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American Morning
New England Flooding; Immigration Battle; Third Duke Arrest
Aired May 16, 2006 - 09:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DAN LOTHIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Dan Lothian in Methuen, Massachusetts, where the river rages, but will the dam hold?
JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: I'm meteorologist Jacqui Jeras in the CNN weather center. The rain is still coming down in the Northeast, but there is sunshine in the forecast. We'll let you know when it arrives.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Another wildfire forcing the closure of a major Florida interstate, the flames jumping the highway. A state of emergency still in effect.
JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Jason Carroll in Durham, North Carolina. A third Duke lacrosse player charged in the case. What's he saying in his defense? The answer coming up.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: And focusing on your career in your 30s and your 40s and your 50s. What do you do when it's time for a change, and how do you do it? Plus, is there any balance between work and home?
A special hour ahead on this AMERICAN MORNING.
Good morning. Welcome everybody. As we just mentioned, we've got a special hour coming to you.
I'm Soledad O'Brien
M. O'BRIEN: I'm Miles O'Brien. We're glad you're with us.
In the meantime, let's get some news in before we get to our special.
More heavy rain coming to already waterlogged New England. More than 1,500 already forced out of their homes by those rising waters. The water putting massive pressure on buckling dams, and in some areas raw sewage washing into the streets. Not a pretty picture at all.
AMERICAN MORNING'S Dan Lothian live now from Methuen, Massachusetts, with more -- Dan.
LOTHIAN: Good morning, Miles.
I just spoke to the mayor of Methuen, and he told me that his people are exhausted. They've been working around the clock, not only to make sure that the Spicket River Dam behind me holds, but also that they can safely evacuate residents who might be in danger. This is no doubt the concern of other communities also hit hard by the storm.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LOTHIAN (voice over): Torrential rain turned calm waters to roaring rivers. A force of nature swamped buildings, bridges, roads, and cars across northern New England. In Exeter, New Hampshire, a crew with sandbags races against the clock.
SCOTT LEBAUDE, NEW HAMPSHIRE HIGHWAY DEPT.: We're keeping the water out of the park so it doesn't take the park with it.
LOTHIAN: In Manchester, New Hampshire, Gerard Fredette grabs his video camera to capture what he says is history in the making.
GERARD FREDETTE, MANCHESTER RESIDENT: This is the worst since 1936.
LOTHIAN: Back then, Fredette was just 7 years old. The spring storm lasted 13 days.
FREDETTE: The whole area was a disaster.
LOTHIAN: History has not exactly repeated itself, but that's no conciliation for residents left pumping out flooded homes...
ASHLEY WOOD, STUDENT: A few of my other friends' houses have been flooded completely.
LOTHIAN: ... and counting the loss, like Kim Reynolds, a nurse from Salem, Massachusetts.
KIM REYNOLDS, SALEM RESIDENT: We had about five feet of water in the back yard, which in turn went into our basement, and it was over our heads in the basement.
LOTHIAN: She captured the damage on her picture cell phone.
REYNOLDS: Our furniture is underwater, our hot water tank is underwater. We have no heat, we have no hot water, we have no oil, and we're kind of like living by candlelight right now.
LOTHIAN: The National Guard has been activated in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. Emergency supplies are being trucked in. And shelters are meeting the needs of hundreds of displaced residents. Some communities are overwhelmed.
LT. JOHN O'LEARY, SALEM FIRE AND HAZMAT DEPT.: It's big trouble right now for everyone, and we're trying to do the best we can to help everyone out.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LOTHIAN: Methuen's mayor tells me that he's cautiously optimistic that the river dam behind me will hold and he hopes for a break later this afternoon -- Miles. M. O'BRIEN: And when you say break, you don't mean the dam breaking, just to be clear? The kind of break -- a break in the weather, right?
LOTHIAN: Exactly. He hopes for a break in the weather later this afternoon.
M. O'BRIEN: All right. Dan Lothian. Just want to make sure that was real clear there.
Time for the forecast now. Jacqui Jeras in the CNN center -- weather center looking at all that for us.
And look at that multicolor blob over New England. It doesn't look good.
JERAS: I know, it doesn't.
(WEATHER REPORT)
S. O'BRIEN: All right, Jacqui. Thanks.
Reaction is mixed this morning at President Bush's plans for immigration reform. In the plan, putting National Guard troops along the U.S.-Mexico border.
In a poll done for CNN by Opinion Research Corporation, only 42 percent of those watching had a positive opinion of the president's immigration policies before last night's speech. After the speech, though, that number went up, way up. Sixty-seven percent had a positive opinion.
Let's get right to Ed Henry. He's at the White House for us this morning.
Hey, Ed. Good morning.
ED HENRY, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad.
