Let the Telephone Help You in Job Search

Searching for a job without your friend telephone is like flying a plane without instruments. It's almost impossible. You can use the phone to get information about them-employers, the industry, specific companies, and hiring authorities. And you can find out who needs it-which companies need your services? The phone is also an excellent way to contact decision makers and persuade them to meet you. Since you may be using your phone, why not make it your friend? Your telephone line is, literally, the shortest line between you and your next employer.

Phone Phobia

• Common Concerns
  

Despite its obvious importance, using the telephone to find employment makes grown men blanch. Calling strangers is particularly unnerving. Why? Several former executives, participants in outplacement workshops, explained that they:

• don't know how to manage the whole process
  
  
• can't get past the secretary
  
  
• fear that other person won't want to talk
  
  
• hate waiting for return calls
  
  
• are uncomfortable with strangers
  
  
• fear unknown questions
  
  
• feel like they're invading the other person's privacy
  
  
• don't like to ask for help

What's the Worst That Could Happen?

First, let's put these anxieties in perspective. These same people were asked: What's the worst thing that could happen? The most horrific fate anyone could imagine is: The person I was calling might hang up!

Q. "Has that ever happened to you?"

A. Negative head shaking.

Q. "Do you think it would happen?"

A. More negative body language.

Q. "If it did happen-the worst-case scenario-could you live with that?''

A. Everyone smiled.

If you are really worried about the worst-case scenario, imagine having that experience. Write about how you think you'd feel. Then set that paper aside. If you look at telephoning objectively, it's hardly a hazardous activity. There's no way to lose financially. The risks are all psychological. Feeling a lack of control. Fear of rejection. What about the risks of doing nothing and continued unemployment?

Managing the Whole Process

Overview

We've pointed out that what separates you from your next job is inadequate information. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the use of the phone. And nowhere is the risk/reward ratio more dramatic. To help you learn to use the phone effectively, the process is explained in detail. This article includes:

• Know who you are calling
  
  
• What is your strategy?
  
  
• What is the purpose of your call?
  
  
• Mechanics of phoning
  
  
• Best times to call
  
  
• When not to call.
  

Know Who You Are Calling

You're looking for a position in corporate lending and you've already researched some of your target companies and prioritized them into A, B, and C companies. Let's say you would give your right arm to work for the Sandy Banks Bank. You've researched SBB at the library, obtained their annual report, and have identified B. Good, VP for corporate lending, as your hiring authority. All this information is in your tickler file.

What Is Your Strategy?

If the Sandy Banks Bank is not advertising for people in corporate lending, how can you begin? One option is to start by contacting their competitors. These are, in fact, your "C" companies, like the Shifting Dunes Bank and First National Piggy Bank.

By talking with the competition, you can learn about what's going on in the industry as well as practice your interviewing skills. Then, when you approach Sandy Banks, your A-priority company, you're a much more impressive candidate-better informed and more confident.

What is the Purpose of Your Call?

When you're calling a hiring authority, your purpose is clear: a face-to-face meeting, nothing less will do. If you are not calling a hiring authority, you might want either:

• a meeting or
  
  
• a phone conversation
  

Most job seekers choose the latter. It's an efficient, inexpensive way to get information. But face-to-face meetings with network contacts are often more valuable because:

• You become a person.
  
  
• Some bonding will probably occur.
  
  
• This could be the beginning of a business friendship.
  
  
• Information is more readily shared,
  
  
• You may be introduced to others in the company when you're there.
  
  
• You get visible information about the company, possibly a tour of their facility, etc.
  
  
• These meetings are more memorable for both parties and potentially have more long-range consequences. The more you know about the individual and the organization, the better your chances of developing a working relationship.
  
  
• This person could have input into hiring decisions or might become a hiring authority in the future.
  

If your objective is not-Bi meeting, it's information:

• About that company
  
  
• The industry
  
  
• The kind of work that person does
  
  
• Names of others who might be helpful.
  

Make each call productive. The following formula, easy to remember as the AAA formula, can help you do that.

• Ask for the information you wish, such as the names of others in the field that you might talk with.
  
  
• Appreciate whatever help/suggestions they give you.
  
  
• That's a great suggestion. I've heard they're really doing well at EE. I'll call Mr. Short and Ms. Circuit right away."
  
  
• Ask for permission to use their name.
  
  
• May I use your name when I call? Thanks so much! I really appreciate your help."
  

To Call or Not to Call: The Mechanics of Phoning

When do you call? Are there good days? Bad days? Good times? Bad times? Use your knowledge. And empathy. Some industries and occupations have particularly busy seasons or times of the day. Respect those. If your daily newspaper has a 3:00 p.m. deadline each afternoon, 2:30 p.m. is not a great time to call the editor. But don't make too many assumptions about bad times. Not everyone's out to lunch at noon. Some people are working the week after Christmas. In fact, some job seekers have found that the holiday season is an excellent time to make calls to businesspeople. As one out placed manager observed:

Try calling executives early (7:30 a.m. - 9:00 a.m. or even earlier if you know that's their schedule), during lunch hours, and after 5:00 p.m. They're more likely to answer the phone themselves when their secretaries are away.

What's the best time to call someone?

Today-even if it is Good Friday or the day before Thanksgiving. There is no one-size-fits-all answer, except this:

• Ask what the best times to reach that person are.
  
  
• Keep calling until you do.
  

Your persistence and flexibility will give you a big edge at meetings, too. The head of one small manufacturing company, for example, offers to meet job seekers at 6:30 a.m. He claims it's his best time. It's also a quick and easy way for him to "separate the sheep from the goats. If they cannot accommodate me when they're looking for work, what good would they be on the job.