



This Friday: February 2, 2007: "Just kidding" often means exactly the opposite

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Support Career Opportunities:

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Technorati Tags: career, job, jobs, work, workplace, podcast, podcasting, technology, high-tech

Labels: career, careers, job, jobs, live, podcast, talkshoe, work, workplace

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by Douglas E. Welch, career@welchwrite.com
206-338-5832 Reader/Listener Line

Despite the fact that I often talk about attaining raises and promotions in your career, I don't often discuss their ramifications to both your work and your personal life. The fact is, when you move into an expanded role, especially a managerial role, the expectations of those around you are going to rise. Each new position brings about a new level of control and commitment. If you ignore this, your transition into the new role can be more difficult than it should be.



Next Friday: February 2, 2007: "Just kidding" often means exactly the opposite

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Support Career Opportunities:

iTunes Review | Career-Op Forums | Digg.com | Podcast Alley | Reader/Listener Line @ 206-338-5832

Technorati Tags: career, job, jobs, work, workplace, podcast, podcasting, technology, high-tech

Labels: career, careers, expectations, job, jobs, management, manager, promotion, work, workplace

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