Voice Mail
Thanks to voice mail, it will sometimes seem impossible to get through to a real live person, let alone your contact. If you keep getting your contact's voice mail, try to get back to the secretary or switchboard operator. Most systems have an option available for this.
The secretary or operator can often locate your contact or let you know a good time to call back. If at all possible, be sure to work through him or her rather than leave a message on voice mail.
What if you absolutely have to leave a voice mail message?
Unless it's a referral call and you're attempting to develop a network lead, don't say you're looking for a job, or even worse, a job opening. Also, it's not a good idea to ask your contact to call you back. Let him or her know when you'll be calling again so he or she is expecting your call.
When you compose the message, try to think of some information about you that your contact might be interested in. You could say something like this:
"Ms. Smith. This is Sandra Jones. Jones is spelled just as it sounds, J-o-n-e-s. I've been with Ace Utility Company for the last ten years as an Industrial Engineer. I'm sure you're familiar with the refractory lighting process a friend and I developed. As you know, use of this process propelled my employer to the forefront of this industry. I now have some ideas for improving it that you should find interesting. I'm away from my desk much of the time so I'll try to reach you again tomorrow morning. Thank you."
The key to receiving a pleasant reception lies in saying something the employer might have an interest in. If it's a vital interest all the better. For this reason, you should try to incorporate a SOAR statement within your message. Then, even if the listener realizes you're looking for a job, he or she still might be interested in finding out more about what you could possibly do for him or her. Here is a goal to shoot for in composing messages for voice mail; leave the listener wanting more. Arouse his or her curiosity. You must sound like you're the best thing since the invention of sliced bread.
Using a referral's name is also an effective way to gain your contact's interest. You could say:
"Ms. Smith. This is Sandra Jones. Jones is spelled just as it sounds, J-o-n-e-s. I've been with Ace Utility Company for the lost ten years as an Industrial Engineer. Your golf buddy, Tammy Brookings, suggested I give you a call. She thought you might be interested in discussing some of the things I have been doing in the line of light re-factorization. I'm going to be in and out all day today so don't bother to call me back. Till give you a call first thing in the morning."
Hopefully, the next time you call, your contact will be more likely to take the call after hearing your message. If you don't have the advantage of some information and/or a name the employer would be interested in, and you absolutely can't get through to him or her, it can't hurt just to leave a straightforward message. You could say something like this:
"Ms. Smith. This is Sandra Jones. Jones is spelled just as it sounds, J-o-n-e-s. I have 4 years' experience as an industrial engineer in the utility business. I would really appreciate the chance to meet with you and discuss my resume.
I'll try to reach you again tomorrow morning. Thanks for your time.
You never know, Ms. Smith may be looking for a new industrial engineer and decide to take your call.
Every time you try to reach your contact, remember to treat the secretary with respect and make a friend. When you get to know the secretary via the phone she also gets to know a little about you. If you've treated her nicely, she'll be impressed by the little she knows about you. In telling the boss that you called, she might add a comment or two about how nice you sounded, or how polite you were, or how anxious you seemed to be to talk with him or her. Now you are more than a recorded voice. You are a voice with a personality. And that doesn't hurt your reception at all. She might even suggest a good time for you to call back in order to talk directly with her boss.
There you have it. How to contact an employer, the people and situations you can expect to encounter and how to handle them.
Obviously, it is impossible to prepare you for every conceivable type of situation. But armed with the knowledge garnered from the examples presented here you should be prepared for just about anything.
The first seven or eight times you call to talk with employers, you'll feel like what you have to say is taking an hour per call. To minimize this feeling prepare a little script and refer to it. Keep plugging away. Through persistence and practice you will get better at it. Others, far less capable and talented than you, today occupy positions they enjoy because they refused to be denied. The shortest distance between two jobs? It is indeed the telephone line.
