Of all the weapons in a job hunter's arsenal, none is more powerful or less used than the telephone. Even job seekers who understand and acknowledge the truth of this statement would rather lick a stamp than dial a number. In fact, that's precisely what nearly all of them do...and that's good for you. The telephone provides an amazingly quick way for you to outmaneuver your competition and truly leave them in the dust.
Use the knowledge you are about to learn to overcome your fear of phone rejection. Force yourself to bite the bullet. Pick up the phone and do it! Practice what you learn here daily. Learn and profit from your mistakes. You'll soon be a power user. As Franklin D. Roosevelt said, "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself." You are undoubtedly afraid that you will make an important call and blow it. This is probably true, especially in the beginning. So, start by calling employers you're not even sure you would want to work for. These calls will provide a wonderful opportunity for you to practice your interviewing techniques. I call this spring training. Even the all stars go through this ritual. By practicing your technique on jobs you have no feeling for you're ready to step up to the plate when your dream job comes up.
Where to Begin
As you should know by now, in nearly all instances, the manager of a particular function or department makes his or her own hiring decisions. Therefore, the place to begin isn't where your competition does. Don't mail your resume to another person or department unless you have absolutely no other recourse. Begin by trying to find out who your prospective boss would be in the company you are interested in.
There are several ways of obtaining this vital information. One way is to ask around or look in a directory to see if the person you need to contact is listed. Unless you are going for a middle manager position or higher, this approach will probably yield very little except the company's address and telephone number. But that's good! This is information you need to take the next approach.
The Mailing List Routine
Look up, or obtain from the information operator, the phone number of the target company. Dial this number. When someone answers say;
You:I'm updating my mailing list. Is your street address still (reciting the address)?
Sounds off the wall, doesn't it? But companies call other companies all the time to update their mailing lists. The receptionist is used to this question. In almost every instance she'll respond without hesitation.
Receptionist:That's correct.
You:And your zip code is still(whatever)?
Notice how smoothly you segued from innocuous, non threatening, questions into the important one? This transition and the information it generates is why this mailing is routine is so effective.
When you ask, "Who is in charge?" you can expect to encounter a few rather routine responses. Let's take the easiest first:
What if you should end up being "shot down"? So what? Check your pulse. You'll discover you are still very much alive. You might feel a little rejected, but life will go on!
Let's suppose you can't come up with a specific name to con tact in your area of interest. Then you can always call Human Resources and, using this very same routine, try to arrange an interview with the Human Resources Manager.
Remember to ask for the correct spelling of the person's name, his or her correct job title, and whether that's Dr., Mr., Mrs., Miss, or Ms. If you are recording this information on a Lead Sheet you won't have to worry about forgetting to ask for all of this vital information, you'll just fill in the blanks.
That's it. That's all there is to it. That's the way to try to find out who you should be contacting, the decision maker in your area, within a company. This is the stuff of which successful job searches are made.
One last tip about using the mailing list approach. Use the KISS formula: "Keep It Short and Simple." Don't waste time with small talk. Don't even bother introducing yourself. Most receptionists are too busy for introductions.
The information needed to develop a job lead can be as easy as this to obtain. However, it is at this point that most job seekers face a dilemma.
