How to Turn a Phone Interview into a Face-to-Face

When time and budgets are tight many employers start their interview process with a phone interview. Though it may sound like a lower hurdle than an in-person meeting, that’s not necessarily true. There are things you need to know to get you to a meeting with the hiring manager—and eventually, to a fantastic new job.

DO

Be positive and energetic. Remember that the person interviewing you can’t see any body language and can only read the inflection of your voice. Practice this if you need to—and if you have trouble with it, put a mirror in front of you to watch your face as you are talking on the phone.

Show you’re listening. The occasional “I see,” “Yes,” “Great,” make for a better conversation—as do any positive vibes you can give during pauses…

Screwed: 525 in Delaware

A daily review of the employment fallout around the country and the world.

Today’s Total: 1,036

Delaware is eliminating 525 vacant jobs…Bath Iron Works says it will lay off 191 workers this month…Denver will let go at least 170…Sitel call center in Tennessee will lay off 112…

Screwed: 361 at Fortis Bank Polska

A daily review of the employment fallout around the country and the world.

Today’s Total: 737

Fortis Bank Polska may lay off 361 employees… 200 Milwaukee county workers may receive layoff notices at any time… Boeing’s Missile Defense Systems is laying off 69 employees in Huntsville… Pratt & Whitney laid off 45 workers yesterday at three locations around the country… Princeton University is laying off 43 employees and cutting hours on 18 other positions as part of a new budget cutting plan… 10 positions were cut at the Frederick County Health Department… The Wall Street Journal is closing its Boston bureau, resulting in up to 9 layoffs… Target Corp. has cut 8 percent of its downtown Minneapolis corporate marketing team… Thousands may face layoffs in the Hawaii Department of Education if a federal judge blocks teacher furloughs…23andMe has undergone restructuring and an undeclared number of layoffs…

Screwed: 2,500 at General Electric

A daily review of the employment fallout around the country and the world.

Today’s Total: 7,475

The good news: John Deere will recall 452 manufacturing workers by the end of November.

The bad: General Electric’s lighting unit will lay off 2,500 Hungarian workers over the next two years… German railway company Deutsche Bahn is set to cut 2,000 administrative workers due to declining revenue… US Airways anticipates cutting up to 1,000 employees in 2010… BP plans to eliminate 600 German workers as a cost-cutting measure… Insurance broker Arthur J. Gallagher is set to lay off 400 workers despite rising profits in the third quarter… Versace will shed 350 as part of a “comprehensive corporate reorganization”… Intermet is set to close the Archer Creek Foundry in Campbell County, Virginia the day after Christmas and cut 200 workers… Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida Inc. will hand out 150 pink slips… Aramark Services filed notice with the state of Florida to lay off 96 employees in Pompano Beach… Citigroup anticipates laying off 75 employees in a Las Vegas office by the end of the year… The axe came down at Forbes Wednesday which shuttered bureaus in London and Los Angeles and eliminated about 50 editorial staffers… Workforce Solutions will lay off 48 workers in response to reduced federal funding in East Texas… Teen Vogue met its McKinsey-mandated 25% budget cut by eliminating 6 staffers from its sales and marketing departments… The Associated Press is set to cut 10% of its workforce, although a final tally is not yet available… American Suzuki laid off its entire press relations department…

Screwed: 100 at Ford Stamping Plant

A daily review of the employment fallout around the country and the world.

Today’s Total: 183

The Good News: After a 20 percent workforce cut Deyaar Development will not be laying off any more employees.

Approximately 100 hourly workers at the Ford Stamping Plant in Woodlawn are facing a week-long layoff… Butler Sheriff’s Office will lay off 40 deputies if no other budget solutions are found… Tulsa is laying off 21 police officers and issuing seven-day layoff notices to 16 non-public safety officials… The town of Carbondale is laying off 5 workers while giving others furlough and instituting wage and hiring freezes… Features Director James Reginato has left W magazine and more layoffs are expected… Arizona school system is facing a possible massive teacher layoff next year due to budget cuts… Time Inc. is carrying out layoffs in its Time, Money, Fortune, and Sports Illustrated departments before the Thanksgiving break…

Screwed: 13,000 at Japan Airlines Corp.

