What Do I Tell Them?

I called my old HR manager back and asked what I could tell companies when they ask why I was terminated. She told me "It wasn't a Cultural fit" and "I was in a new leadership roll and the manager above me was as well." What does that mean "wasn't a cultural fit?" Can anyone explain that to me?

Well, obviously that didn't help. I'm still fumbling through that question.

Well It's a New Month

It's a new month and my mortgage is due, I just received my first unemployment check and I've applied for 11 more jobs! I like CareerBuilder.com. You can break out your search, get specific and the saved job screen is easy to read. The biggest thing is that it doesn't lock up my computer like Monster.com does! I've also put my resume out to another staffing agency. Somethings has to happen.

Phone Interviews

100% of my interviews have been phone interviews. I think those can be the most difficult because you don't know the reaction of the other person, they don't know what you look like, is there other people listening in, or are they just going through the motions. It's a mental game.

I try to sit as if I were in the interview and have all my notes ready and act as if I was sitting right in front of them. The worst thing that could happen is your kids barging in on you. That's happened! Ugh! I was searching the web for some information on interviews and stumble on this article. It says a lot of what I already do, so I'm glad I'm on the right track.

How to shine in a phone interview
By Katie Silcox Tuesday 19 February 10:24

A telephone interview can, for many reasons, be tougher than a face-to-face. For a start, you don't get the chance to dazzle the interviewer with your smile. So what can you do? Follow our top ten tips and you're sure to stand a good chance.
Looking for work? Search for a job on Sky Careers

Prepare
Treat this interview like you would a face-to-face. This means; know the company, know what they’re looking for, and know why you’d be a useful addition. Before the interview think about what might be asked and prepare answers for these questions.

Be polite
This is important for everyone having a telephone interview - as the interviewer hasn’t yet met you, it’s vital that you come across well over the phone, and remember, first impressions still count. Telephone manners are especially important if you’re applying for a position in which using a telephone will be important (call centres, reception work etc).

Speak confidently
Confidence speaks volumes, and it shows, even over the phone. Be assertive, speak loudly, and speak clearly. Remember, the interviewer has less to judge you on than at a face-to-face, so make the most of everything you can!

Smile
Although it can’t be seen, smiling can still be heard. Smile as you talk and you’ll appear relaxed, positive and friendly. What more could you ask for from a smile?

Don’t have distractions
Sit in a quiet area for your interview; turn off the TV, and any music or mobile phones. Not only will these distract you, but think about the interviewer – if they can’t hear you properly they’re bound to get frustrated, and this could mean that they remember a bad interview.

Identify important points on your CV
As with any interview, be sure to remember, and highlight to your interviewer, the areas of your CV that are favourable for the job in question. With a telephone interview you don’t know if the interviewer has read your CV, or even if they have it in front of them, so make sure you let them know why you’re suitable for the position.

Make notes
Have a pen and paper ready to make notes. As the interview is conducted by telephone you are able to make notes comfortably, which means if you’re asked to a second interview you’ll be prepared. Just don’t get too comfortable with the note-making that you forget to listen to what’s being said next!

Build a rapport
This can be hard to do over the phone as you don’t have the chance to build the relationship that usually occurs naturally in person. However, smiling will help and you should try to speak about something you have in common, if given the chance. Otherwise, talk about something you’ve found out about the company or ask about the interviewers experience in a certain area.

Ask questions
As with any other interview, be sure to ask questions about the company and the position – this will show that you’re interested in the role which is far favourable to not being.

Thank the interviewer
Be courteous; thank the interviewer for their time and express your interest in the position. Perhaps write an e-mail to thank them once you get off the phone.

Thanks For Your Comments.

Thanks for the comments. I understand when they fill jobs internally. I had an interview set up with a large grocery distributor in New York and the time for my interview came and went, so I called my recruiter and asked what was up. He said they pulled the position and were "restructuring"!

Another Interview

Well, I think I'm getting a little better at the interview process. I've had a total of 6 phone interviews. They all say we'll get back to you in 1-2 weeks. So, I wait. I figure I might contact them after a week and see what the status is. I'm not sure if that's a good thing, but it doesn't hurt to try.