You know, the president will be heading to the border state of Arizona on Thursday to make yet another pitch for his comprehensive immigration reform plan. And that poll you mentioned, a snapshot poll, suggested the broader public is liking this plan so far, but the problem for the president is that this primetime address last night was really targeted towards a more narrow audience, conservatives on Capitol Hill who hold the key to forging some sort of a compromise on this legislation. And so far they're still not on board.
The boldest step in this plan, as you mentioned, calling for the deployment of up to 6,000 National Guard troops to try to help secure the U.S.-Mexico border. Many Democrats, some Republicans saying the Guard is already stretched too thin because of the war in Iraq. Critics also say that this is really a drop in the bucket, up to 6,000 troops, and really is not going to help that much.
Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff addressed those concerns earlier on AMERICAN MORNING.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAEL CHERTOFF, HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: Well, the answer here, of course, is to leverage the people with technology. And that why the president talked about doing things like getting more unmanned aero vehicles, sensors, infrared detectors, because with these kinds of tools you can use what will ultimately be over 18,000 border patrol to do the entire border in a way that is cost effective and also effective in terms of mission completion.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HENRY: Now, the president has moved back from domestic politics to the international stage. He's welcoming in the Australian prime minister, John Howard, as we speak. You can see right there on the south lawn.
John Howard has been really a stalwart ally for this president, specifically the war in Iraq. Also supported the war in Afghanistan. Australian troops have been standing shoulder to shoulder with U.S. troops.
The president really giving a big "thank you" here to Prime Minister Howard. He needs friends all around the world right now, not just because of Iraq, but obviously the tense situation in Iran, in particular, trying to build as many allies as possible -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: Ed Henry at the White House for us.
Ed, thanks -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: A third lacrosse player is charged in the Duke rape investigation, and he's not keeping quiet about it. He's the first one to publicly defend himself.
Jason Carroll live now from Durham, North Carolina, with more.
Good morning, Jason.
CARROLL: And good morning to you, Miles.
David Evans spoke for several minutes yesterday. He actually said he felt relieved to be able to speak on behalf of his family and fellow teammates.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CARROLL (voice over): Just hours after becoming the third Duke lacrosse player indicted for raping a young woman, David Evans became the first accused player to publicly defend himself. Evans, a former team captain, faced the cameras, speaking for himself and his other two teammates also indicted for rape.
DAVID EVANS, ACCUSED LACROSSE PLAYER: I am innocent. Reade Seligmann is innocent. Collin Finnerty is innocent. Every member of the Duke University lacrosse team is innocent.
You have all been told some fantastic lies. And I look forward to watching them unravel in the weeks to come, as they already have in weeks past, and the truth will come out.
CARROLL: Evans says he has been cooperating with investigators from the very beginning. He also says he voluntarily took a polygraph test given by a retired FBI agent retained by the defense.
EVANS: And I passed that polygraph for the same reason that I will be acquitted of all these charges, because I have done nothing wrong and I am telling the truth, and I've told the truth from day one.
CARROLL: Evans' attorney, Joe Cheshire, says he offered to have the district attorney, Michael Nifong, conduct his own polygraph on Evans, but Cheshire says the offer was refused. Nifong, who has not publicly revealed his case against the students, released a statement saying, "I do not anticipate that there will be any further indictments, and it's important to remove the cloud of suspicion from other team members."
Cheshire also says the D.A.'s case is severely flawed. The first set of DNA test results showed no match to any player. The second report released Friday shown to CNN concluded, "David Evans could not be excluded as a contributor to the DNA material recovered from the accuser's fake nail." The same conclusion was reached on a fourth player also named in the report, but not charged.
Cheshire says the alleged victim made a grave mistake when she identified Evans during a photo lineup. Evans was the fifth picture displayed during the procedure. CNN was shown a transcript.
The accuser says, "He looks like one of the guys who assaulted me."
Sergeant: "OK, how -- how sure of it are you on this image?"
Victim: "He looks just like him without the mustache."
Sergeant: "OK, so the person had a mustache?"
Victim: "Yes."
The young woman told the sergeant she was 90 percent sure.
JOE CHESHIRE, EVANS' ATTORNEY: Mr. Nifong knows that David Evans has never had a mustache.
CARROLL: Evans voluntarily turned himself into police immediately following his public statement. The 23-year-old former Duke senior from Bethesda, Maryland, was fingerprinted and posted bond. He made no attempt to avoid reporters as he left.
(END VIDEOTAPE) CARROLL: Evans speaking yesterday with his parents and some of his teammates standing by his side. He is scheduled to have a first appearance today, a first court appearance. He is not -- it's not mandatory that he attend, and we have been told that he will waive his right to attend the court proceeding today -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: Jason Carroll in Durham. Thank you very much -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: As we've been telling you all morning, today and all week it's our special series for folks in their 30s and 40s and 50s. That's lots of us. Today we're devoting a good part of this hour to your career.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
S. O'BRIEN (voice over): Working 9:00 to 5:00? Ah, the good old days. More like working around the clock now. And by the time you're 30, 40, or 50, your career is not just your vocation, it's serious business.
