| You've worked up the courage to call that
employer, as we've been suggesting. But, your call is diverted to
voicemail. Rats!! Now what?
If you are not prepared to leave an effective
voicemail message, your best bet is probably to hang up. Then, get
prepared for future voicemail encounters. The beauty of it is
that if you are prepared for voicemail, you'll handle "live"
people better, too.
Preparation
Kathleen Peterson, founder and Chief Vision
Officer of Powerhouse Consulting,
is a frequent speaker on the subject of effective telephone use,
and she shares the scripts and strategies that work. The key is
preparation: don't just "wing it."
The Strategies:
- Find a name
The most effective calls are to a specific individual. If you
don't have a person's name, search the employer's Website, ask
your reference librarian, ask your support network, scan the local
(or industry) press, visit appropriate industry Websites, check
out Web research sites (e.g. Bloomberg, etc.), or use a preliminary
phone call to get the name.
- Know the employer
Be sure that you are a good match for the employer so that you
don't waste your time or theirs. Who are they? What do they do?
Where are they? Should they have the kind of job that would fit
you? Do they have any current openings appropriate for you?
This information will enable you to leave a more compelling voicemail
or to make a better impression if you speak to a live person.
- Practice your script
Once you've established your script (below), practice it until
you can say it out loud cleanly and confidently. No verbal "typos"
and no hesitation allowed. You have 35 seconds to make a good
impression and be compelling enought to motivate your listener
to call you back.
- Be persistent
According to Kathleen, don't stop at one message, unless you get
a response. People are very busy, so continue leaving messages
(up to five) at regular intervals, several days or a week apart.
Don't scold, and don't count. Do NOT say, "this is the 4th
message I've left." Be politely persistent.
The Scripts
Two different circumstances and two slightly different
scripts. The first is the initial call, and the second is for the
follow-up calls.
First message
"Hello [person's name]."
"I'm responding to your ad in [where you found
it]."
OR
- if you are not responding to a specific ad or posting -
"Through my networking I understand that you may have [job
title or very brief description of the opportunity you want]
jobs open."
"My name is [your name], and I may be reached
at [phone numbers]."
"I believe my skills and competencies match
your opening."
OR
- again, if you are not responding to a specific ad or
posting -
"I believe my skills and competencies fit your needs."
"Again, [their first name], my name
is [your name], and I may be reached at [phone numbers]. I look
forward to speaking with you in person."
Follow-up messages
"Hello [person's name]."
"I'm responding to your ad in [where you found
it]."
OR
"Through my networking I understand that you may have [job
title or very brief description of the opportunity you want]
jobs open."
"My name is [your name], and I may be reached
at [phone numbers]."
"I understand that you ["are extremely
busy" or "have a lot on your plate" or "are
very crunched for time"], but I ["think that our conversation
would be very beneficial" or "would hate to see you move
forward without talking to me."]
"Again, [their first name], my name
is [your name], and I may be reached at [phone numbers]. I look
forward to speaking with you in person."
A Closing "Do" Plus
a Critical "Don't"
Be confident.
According
to Kathleen, you must be confident that you are worthy of a call
back. If you don't believe it (or can't pretend for 30 seconds that
you believe it), you won't deliver that message, and you won't get
that returned call.
Don't sound desperate.
Desperation is not attractive
(think about dating situations), so even if you are desperate, hide
it.
Success
The old cliché is
right - success is when opportunity meets preparation. Yes, a very
few people are very lucky and seem to just fall into good opportunities.
The rest of us must work for them. Use Kathleen's strategies (which
do involve some work) to increase your probability of success.
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About the author...
Susan P. Joyce is a 1994 "graduate of" (a.k.a. "laid off by") Digital Equipment Corporation, the 2nd largest computer company in the world at the time; now gone. Susan has been observing the online job search world and teaching online job search skills since 1995. In 1998, her company, NETability, Inc. purchased Job-Hunt.org, and Susan has been editor and publisher of Job-Hunt since then.
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