Remote Interviewing

Interviewing for a work at home job is not much different than interviewing in-person. This all comes down to being prepared and professional. Some of the technicalities may be different, but the principles remain unchanged.

First and foremost, you should prepare to be on video. You are welcome to check with your recruiter or interviewer, but just assume you will need to be. As such, you need to ensure you have access to the proper equipment. A computer with a webcam is preferably (laptop or PC), but a phone can do in a pinch. If using a phone, be sure you can place it at a proper distance and keep it steady – this isn’t a Facetime call with your crew.

Try to log into the session days or hours ahead and become familiar with the controls. You need to ensure your video stream comes through, and know other controls for voice integration, muting, sharing your screen, and similar features that will allow you to operate within the meeting comfortably. Some meeting invites will not let you do so, but if you can, it’s well worth it. If not, try to do some research on the platform. If there’s a free trial, set up a test call with a friend to run through your setup.

This is no different than looking at Google Maps and planning your best route to your interview, understanding where to park, learning a little about the building entrance, etc. Before I interviewed at my current employer, I took a practice drive downtown the weekend before to ensure I knew where I was going and could make any adjustments.

Once you know your equipment works and you are comfortable with the logistics, prepare your location. You need to ensure you have good lighting for your video. You need to ensure you have privacy for your call. If you have distractions, such as my two furbabies, you need to find alternative solutions during that time. My girls are good almost all day, but I can bet that the mailman rings my doorbell during an important time and they start barking their heads off. You certainly don’t want that, crying children, TV noises, or other random distractions during the interview that take away from your message or make you appear unprofessional.

You need to clear your desk and check your backdrop. What is visible when you turn the camera on? Can people see the wall behind you? Your desk? Make sure these things are clear of clutter, don’t display any HR hot buttons, and don’t show anything that you wouldn’t want the world to see. A plain wall is typically best to avoid distractions and pitfalls, but tasteful art, your degree, or something you are proud to show off is welcome. There’s a fine line between professional and boring.

You should plan to present yourself as you would in-person. Be professionally dressed with hair, makeup, and accessories in check. You are welcome to display your own style, but keep interviewing best practices in mind. Try not to wear anything distracting, revealing, or controversial. Check the angle on your camera as well – what may look ok in generally may not if the camera is pointing down and staring down your shirt!

Prepare for the interview like you would any other. Do your homework. Have notes and questions ready. It’s still ok to have notes readily available, just as it’s ok to take notes. Be sure to make eye contact through to the camera and not stare at those notes or your screen.

Being able to properly conduct a remote interview is a big signal to employers on your ability to actually work from home. This is their first impression. If you can’t use the equipment, have a bad office, or don’t interact well on camera, the employer will translate this to how you do your job. Your goal in the interview is actually double what the average interviewer is trying to achieve. Not only are you trying to land a job, you are trying to convince someone that you can do that job from home.

Remember! This is still an interview. It’s not really about you. It’s about the value you can bring to them.  Be prepared to show off your unique selling features and include how working from home has made you more efficient and engaged. When the interview is through, the employers should be excited for the potential you bring and the location you bring it from.

Mess Causes Stress

I’m sure you’ve heard the adage that a clouded home/office/whatever leads to a clouded mind. Oh my, this is so true! There’s evidence supporting it! When multiple visual stimuli are competing for your attention, you have a harder time narrowing your focus to just one of them. Not to mention that voice in your head that nags you about it! This all goes back to discussions of multitasking. Your brain isn’t built for it. And, subconsciously, that is what you are asking when your trying to focus through the mess. This is amplified when you work from home. When your house is cluttered and you escape to the office, it’s easier to leave the mess behind (especially if your office is neat!)

Many of you have probably experienced the “sticky cheese in the suitcase” – a reference to Everyone Loves Raymond. In the “Baggage” episode, Ray and Debra fight for 3-weeks on who will put away the suitcase. It sits on the stairs with no one moving it. Ray even tries to up the game by putting stinky cheese in the suitcase, forcing the issue. Both believe it’s the other’s responsibility to pick it up, and it just festers. Surely you’ve had a similar situation – you’re cooked dinner and your partner needs to do the dishes. They didn’t. So now you let them pile up to prove your point. Or the laundry. Or the whatever. It’s a passive aggressive way to deal with your irritation.