A daily review of the employment fallout around the country and the world.

Today’s Total: 17,559

The good news: Caterpillar has ended the furloughs of 550 employees.

The bad: Japan Airlines Corp. will dramatically reduce its workforce with the layoffs of 13,000 workers by March of 2015… Caterpillar will cut an additional 2,500 jobs… The Birmingham City Council has confirmed the elimination of 800 positions in the U.K. due to budget cuts… PotashCorp will institute “temporary” layoffs for 800 Canadian employees during November and December… Utah-based Valley Mental Health is set to cut up to 125 employees due to recession-driven budget cuts… Direct Energy will shut down a Richardson, Texas call center and lay off 85 staffers… Hunter Industries is set to close its Cary, N.C. plant by the end of the year and lay off the remaining 76 employees… Auto glass-maker Guardian will trim 64 from its Auburn, Ind. staff… Deyaar Development laid off 60 workers in Dubai… The Tulsa Police Department could lose up to 21 officers in an attempt to trim $2 million from the budget… LiveWire Mobile Inc. announced plans to hand out 20 pink slips… Boston’s State House documents room laid off its remaining 4 employees… The aftermath of McKinsey has Condé Nast employees wondering when the layoffs will end as 4 unlucky staffers from Women’s Wear Daily were laid off on Friday… Forbes will cut its staff by “several” in response to decreased ad revenue…

Complain, Complain, Complain

If you’ve ever sat on hold with the cable company for 40 minutes while you tried to get an issue resolved, you already understand the agony involved in most customer service interactions. But with more and more people cutting down on non-essential costs—like cable, gym memberships, and weekly blow-outs at the salon, to name a few—due to the recession, an increasing number of companies are ramping up their customer service efforts as a way to keep people coming back for more…

Screwed: 5,000 at Mahindra Satyam

A daily review of the employment fallout around the country and the world.

Today’s Total: 5,940

Mahindra Satyam may lay off 5,000 benchers after assuring that there would be no more layoffs…CNH announces plans to lay off 300 staff members… Georgia-Pacific will lay off 300 workers… International Paper in Oregon lays off 230 workers… Quest plans to lay off 60 staffers in its Wallingford, Conn., testing facility… Workforce Solutions will lay off 50 employees…

Screwed: 100 at NewPage

A daily review of the employment fallout around the country and the world.

Today’s Total: 211

Wisconsin’s NewPage paper mill is laying off up to 100 workers… Legal service company WilmerHale has laid off 57 staff members across 4 offices yesterday… 50 employees are losing their jobs in Lockheed Martin‘s northeastern Pennsylvania plant… Conde Nast layoffs continue as 4 staffers are laid off at GQ magazine… Sony has allegedly cut half the workforce at Colorado-based Idol Minds game developer… Governer Rendell predicts more Pennsylvania layoffs but is holding off on details for about another month… Fresno City faces major budget deficit next year and layoffs may be on the horizon.

Screwed: 5,000 at Mahindra Satyam

A daily review of the employment fallout around the country and the world.

Today’s Total: 13, 515

Mahindra Satyam has sent layoff notifications to 5,000 employees in India… German mail-order giant Quelle plans the layoffs of 4,000 employees by November after declaring bankruptcy… Sallie Mae anticipates trimming at least 2,000 staffers… Iowa will hand out pink slips to 800 state workers due to a 10% budget cut… The state of Massachusetts announced its final layoff number: 726 employees have lost their jobs… Cook County Health and Hospital Systems of Chicago will lose 335 employees after a $60 million budget cut… Avis Budget Group Inc. is slated to lay off 220 Canadian employees… Bristol-Meyers Squibb announced the layoffs of 113 workers from its facility in Evansville, Ind… Missouri’s Department of Natural Resources plans to cut 100 workers in the coming weeks… Sacramento County’s Child Protective Services laid off 76 staff members in response to a budget deficit… 74 Shuttle America employees will lose their jobs by the end of the month…