You've probably got a family, a mortgage, and your retirement to think about. So are you in the right job? Is it secure? By the time today's 35-year-olds hit 55, they may be in some entirely new infrastructure of work with no Social Security or even job security.
And with more layoffs happening to the over 50 crowd, what's the best way to keep your present job? The average person makes more than three career changes during their working life, so it's time to pay attention to your job. If you thought just working was hard work, keeping a job and finding one may be even harder.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
S. O'BRIEN: So this morning we're going to take your questions, give lots of advice with our panel of experts. Some questions for you, like, what should your strategy be now at 30 if you want to change careers at 40? What's the biggest mistake people make when they're in the interview? What can you do to make sure you make the job?
We're taking your questions. You can give us a call. The toll- free number is 1-877-AM6-1300 -- 877-266-1300. Phone lines are open now, as we like to say. Or send us an e-mail at any time, am@cnn.com.
A short break. It gets under way in just a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
S. O'BRIEN: Welcome back, everybody.
Another day of our special series, "30s, 40s, 50s," changing your career. When's the time to make a change? And when you decide to make a change, how do you go about it?
M. O'BRIEN: Here to answer all your questions, we hope, is Laura Berman Fortgang. She is a personal coach and author of the book "Now What? 90 Days to a New Life Direction."
You can do it in 90 days. That's pretty good.
And Chuck Wardell, who is with the recruiting firm of Korn/Ferry International. He's managing director of the New York office.
Welcome to you both. Good to have you with us.
CHARLES WARDELL III, KORN/FERRY INTERNATIONAL: Thank you. It's nice being here.
S. O'BRIEN: Let's talk about how it breaks down to the 30s and 40s and 50s. And Laura, I'm going to have you begin. I mean, people want different things and are focusing on different things depending on their age, obviously. So 30s, what should you be doing?
LAURA BERMAN FORTGANG, PERSONAL COACH: When you're 30s, you are over your 20s. You don't want to be the worker bee anymore. You want to be recognized for all that hard work, start looking for those promotions, what are the things that are going to make this juicy and make me want to stay.
In your 40s, this is an interesting point. You're either looking ahead and saying, OK, how do I make the most of this longer term, or I'm finding since 9/11 a lot of people questioning the whole thing and starting over in their 40s.
M. O'BRIEN: Big numbers?
FORTGANG: Big numbers.
M. O'BRIEN: Interesting.
FORTGANG: Huge trend in the last almost five years.
M. O'BRIEN: So you either ramp it up or scale back entirely?
FORTGANG: Yes, I'm seeing it flat out.
And in your 50s, if you're in a corporate setting, there's a lot of benefits to reap. So people are saying, I'll see this through, and what am I going to do after that? Because we're working for a long time.
S. O'BRIEN: Yes. There's no more retiring, you know, and then sort of doing nothing. It's sometimes retiring to go on to the next job.
WARDELL: But also, it gets serious. In your 30s, you begin to have responsibilities, a mortgage, children. Many times you're looking down the road to see if you can afford it in your 40s and 50s. And you have to come to grips of whether or not you like your job, you're good at it, where it will take you over the next 10 years.
M. O'BRIEN: You know, a lot of people, I think, in their 30s say, I've paid my dues now. You know what? In my 40s, I still feel like I'm paying my dues every morning at 3:00 when the alarm clock goes off. So when does the dues-paying stop? Ever?
WARDELL: No, it never stops. And actually, in your 40s, you begin to think, can I get there? How good am I? What price am I willing to pay for the ambition I have?
S. O'BRIEN: How much time should somebody be looking for a job? If you decided, listen, I'm thinking about hopping, how long is it going to take me to think about going someplace? Is it a year you should leave? Is it two years? Is it six months, three months?
FORTGANG: I think it depends -- if you don't mind...
WARDELL: No, go ahead.
FORTGANG: I think it depends on what you're doing. I mean, if you're going to change within the same industry, it can be a matter of weeks or a couple of months. But if you're talking about a longer- term change, you might need retraining, or you might need to get some experience in something -- in another situation to move on to that next thing. So it could be a one-year or two-year plan, or it could be a few months.
Would you back me up on that?
WARDELL: No, I agree. And also, you have to be willing to do things, relocate, move your family, think about going overseas, talk to the industries, the trade groups, your friends in the industry. It doesn't come to you. You have to be proactive.
