My husband took this photo because he thought it was totally funny that I was conducting a phone interview while naked. (Thank heavens for the cropping tool in Adobe Photoshop!)
In my defense, I'd like to explain that the interview had been scheduled for 8:15 a.m. I called, fully dressed; no answer. I kept calling at five-minute intervals without success. Finally, deciding that I'd been stood up, I gave up and got into the shower. That's when she called me. Afraid that I'd have to play this game again if I didn't take the call, I splashed my may into my office and did the interview. I heard the camera click behind me.
I'd like to say this is the first time such a thing has happened, but it isn't. One of the down sides of working at home is that even though you can squeeze in your personal life at odd times, you also have to pretend that it doesn't exist. Uh, no, that's not a cat meowing; it's my other phone. And it's a good thing the expert on the phone can't smell what's burning on the stove as I continue to take notes.
This is where multitasking has taken us.
Believe me, I try to keep it all separated and professional. Unfortunately, others are not doing the same.
There is, for example, the issue of punctuality.
I don't try to launch an interview on my first phone call. I realize that the phone often rings at inconvenient times, so it would be presumptuous and rude of me to expect someone to talk to me when I've called them out of the blue. So I ask for an appointment, a convenient time I can call.
I view that agreed-upon time as a meeting date. One of us not "showing up" within 15 minutes of the slotted time would be akin to blowing off the meeting. Alas, my view is not shared. Can you blame me for trying to get on with my day (i.e., take a shower) when the other person hasn't shown up a half hour later?
But what can I do? Perhaps there is a rather unusual form of recourse. It wouldn't help on the spot, but maybe it would make a person think twice before treating an appointment with such nonchalance...
Click. Attached please find a photo of an overweight, aging naked woman interviewing you. You are receiving this because you were not available at our agreed-upon meeting time. Burn this image into your brain for the next time you have a phone appointment. Bet you'll be on time.
In my defense, I'd like to explain that the interview had been scheduled for 8:15 a.m. I called, fully dressed; no answer. I kept calling at five-minute intervals without success. Finally, deciding that I'd been stood up, I gave up and got into the shower. That's when she called me. Afraid that I'd have to play this game again if I didn't take the call, I splashed my may into my office and did the interview. I heard the camera click behind me.
I'd like to say this is the first time such a thing has happened, but it isn't. One of the down sides of working at home is that even though you can squeeze in your personal life at odd times, you also have to pretend that it doesn't exist. Uh, no, that's not a cat meowing; it's my other phone. And it's a good thing the expert on the phone can't smell what's burning on the stove as I continue to take notes.
This is where multitasking has taken us.
Believe me, I try to keep it all separated and professional. Unfortunately, others are not doing the same.
There is, for example, the issue of punctuality.
I don't try to launch an interview on my first phone call. I realize that the phone often rings at inconvenient times, so it would be presumptuous and rude of me to expect someone to talk to me when I've called them out of the blue. So I ask for an appointment, a convenient time I can call.
I view that agreed-upon time as a meeting date. One of us not "showing up" within 15 minutes of the slotted time would be akin to blowing off the meeting. Alas, my view is not shared. Can you blame me for trying to get on with my day (i.e., take a shower) when the other person hasn't shown up a half hour later?
But what can I do? Perhaps there is a rather unusual form of recourse. It wouldn't help on the spot, but maybe it would make a person think twice before treating an appointment with such nonchalance...
Click. Attached please find a photo of an overweight, aging naked woman interviewing you. You are receiving this because you were not available at our agreed-upon meeting time. Burn this image into your brain for the next time you have a phone appointment. Bet you'll be on time.