First off, that really doesn’t work. You just have a mess and a messy relationship. But that’s worse now that you work at home! Your partner, child, whoever, probably gets to leave that mess behind while you stare at it all day. It’s cluttering up your mind with its mere presence, let alone the constant reminder of whatever fight you’ve dreamed up. This won’t end well.

It may be that you are the Messy Marvin. No one to blame but yourself. And that can also weigh on your psyche. You may want to be better. It may be a sign of depression or other deep rooted issues. It may just be laziness! Whatever is creating that mess will eventually mess up your ability to be your best at work. Everyone’s tolerance for clutter is different – but we all can reach that tipping point.

I do. Heck, I did last week! I actually had to take a personal day because of brain was a pile of goo. This was primarily due to cranking a bunch of work out and extra hours and overall exhaustion. But at the same time, this table area in my office that has had the same amount of stuff on it for months suddenly became too much. While I was working on this really ‘heady’ material, I found myself staring at the table and its clutter was so irritating! It bothered me every day, though for months I hadn’t noticed. So, when I was finally done with my work and my brain gave up, I took a day to clean up. It’s so nice and straight now!

Clutter can cause so much damage. It increases the stress hormone cortisol and your overall stress levels. It overwhelms your brain and you resort to coping mechanisms, such as overeating, to block the noise. It creates a health risk with odors, dust, and gross things you don’t want around. It can even be a safety concern, such as a tripping hazard or sharp object. The stinky cheese can impact your relationships. And overall, it decreases your productivity.

Now, multiply that exponentially when you work at home and never escape it. Kinda makes you want to listen to your mother and go clean your room, doesn’t it?

Peace in your Workspace

One of the major benefits of working from home is having your very own office space that you can situation exactly how you want. No office rules. No judgements. (Being mindful that you still need to observe HR rules for some things, especially if they might show up on camera!! No nudie posters behind your chair!!) I’ve written before about how to use paint colors and other office decorating tips to your advantage but want to focus on how you can incorporate peace and tranquility, maybe some magic, into that space as well.

Let’s run down what I have in my space:

• A diffuser (along with an entire collection of essential oils) – To use aromatherapy to help with motivation, concentration, eliminating headaches, or just making my space smell good.
• Other essential oils – I have multiple rollerballs within arms reach for motivation, tension, tuning in, etc. that I can apply topically for the boost or help I need.
• A salt lamp – I love the soft light it provides, plus there are multiple benefits such as improving mood, reducing stress, increasing energy, helping with seasonal affective disorder, and more.
• Crystals – Specifically citrine (attracts wealth and prosperity, helps you achieve goals), amethyst (brings stability, peace, and balance, plus helps healing with things like headaches), and clear quartz (amplifies energy and thought, promotes creativity).
• Crystal Chakra Suncatcher – Refracts beautiful rainbows reminding me of the wonders of nature and the fun of life. Plus, it brings back fond memories of playing with the suncatcher at my Grandma’s house as a kid.
• Chakra Stones – Heart-shaped, colored for chakra, used in meditation and mindful awareness
• Journal – To get thoughts out of my head to clear them away, or to provoke inner exploration. I try to journal a little each day, usually before work, but each day is unique. Somedays have prompts, somedays are just about releasing.
• Cell Phone – This may sound funny, but it’s where I have my guided meditation app, along with my goal tracker, and other related utilities.

I’m sure there’s more, but you get the idea. Now, you may be thinking you are walking into the office of a hippie, and you might be, but I would bet that you actually wouldn’t pick up on too much of these things. They aren’t in your face. And of course, they are in competition with my desk, my electronics, my easy chair, etc. So, they are here, but they are subtle.

All of these things help me raise my vibrations to perform better each day. There’s wise convention in both Eastern and Western interpretations of the world, and my office is the perfect balance of both.

Since you now work at home, you can consider working similar “alternative” support into your office. With more space and less judgement, you are free to explore and open your mind to alternatives. It doesn’t have to be everything, but maybe pick one thing you’ve been interested in and see how you like it. See if it helps, which I’m betting it will. Use your office as a way to give you competitive edge and increase your inner peace.

Namaste.

What is Networking?

What is networking? Merriam-Webster defines it as “the exchange of information or services among individuals, groups, or institutions; specifically: the cultivation of productive relationships for employment or business.” But if you’re like me this immediately brings up the idea of a stuffy hotel conference room, people in business suits wearing name tags, making small talk and exchanging business cards. Sure, now they are hosted at cooler places, but still. I know I don’t go to those things and find them to be torture.