M. O'BRIEN: Well, and when you decide to start looking for a job, you really have to make it a job, don't you?
WARDELL: It's a full-time job if you don't have one. If you have one, you have to do it much more carefully.
M. O'BRIEN: How much time can you devote to it, though, if you've got a full-time job?
WARDELL: Well, it depends. You can do it -- trade groups, through friends, over lunch. You can call recruiters, you can begin to let the word get out that you're available.
S. O'BRIEN: I also would think that if you have a job -- I mean, I'm sort of outing myself on this, but I always use the fax and the FedEx and the envelopes and all that stuff.
M. O'BRIEN: You're in deep trouble now, girl.
S. O'BRIEN: I know -- no. Never here. Never here.
M. O'BRIEN: I never do that.
S. O'BRIEN: But truly, I mean, it's much easier to get a job if you have a job for a host of reasons.
WARDELL: Yes, it is, but you don't want your employer to know you're looking.
S. O'BRIEN: That's right. Hypothetically. Just hypothetically.
FORTGANG: And also, your self esteem is doing all right when you're employed. The longer you're unemployed, sometimes that starts to ruin your effectiveness in the job search as well.
M. O'BRIEN: All right. But looking for the silver lining here, unemployment does offer an opportunity to really step back and think about what you want to do. It can be difficult sometimes with work and all the other pressures we have -- while you have a job to do all that.
FORTGANG: Well, again, it depends on how well you did in your life planning anyway. If you're sitting on a nice bank account, you're like, all right, I can afford to take some time to regroup, reevaluate, take my time. But the people who get into a panic situation, we've got to ask them to try not to panic and so say, OK, give yourself a realistic time frame, and do something every day to move towards that next job.
S. O'BRIEN: Let's get an e-mail. This is from David J. in Boston.
"I'm 30," he writes, "and I have a job offer from a company I could be with for rest of my working life, if that still exists. What are the two or three not so obvious things that I should be asking for in negotiations, besides more pay?"
Because truly, everybody asks for the money, and I would imagine, Laura, you're certainly seeing with your clients it's not all about the money.
FORTGANG: No, it's not. And Chuck and I were talking about this, that you need to know up front what -- if you're interested in a family-friendly company, then find out up front that this is a family- friendly company and not try to make that happen down the road.
Anything else you would add to that?
WARDELL: Well, also, don't bluff. If you have an opportunity and you want to talk to your employer about what they should do to keep you, then you have to mean what you say, and if they say no, you have to leave.
M. O'BRIEN: Be prepared to accept the consequences.
WARDELL: Accept the opportunity.
FORTGANG: Well said.
M. O'BRIEN: That, too.
All right. Coming up, we're going to get you ready for your job interview. What's the biggest mistake you make in a job interview?
S. O'BRIEN: You talk too much.
M. O'BRIEN: We'll tell you a little bit more about that.
Give us a call, toll free, 877-AM6-1300. We don't want you to talk too long on that either. Just enough. And you can e-mail us as well at am@cnn.com.
Back in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
S. O'BRIEN: This morning we're taking a look at your career in your 30s and your 40s and your 50s. The good news, you've got a job interview. Now we're going to tell you how to ace that interview.
We're back with Laura Berman Fortgang. She's a personal coach and an author, also a contributing editor at "Redbook" magazine.
Chuck Wardell, of the recruiting firm Korn/Ferry International, he's a managing director there in the New York office.
Welcome back, guys.
Let's talk a little bit about how to behave in an interview. What's the biggest mistake? We've been talking about this all morning. The biggest mistake, hands down, that people make?
WARDELL: Well, to begin with, be on time. I'm astonished about how many people are 20 minutes late for an interview.
M. O'BRIEN: That is astonishing. That really is.
S. O'BRIEN: Yes. That's a bad beginning.
WARDELL: Go the night before, get there.
M. O'BRIEN: Camp out, if you have to.
S. O'BRIEN: But you have said that people talk too much.
WARDELL: Well, they do talk too much.
S. O'BRIEN: And that's a huge mistake. You know, but at the same time, you have that awkward silence when you say one thing and they say one thing and you say one thing...
WARDELL: Don't be afraid of the silence. Be prepared, have a couple of questions. Know something about the firm. Be able to pronounce the name of the person you're being interviewed by.
S. O'BRIEN: So really basic, obvious kind of simple things is where people make mistakes?
WARDELL: Well, they think talking for an hour and a half is a good interview, and it's not.
FORTGANG: It's not the quality -- I mean, it's the quality, not the quantity of the time. How specific are you being?
M. O'BRIEN: Is the silence kind of a trap? Do interviewers do that on purpose, they just shut up and see what happens?
S. O'BRIEN: It's a trap in interviewing, truly.
M. O'BRIEN: Is it?
WARDELL: It can be, but wait them out. Sometimes they have a list of questions in their own mind, and they're trying to think, maybe not for this job but for another, or who should they see next? Wait them out. Silence isn't the end of the world.
