Dear Readers and Phone Lady fans: First, thank you so much for taking the time each week to read and share this post. It is an amazing gift that I don’t ever take for granted. That’s why I need to update you on a change that’s been gently brewing in my company. It began back in November of last year when I met a very bright and articulate young woman, Miriam Jobin. Since March she’s been contributing a lot to The Phone Lady, most importantly taking over the Phone Skills for Job Search workshop and creating its online version. It’s so exciting … and a relief as well. It always felt a bit strange for me to deliver the job search workshops when … my last job interview was 1986!
While Miriam has been writing the occasional post here, she will soon be launching her own blog, and I’ll be sure to let you know how to join her list. In the meantime, here is her view of the journey to being part of The Phone Lady.
How does Miriam describe her path to The Phone Lady? How does it compare to your job search path?
If we think anything alike, you’ll agree that finding a job can be a huge … pain in the butt. From preparing a resume to applying to job ads and then eagerly waiting for a call – all while being unemployed. There’s a ton of stress and frustration.
My journey began with a few part-time jobs while I was still in high school. I decided to accept an office job when I was ready for full-time work and steady hours. At this job, I learned a lot about myself and other people, as well as about running a business and how it all fits (and sometimes doesn’t fit) together.
The office job did inspire me and even motivated me to change my post-secondary studies from nursing to business. What it didn’t do was support my deep desire to help others and, eventually, this led me to hand in my resignation. Yikes! I found myself in the position of full-time mom, part-time student living on my own and unemployed.
What did I do?
The first thing I did was to jump in puddles on a sunny day after a ton of rain … which was great fun. Then I got to work.
My first stop was Eventbrite, where I found a networking event on mentoring that captured my interest. Hosted by Futurpreneur Atlantic, it was facilitated by … Mary Jane Copps, The Phone Lady.
We had a brief conversation at the end of the workshop, exchanged business cards and I went on my way.
Back to my job search, I applied for a few jobs through Indeed that I thought would be minimal stress. I had begun to develop a deep interest in being an entrepreneur, had a few business plans I was working on and wanted to find a job that wouldn’t consume all my time.
Within two weeks I got a job at a call centre that needed a bilingual representative. This job allowed me to develop and practice customer service and sales skills, as well as teamwork, leadership and other valuable communication skills.
Then, out of the blue, Mary Jane called me. She remembered my sharing how much I enjoyed using my French language skills, and she needed help with delivering a webinar in both English and French. Talk about the power of networking! We’ve been working together ever since and I get to write blogs, facilitate workshops and even build an online course.
So, what does your job-search journey look like? And how can I help?