"Thank You For Your Interest"

Well I got my first thanks but no thanks email. Wow, that stunk. But, that was the one company that my interview went very bad. The search is still on.

Food, Gas, Clothes, It's Summer Vacation!

Yes, during all this I still needed to eat, take care of the kids, pay bills and try to have a little fun since it was summer vacation after all. I also did quite a bit of shopping at GoodWill and the nice thing is they offer on-line shopping so my depressed self never had to leave the house. My fear was I was going to be seen by some of my ex-coworkers and have to strike up a conversation about work and why I was fired, or how good things are at work! Wow that would stink.

So, we needed to find fun stuff to do that wouldn't cost anything - well gas and that's enough to break the bank! Check out my blog on our adventures http://www.funinmaine.blogspot.com/ even if you're not from Maine, it may give you some ideas to help keep the kids busy and not break your budget. I just started the blog, so stay tuned.

One of the nice things that has come out of this is the use of one vehicle. We have saved money on gas and wear and tear on the vehicles. I guess I have to look for every silver lining I can! :)

Job Searching - UGH

Well, now I start the daunting task of finding a job. I live in Maine so job searches in the area for my profession is slim to none. So, I start looking outside of Maine. This means moving again, trying to sell a house during a bad sellers market, finding a new place .... etc.



I made a list of all the companies I could think of and just started looking. It was nice when recruiters got a hold of my resume. It definately started out very slow so I needed to look into other ways to make money. I definately didn't want to work for another company at this time so I looked into "at home" jobs. http://clyhei.thebizreview.net/ I looked into Affiliated Marketing and started my journey on that. Visit my blog www.learnaffillmrktng.blogspot.com I struggled and expected results right away.

Well, now I had two jobs: searching for jobs and trying to get the hang of this Affiliated Marketing thing.

The Next Day

Well I pretty much hit rock bottom and felt pretty much useless. I felt extremely bad for my crew. They had no idea what happened. They were like my second family. We would help each other through hard times and had a lot of good times. I cried a lot and stayed in my bed all day. My partner dragged me out with my kids so I could get out of the house. It helped but it started a roller-coaster ride of emotions.

I woke up with the HR managers words floating in my head - they wouldn't stop. I just didn't get it.

What They Told Me

The HR manager thought she would boost my spirits by telling me that one of my good qualities was that I was energetic! That's like describing someone to a friend and saying they have a great personality.

I saved this company serious money, made them serious money and gave it 110% and all she could say is they I'm energetic!

She kept asking me if I had something to say and that it seemed like I had something to say. I told her I've been asking for help for over 2 months and didn't get it - so I really didn't have any more to say.

The Things I Got Fired For

The crappy part was not being allowed to get my stuff, clear out my desk, or finishing my shift. My crew thought I had just gone to get packets. They were left wondering for almost two hours.

I got pulled in the HR managers office with my OPS manager - which didn't care for me much and was one of the main players in my demise. Then she proceeded to let me know what a loser of a manager I was - even though I was blowing the numbers out of the roof. My crew was amazing and was performing 100 times better than the weekday crew. Anyway, the reasons they gave me were: I didn't show up for the morning managers meeting (I couldn't leave the dock because I had no one to cover), I didn't come in at 5 when a few associates came in early to start early ( I let my OPS know and I had a sub-supervisor to cover), I didn't fill out a temp stamp (which no one has ever gotten written up for that one), I supposedly made a receiving error but they couldn't find the proof and other associates have used my login when they don't have one, I had a packet on my desk that was a dry backhaul (I worked perishable) the should have been done by the crew the day before, but I was responsible because somehow it ended up on my desk, and a safety procedure an associate violated that I was told I would not be held for.

Was I fuming - yes

The "F" Day

Well, on July 7th I was "let go" from - well let's just use "Company A". I had a feeling it was coming, but they way they did it was unbelievable. I think I should start back a few months.

It became clear to me when they started writing me up for stuff that should have just been conversations. Then all of a sudden stuff that other managers were never held accountable for - I was being held accountable.

My female supervisor was on the chopping block and let go - then about a month and a half later it was me.

Stay tuned for more trials and realizations of my life after being fired from "Company A"!