M. O'BRIEN: It's not that they want to see you sweat?
WARDELL: Not particularly. They want you to join, too.
M. O'BRIEN: Yes.
WARDELL: You know, they need good people, too.
M. O'BRIEN: Right.
S. O'BRIEN: You say be clear you want the job.
WARDELL: Absolutely.
S. O'BRIEN: So what -- give me the words to say. I want the job. What do I say? That doesn't push me over into the "I'm a little bit of a nut job," you know, a little too over-enthusiastic about wanting it.
What do you say to the prospective employer?
WARDELL: Well, you're there because you want the job, so act like it. You know, I always say, never turn down a job not offered. Don't go halfway through an interview thinking, I don't want to move, I don't want to do this. There may be two or three other things they're thinking about.
Have a knowledge of what the job is, point out it fits your skills, and be enthusiastic. I mean, it's the company, and they're paying you real money.
FORTGANG: I like to remind people that they usually get the jobs they don't want. So what happens in those interviews, when you didn't want to be there anyway but you were relaxed, you weren't nervous, you sold yourself at an appropriate level, you got it. It wasn't the one you wanted.
M. O'BRIEN: There's a lesson.
FORTGANG: So I tell people to look at what worked in those ones that you were relaxed, and try to bring that into the same one that you do want.
M. O'BRIEN: Try.
FORTGANG: Try.
M. O'BRIEN: All right. We have a caller on the line, Gary who is 52. He joins us from Poughkeepsie this morning. And Gary wants to know how to stay competitive.
Gary, go ahead.
CALLER: Yes. What I'm calling about is -- is I've never had a problem getting -- you know, finding a job in my life, and as I reach 50 now, I found myself separated from a company a few months ago, and now I'm trying to find out how to put a positive spin on myself against the younger competition. I found that the doors aren't quite open as much maybe as they were five years ago.
How can I make things better for me?
S. O'BRIEN: Let's ask our experts.
M. O'BRIEN: So, what do you do? Hair weave? Plastic surgery? What do you do?
(LAUGHTER)
FORTGANG: Rolling with the punches.
Chuck, we'll see what you have to say about this. But I find that people that are in their 50s are in an interesting position, because to a company, you know, you're going to be more expensive maybe than someone in their 30s or their 40s who they can bring up. But don't give up.
If the doors don't keep opening, it may look like an opportunity to reinvent yourself, leveraging on everything you already have. But I want to hand it to Chuck for those people that are looking to get right back into the same industry.
S. O'BRIEN: You've got to sell the experience. I mean, the only way to beat 20-year-olds and 30-year-olds at the game is to say, well, I'm 50, and that's a good thing, because...
WARDELL: Well, absolutely. To begin with, don't be defensive. America has been laid off. You don't have to be defensive about not working.
Secondly, know what you can do and do it. This is not a good time to experiment. Former colleagues, trade shows, associations, there are a lot of places you can go.
And lastly, be optimistic. The workforce is looking for experienced people.
M. O'BRIEN: All right.
S. O'BRIEN: That's good advice. A reminder, our phone number again -- yes, let's put that number back on the screen -- 877-AM6-1300 if you want to reach us by phone. Or you can send us e-mail, am@cnn.com.
A short break. We're back with much more right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(NEWSBREAK)
(BUSINESS HEADLINES)
M. O'BRIEN: We have some experts standing by to answer your questions. So we invite you to call, 877-AM6-1300. (INAUDIBLE). Nothing better. Nothing better, 877-266-1300. Operators standing by. Or you can e-mail us at am@CNN.com. We're back playing the hits for you on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
S. O'BRIEN: Welcome back, everybody. We're talking about your career in your 30s, and your 40s, and 50s with got our experts, Laura Berman Fortgang, a personal coach and author. She wrote the book now "90 Days to a New Life's Direction."
Also she is "Redbook" magazine's "Love Your Dream" coach. And Chuck Wardell. He's the managing director of Korn/Ferry International's eastern U.S. office.
Welcome back to you guys.
Whenever people talk about work-life balance, usually I dissolve into hysterical laughter, because there is none, I mean, there is none, especially nowadays where you have a BlackBerry, a cell phone, a laptop, a desktop back in the office, a couple of kids. You cannot manage it all.
M. O'BRIEN: You have four kids, not just a couple. You've got a lot.
S. O'BRIEN: Well, in my case four. But, you know, whatever number of kids you have, it's impossible to balance. It is impossible. No?
FORTGANG: I don't agree.
