Finesse the automated phone screen in your job search - Hire Imaging

Finesse the automated phone screen in your job search - Hire Imaging The gatekeeper that stands between you and next-step connections or information gathering in your job search can be a frustrating brick wall. My last post addressed some strategies in maneuvering emails. The second common front-line gatekeeper that you will deal with in your job search is the automated telephone screen. TURN PHONE HURDLES INTO PHONE ADVANTAGES.   Automated phone screens can be a job seeker’s friend, because they lighten the stress of having to voice justification of your calling to a live receptionist. What are good strategies and the right mindset then, in using phone systems to assist rather than hinder your efforts? Try and get a personal extension number.   Always openly ask your leads and connections for it. Collect business cards  whenever appropriate and look for the extension. Sometimes you might be able to get it by first finding the company’s phone directory/tree and playing with corresponding phone numbers for person’s last name etc. So, however you get the extension, aim to call folks directly. Remember, they will know you are calling with the aid of today’s incoming call LED alerts and similar notifications. Your call will show up on their iPhone, iPad, home/work computer screen, and as a transcribed message scurried along to your email. Many call systems block all callers who conceal their phone number, so that’s not really a good idea. Why does it matter that they know who you are? It means don’t call them over and over within a short time period. I had a client who bragged to me recently that she had phoned a c-level executive over and over and overâ€"redial in overload. Don’t do that. Be discerning about the person you are calling, that relationship and the situation. Two truths here. All calls are not created equal; and business etiquette is not necessarily the same as social etiquette. I think you can call someone once in the morning and once again that same day later in the afternoon. Leave one message early. If they don’t call you back, it is appropriate to call that second time reaffirming who you are and how you can be reached. Don’t go through the whole message again. Use good judgment. If this is a high-level CEO for a company youd like to work fora CEO who does not know you then dont commit overkill. On the other hand, if the person youre trying to reach is your sons piano teachers nephewwho has an email address you can use, go for it! In other words, two calls a day for as many days as it takes! I mentioned social and business etiquette differences. If Mary breaks up with Johnnie and he calls her over and over for a second chance, that’s stalking. If Peter knows there’s a great fit at the widget company and has found an inside person who really help him get a foot in the door, his diligence in following up to make repeated calls to this contact is not stalking; it’s characterized as a serious job seeker interested in the widget company. Time and again, I have heard from human resources and other hiring authorities that one of the main reasons folks don’t get the job, is their perceived lack of interest. Here’s the deal. If you’re pleasant and sincere, leaving daily polite messages, the people you call learn three important things about you. You’re a pleasant person! You’re polite! You’re persistent! These are all positive attributes in an employee, colleague or acquaintance. Don’t ask them to call you back. Why? Someone who does not know you may be inclined to be uncomfortable calling you back. And if you ask them in the message to do so, you may add guilt to their discomfort. In your voice mail, cover these points quickly: “Hello. This is Paige Brown. I’m sorry to have missed you.   I was referred to you by our mutual acquaintance, Tina Walton. My number is 555-555-5555, but you don’t have to call me back. I’ll call again.”   Then call back up to two times a day for as long as it takes. What I’m telling you may sound dangerously close to harassment. I don’t think it is. And I’ll tell you why in my next post! Picking up that phone  repeatedly to get through to contacts,  can transform a barrier into a window of opportunity.  Photo:  Dave Catchpole