My observation with those typical kinds of networking situations is that you have 2 types of people there: 1) Sales people looking to find their next lukewarm sales call instead of cold-calling, or 2) People looking desperately for a job, seeking anyone they can sell themselves to. Herein lies the problem. Everyone is in it for themselves. There’s no cultivation of a relationship. There’s only “what’s in it for me.” And if everyone goes in for selfish reasons, everyone leaves with nothing.

I often get asked how to network when you work from home. It’s not really any different from how you would network in the office, if you truly understand what networking is about. For a network to take shape, it takes… WORK! It’s in the root of the word! It’s so obvious!

Networks must be about giving more than taking. How much do you like being with that coworker or friend that always forgets their wallet or relies on you for everything? At some point, you burn out. So, don’t be that person in your networking relationships. Oh, and every relationship is a networking relationship!

Too many people think that networking is about some formal engagement and must be with people either at their company or in their field. This could not be further from the truth! Each and every interaction has the potential to go from casual to meaningful if you treat it as such. This means your neighbors, your volunteer organizations, your friends, you coworkers, you church, your whatever! Why? Well, you never know when that florist you talk to at your volunteer gig each day is best friends with the hiring manager of the firm you are applying to! Or maybe they worked at the company or in the field you are interested in previously. Or they know of some great book or mentor or other connection that proves to be what you need to get where you want to be. The more real connections you have, the more opportunities await.

More importantly, however, is your participation in those engagements. How much are you helping others? How much are you giving back to the community and people in your network? How much as you branding yourself in your journey? You have to work at yourself and cultivating the relationships. Only if you water your “network” will it actually grow into one. Your garden won’t grow just because you want it to!

How does this change when you work at home? It doesn’t. It goes back to networking being WORK. Are you actively participating in work and community activities where you are giving more than taking? It’s just that simple. You can’t join a group and ride its coattails. You can’t sit on the sidelines and expect magic by proximity. Give and you shall receive.

Can't find my way home

Today I had a meeting regarding a presentation I’ve been asked to do for my company, largely focused on networking, branding, and self-promotion when you work at home. All of these are topics I love to discuss, so I’m really excited for the opportunity. To give them more background on me, I sent them links to my past presentations and this blog.

In our meeting today, they wanted to discuss the title for the session, brainstorm the direction, and requested my bio – all things that are easy. Then they said they wanted to be sure to provide a link to my blog in the registration for the session. Here was an “Oh Fudge” moment.

Not that I am embarrassed. I’m 1000% behind everything I have written here. It only served to remind me that I hadn’t written in so long. I had a long break, had one post to say I would do it again, and then poof. No more words. Had I run out of things to say? To know me is to know that couldn’t be farther from the truth! So what then?

Turns out, I’ve slipped into the things I would advise people not to do. I stopped eating my own dogfood, and now I’m eating my words. I used to wake up at the same time as I did going to the office, and initially used that extra time for a walk. Rain or shine, I was dedicated. I’d have a nice breakfast, watch the news, and kick-start my day with that extra hour working from home provided me. Today, I woke up at 7AM (after setting the alarm for 6:30AM and allowing myself to reset it – something I NEVER used to do.) I spent the next 20 minutes or so laying in bed snuggling with my dogs. This is truly quality time though! It’s my 2^nd favorite moment of the day! (The first is before-bedtime snuggles!) I putzed around getting dressed and whatnot. I came down and fed my pups, took my vitamins, and grabbed my graham crackers to take to my desk. I sat down at 7:58AM to start my day, breakfast waiting to be consumed.

Here I am now, during my lunch, writing this blog – but that started as the intent to work through lunch. Had my plate at my desk and my laptop open. I was getting ready to work on the aforementioned presentation, but found my mind stuck in my hypocrisy. So, at least I stopped working today to work on something else.

All this is to say that no one is perfect. Clearly I’ve slipped into some habits that won’t bring me the most success or make me my best version of me.

I’m starting over, again. My goal is to have more posts before my presentation at the end of the month. I want to reawaken the wonders of working from home, along with my spirit. So, feel free to keep me honest! Comment or post of you don’t see traction. Or send me questions you’d like me to address. This is a journey we’ll take together. Here’s to the next first step.