S. O'BRIEN: Really? OK, what's the secret?
M. O'BRIEN: She begs to differ.
S. O'BRIEN: OK, what's the secret?
LAURA BERMAN FORTGANG, PERSONAL COACH: You know, I don't know if there's any such thing as balance, because balance means it's always even steven, you know, compartmentalized. It all works all the time. That's not true. There's going to be a certain amount of chaos. But balance means knowing what really matters to you and trying to have as much of that as possible. So is it going to be thrown off? Is it going to be challenged? Is someone going to show up sick or need special attention? Yes, and it's a matter of saying, am I going to be a work-centered person or a life-centered person?
S. O'BRIEN: I'm a life-centered person, who spends lots of time at work.
FORTGANG: With a very work-focused industry, so this is a choice that people have to make at some point in their career, say, OK, am I married to my job and do I want to take it all the way, and I'll figure out a way to have everything, or am I going to find work that feeds the quality of life that I want to have?
M. O'BRIEN: So you need to really re-evaluate your job first? Is that what you're saying? Because if you love your job, as we do, it's difficult sometimes to come up with a balance.
FORTGANG: Yes, and there's always tradeoffs. There is. I travel for work, but my husband doesn't, so that makes it work like that. If we both traveled, then you would have people who are saying, OK, who's taking care of our kids. So people make different decisions.
S. O'BRIEN: How do you bring your boss along, Chuck?
WARDELL: It's hard. We're the hardest working nation in the world, and there's a whole new etiquette now around BlackBerries. When do you use them?
S. O'BRIEN: I think Chuck agrees with me on this.
WARDELL: When don't you use them?
FORTGANG: When do you turn them off?
WARDELL: When do you turn them off?
M. O'BRIEN: And you're held accountable when they're off now, you know.
WARDELL: Well, absolutely. And corporations want to keep good people, so they're trying to find ways to have a work balance -- flexible hours, daycare, elder care. It's something you can talk about when you interview for a job, and it's something you can ask for when you're in one. But at the end of the day, you've got to go to work and you've got to earn your money.
M. O'BRIEN: So you've got to live with the BlackBerry somehow.
WARDELL: You live with the BlackBerry. We don't even take our vacations. We don't use the perks we have to balance our life to begin with.
FORTGANG: Not if they're my clients. When I have an executive client, I make them take vacation, and if it's a two-week vacation, and you can't handle that phone being off for two weeks, then one week of it has to be off.
S. O'BRIEN: What if it's a two-week vacation and it happens to be hurricane season, and you get called back to the job, which is a reality for us. But if not that, something the equivalent. You're going through a merger at work, and all of a sudden you need to be back in the office. Suddenly one of your high-ranking people is out and you need to handle a P.R. disaster. I would say there's lots of exceptions to that, well, I'm on my vacation, and I need my...
FORTGANG: There are exceptions, and emergencies come up, and then in those situations, you want to say, OK, I gave you this week that I was supposed to be off. Now I want it taken someplace else.
But let's also consider that a lot of the always connected thing that we do in America, we created. We created that. We say -- OK, perfect example, I went on vacation last August. And I took a month and everybody was saying, where do I reach you? Where do I reach you? That's because we've set an unsaid thing that you can reach us during vacation. Not me. Sorry. And now I don't work for corporate America for a very big reason.
WARDELL: In a global firm, you try to reach your Paris office, and they're on vacation. Americans don't understand that. You don't take the month of August off.
FORTGANG: Yes, but Europeans know how to take vacation.
(CROSSTALK)
M. O'BRIEN: Bring it on.
S. O'BRIEN: My guess is it's changing in Europe, and in a big company that actually you can get them on the phone, is that true?
WARDELL: Well, you can, and in a corporate emergency, an acquisition or something that's important, the corporation will pay for it, but they want you back. The other thing is, don't let your children down. If you have a soccer game or you have something you really need to go to and you've scheduled it, go to it. That isn't a month off, but that's I'm not coming in Thursday, I'm not going to be available. I'm all for that. We encourage it.
M. O'BRIEN: You're never going to get that time back ever. WARDELL: No, it's very important.
M. O'BRIEN: All right, thank you for that segment. That was good stuff. We could go on on that one. I'm sure we could do a whole hour on that.
S. O'BRIEN: You think?
M. O'BRIEN: Just for Soledad, solve her problems.
S. O'BRIEN: I'm a little tightly wound on this issue.
M. O'BRIEN: I hope you don't mind if we solve Soledad's problems today.
Well, there are other issues to contend with,. And in a moment we'll deal with them. We'll take more of your e-mails and calls. Once again, 877-AM6-1300 -- 266-1300.
We'll be back with more on life, career, balancing it all, can you have it all after a break?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
M. O'BRIEN: The graying of the work force. Remember our first caller who was concerned at the age of 52 about being competitive? You're going to be in the swim of things. Hang in there. I think that was Gary in Poughkeepsie.
