Calling All Contacts for A Good Job –
Using the Telephone Effectively in Your Job Hunt
Do you:
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Dread making “cold calls” to drum up job leads? |
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Forget what you were going to say the minute you get someone on the line? |
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Find that people only return phone calls when you've stepped out to turn off the sprinklers? |
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Feel like your target on the other end will hang up the minute they find out you are a job seeker? |
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Do you question that all this effort cast into the black hole of “telephone networking” will really pay off? |
As you begin your job search campaign, the telephone (and systems related to it) deserves your attention.
While the telephone may soon be replaced by your computer and other interactive media, the telephone is still an essential element to many phases of your search. These include: research and targeting, informational interviewing, networking, job lead generation, screening interviews, post-interview follow-up, and compensation negotiation.
The following steps will help you tune-up the telephone aspect of your search:
Step One: Evaluate your voice mail/answering machine message (By the way - if you do not have an answering system, simply add several months and thousands of dollars in wasted expense to your job search task!) Your answering system needs to be in working order and of relatively high quality. You must use your voice only to record the message. Please send children, dogs, and the neighbors out of the home for the five minutes while you are recording. Leave a professional message, as if you run your own business and you are responding to the call of a prospective client. Speak slowly, smile while you speak and stand as you deliver the message.
Step Two: Equip your phone area with a working pen or pencil (several, if the writing implements in your home disappear regularly), a pad of paper and a copy of your resume. An encouraging quote taped at eye level with a reminder to “breathe” is also a good idea.
Step Three: Hold a family meeting to discuss the importance of your job search. Agree on phone answering strategies and message taking requirements. Remember... one missed phone call could result in a lost job opportunity!
Step Four: Offer employers a pager or mobile number (on both your resume and your answering machine message) for an immediate contact option. Recruiters will take the most direct route to a qualified candidate. The pager or mobile contact option gives you a powerful advantage. By the way, please do not put your employer’s phone number or your work e-mail address on your resume. It is unethical for you to use company time and equipment for your search. Further, it tells your prospective employer you may misuse company property in the future.
Conclusion
The bottom line is persistence and courage. You must be prepared to handle objections, rejections and small doses of rudeness. Nevertheless, the telephone is still a miraculous tool that allows you - the job seeker - to build critical relationships with the people who have the power to hire you.
Borrow a few tips from telemarketers:
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Set aside a block of time to make at least twenty or thirty calls at a time. Many of your prospects will not be available. Do not leave a message. Simply ask when it would be best to call back and plan to try again later. |
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Have your script ready. Clarify your objectives in advance. |
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Hang in there through your first five or ten calls. Your technique will get smoother with each call. Do not take a break until you’ve completed the thirtieth call. |
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If you don’t have the name or correct number, for the prospect try changing one digit in the number you have. For example, if you have the CEO’s number (444-5602), try calling (444-5603). Whoops, you are lost! Ask whoever answers to direct you to your prospect and thank them for their time! |
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Plan to call each prospect an average of seven times before you reach them. Persistence will pay off. |
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Finally, call at odd times like early morning, lunch and shortly after five. Like many of us, busy executives answer their own phones if they happen to be at their desk. |
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Have a plan to respond to each of their objections. If they say they are “busy,” “not hiring,” “lost your resume,” or “sent your resume to Human Resources” take some notes on how you plan to respond. |
· Best-Selling Books on Using the Telephone
Dynamite Tele-Search : 101 Techniques and Tips for Getting Job Leads and Interviews Ronald L. Krannich, Caryl Rae Krannich (Contributor) / Paperback / Published 1995
Winning Telephone Tips: 30 Fast and Profitable Tips for Making the Best Use of Your Phone (30-Minute Solutions Series), Paul R. Timm / Paperback / Published 1997
Telephone Terrific! : Facts, Fun, and 103 'How-To' Tips for Phone Success David Dee, Diana Bryan (Illustrator) / Paperback / Published 1994
Winning Telephone Tips Inc. Associates, Jack Wilson / Hardcover / Published 1995
Phone interviewing strategies