We're back with our guest, Laura Berman Fortgang is a personal coach and author of "Now What: 90 Days to a New Life Direction." And "Redbook" magazine's "Love Your Dream" coach. What a good thing to put in your resume. I'm a your "Love Your Dream" coach.
Chuck Wardell is a manager of Korn/Fair International's New York office, which controls the entire East Coast. They're going for a global domination.
Let's get an e-mail in, shall we? This one comes from Joe. That's where he is. He's 34 years old. He's transitioning from the military to the civilian sector overseas. He's done all the monster.com stuff. But here's his problem, "The communication between me and prospective employers seems one sided. I send a resume and cover letter, they send me a form letter. How can I tip this more in my favor so it becomes an interaction that leads to a discussion?" That sounds like it's right up your alley, Chuck.
WARDELL: Well, it's hard. The military, after the draft stopped, fewer people in the private sector have been in the military, so it's harder to really gauge what they've done.
There are some things to do. One, there are search firms that specialize in placing military personnel.
Two, the military personnel in the workforce you should contact. Three, the Department of Defense has classes and builds bridges to the private sector for you. So if you do your homework, you will find a bridge into the private sector.
M. O'BRIEN: You want to add?
FORTGANG: I would just add to that that what's missing is people contact. So he's doing a lot of things through e-mail. That's not -- that's only one of the many ways that you should be looking for a job.
M. O'BRIEN: Would you recommend getting on the phone, trying to get through the voice mail and get a person on the line? It's tough.
FORTGANG: That's not so easy. But, Chuck, talk a little about that protocol, if you would.
WARDELL: Well, if you do it through an introduction it's much easier. If you have somebody you served with who is at a major firm and you tell them what you're up to, they can intercede for you with the human resource department. Cold calling into a major corporation or any corporation..
FORTGANG: People hate.
M. O'BRIEN: Brutal.
WARDELL: It's very difficult, yes.
M. O'BRIEN: You'll end up in the, you know, the accounts receivable department or something. You'll owe them money or something.
Theresa is on the line. She's 47 years old. She's in Henderson, North Carolina. And she's got a military background as well, and wants to know about a home business. Is that right, Theresa?
THERESA, NORTH CAROLINA (via telephone): Yes, that's correct.
M. O'BRIEN: What's your question?
THERESA: Well, I retired from the military five years ago. I work for a large corporation at this point. And what I'm looking for is I am looking for something with a more flexible schedule where I can be my own boss. But everything I've run into at this point, they tell you limited amount of information about their business. Of course they want money from you to send you a package and get you involved in it. And I just wanted to know what their perspective was on this, these home-based businesses? Are they really all they're cracked up to be or is it just something to beware of?
S. O'BRIEN: You think if you're sending money it's something to beware of?
FORTGANG: I would say yes. Be careful that -- if they're asking for money up front, that usually signals something a little fishy. So you want to be careful. A home-based business can be many things. You know, if there's something you do really well, it can be turned into a service business. And you want to talk to entrepreneurs, other people who have done it. The SBA, Small Business Association, has classes on how to start a home-based business. So you don't have to rely on a ready-made business that you buy.
Now if you're talking about a franchise, that's different. A franchise is someone who's gone through the trouble to create it for you, and you're going to run it. Now, they do require money. And do research on them because they have a track record. You want to make sure it's a good track record.
S. O'BRIEN: We've got another phone call. This is Jean. She's 57. Take a stab at this one. She's from from Bancroft, Michigan. Hey, Jean, are you there? What's your question?
JEAN, MICHIGAN (via telephone): Yes, I am. I have kind of a twofold question. One, when you fill your application out -- I'm a nurse, and I'm returning to work seven years after an injury. And they have on the application why you left your last job? If you put injury, you're considered a liability. And then if you come to the interview and you have disabilities, do you explain your disabilities or do you just let them pass by during the interview?
S. O'BRIEN: Interesting question.
M. O'BRIEN: Good question. It's a good question.
S. O'BRIEN: Because it's a competitive job market. What do you do, Chuck?
WARDELL: Tell the truth. And you're protected by law. Corporations are anxious to find people who are good, whether or not they have handicaps. So if you tell the truth up front and you have a real skill, you should do fine.
S. O'BRIEN: Here's a question from Kate -- should we move on, try to get to the other...
WARDELL: Yes, that's fine.
(CROSSTALK)
FORTGANG: Well, Chuck has a good point. You are protected by law. They're still going to be people who have certain prejudices and will make the decision based on other reasons, but you have to be who you are.
M. O'BRIEN: And you don't want to work for those people anyway.
FORTGANG: No, you want to be recognized for everything that you can do and all that you are, and the disability is just a plus because people with disabilities have special abilities.
M. O'BRIEN: Exactly. Right, go ahead.
S. O'BRIEN: The e-mail from Kate in Fairfield, Connecticut. She says, "Any tips for a 49-year-old woman who's desiring to get back to work outside the home? Seventeen years ago, I had a 10-year career with a major bank. The ensuing years, though, spent raising children, PTA volunteering, chairing charity events." Basic question. She's going in -- how do you pitch yourself, all those things that she listed as big pluses, when you're meeting at that bank in your interview?
WARDELL: Well, first, don't be defensive about raising your children. I mean, simply you have new priorities now. Your children have gone through a period where they don't need you as much. Secondly, go back to your old colleagues, find people who know you. Go back to the world you're from, whether it's trade shows or associations, and let people know you're available.
S. O'BRIEN: Can I do a follow-up to that? Would the advice be also when you're going to leave to raise your family to make sure you keep in touch, that there shouldn't be this big giant gap where you say, wow, I don't know anybody in the industry anymore, but you should aggressively think about keeping in touch with friends?
WARDELL: Well, you can take classes, you can try to do that, but it's hard. You have lunches. But they're two separate things. It's very important to raise your children, and the work force will accept you when you're done.
M. O'BRIEN: Here's a good...
FORTGANG: Go ahead.
M. O'BRIEN: Sorry, finish up.
FORTGANG: I was going to add that, you know, to go into an interview after 17 years, you've got to get up to speed on what's going on. A lot of things have changed. So get back to reading "The Wall Street Journal" and other things so that you can go into the interview with -- saying, hey, I'm someone who kept up with the trends, I can still be valuable now.
M. O'BRIEN: AMERICAN MORNING every morning will help. Here's a good one. What you were talking about, about people scanning back. This gentleman, T. Morgan (ph), he's in his 50s. And he's ready to kind of dial down his career. Willing to accept less money, but having some difficulty -- he says, "How can I convince prospective companies that lower salary is not an issue for me whatsoever? When asked the question on applications regarding current salary, I know this gets my resume right in the not interested pile without further consideration. How do I overcome that?" That's a good one.
WARDELL: Well, one thing you can say is I'm good at what I do, pay me what you think I'm worth. And it happens -- mostly you get much more than you think you're going to get.
M. O'BRIEN: But don't companies have the sense that people come in and say that, but ultimately be disgruntled and upset that they're not making...
WARDELL: No, not if you mean it. Not if you mean it.
FORTGANG: And saying my priorities have changed. For me, it's about the work and the satisfaction and the contribution, and the money is secondary.
M. O'BRIEN: Would you ever deliberately lower your -- the salary you're making now -- in other words, a little fib on your resume just so you don't get pigeon-holed? Once again, you've said to tell the truth no matter what.
WARDELL: No, I wouldn't lower my salary. I'd simply say money isn't my priority and within your organization, where am I on your pay scale? And I'm very happy to fit into it.
M. O'BRIEN: Great advice this morning.
S. O'BRIEN: Thank you very much. Laura Berman Fortgang and also Chuck Wardell, thank you for joining us and thanks for all the good advice.
WARDELL: Well, thank you.
FORTGANG: Thank you.
S. O'BRIEN: Coming up tomorrow, we're talking 30s, 40s, 50s, again, and we're talking parenting. Everything from becoming a first- time parent in your 30s or your 40s or your 50s -- you can probably even extend that to 60 nowadays. We'll tell you how you -- you can -- don't overschedule yourself or your kids. Talk to the author of the book "Twelve Simple Secrets That Real Moms Know." And of course, we're taking your e-mail questions and your phone questions. That's tomorrow on AMERICAN MORNING.
Coming up next, Daryn Kagan. Hey, Daryn, what are you working on this morning?
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Oh, we got a lot, as always, Soledad.
Some kids take the car for a joyride. Well, we have the story of an adventurous girl who did something different. She took the horse.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I remember I was down here, and when I got down here there was mud, and I was sort of galloping.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAGAN: Ah, but this went wrong. The horse slipped, the passenger tumbled. It's Buster the Rottweiler to the rescue.
Also, we have Web site photos -- they get a college soccer team kicked off the field. This time it's women who are in trouble. The women of Northwestern exposed.
And a different side of the diplomat. The secretary likes hers unshuffled. Trained in the classics. Condoleezza Rice -- actually finds her groove. We'll have her top 10 at the top of the hour. For now, back to you.
S. O'BRIEN: I thought you were going to say she joined Sister Sledge!
M. O'BRIEN: Is that on your iPod? Is that one on your iPod, too?
S. O'BRIEN: Perhaps, perhaps. Thanks, Daryn. We'll see you at the top of the hour.
M. O'BRIEN: We're going to continue to celebrate a few good times, brief ones, after a break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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