Land the Interview
A Follow-Up Call Wins the Interview
You've sent your resume to three (or 16 or 110) prospective employers, so you've done your part. Now all you have to do is sit back and wait for the phone to ring. But why is nothing happening?
We've got news for you: Your phone will never ring. The fact you sent your resume in response to job postings means very little in the grand scheme of things. The search industry has designed the search process to cater to employers' needs, not yours -- even if you're a perfect match for a posted job. By falling into this trap, you've aligned yourself with the masses to take a number and wait and play the game on their terms.
Meanwhile, another more enterprising candidate slips in by way of a referral or a well-placed phone call and gets an interview and a possible job offer. All this happened while your resume sat, forever lost in the crush of paper and electrons as you waited by the phone.
So how do you get past the pile of resumes and in the door? After you send a resume or an introductory letter, always make a follow-up call. Remember, it's the conversation that gets you the interview. Here's how to get on the phone and into the interview process.
Why Should You Follow Up?
Consider this scenario: Yours may be one of more than 100 resumes sent in response to a job posting. Three days later, you call the manager to follow up. You are most likely the only candidate with the initiative and drive to do this. With a decent presentation, you could win an interview for later that week. Meanwhile, your resume might have stayed buried in a huge stack and never discovered. Don't leave this to chance. This is no time to be bashful about initiating these calls.
Whom Do You Call?
Never call human resources or an in-house recruiter. These people have no vested interest in talking with you. In fact, they don't want to talk to you. You'll only foul up their process. If you want to get hired, you need to talk with an actual hiring manager. If that's a midlevel project supervisor or the vice president of engineering, so be it.
Find out who this person is before you send your resume anywhere. You can locate the names of these people through various sources, including the company Web site's About Us/Management Team page, phoning the company receptionist, or subscribing to a corporate research service
In short, your job search is just that: Your job search. Take control and drive the process yourself. Don't play by others' rules, putting your future in the hands of search industry bureaucrats. Get into the driver's seat and make their phone ring with a follow-up call every time you send a resume or introductory letter.
Warm Up to Cold Calling
Tough times call for tough strategies. If you find that your networking prospects are drying up, it may be time to think of new ways to penetrate the job market. The cold call is a basic technique used in selling, and when done properly, it can provide new opportunities for you.
Any professional salesperson will tell you that sales is a numbers game. The more people you talk to, the better your chances of making a sale. A good salesperson will also tell you that one key to success is proving to people you have something they need -- that you have the solution to their problem, that you can help them. But first you've got to pick up the phone and make some calls.
If the very thought of calling a stranger and selling yourself makes you cringe, you are not alone. Most people are not natural-born salespeople and have to push themselves to make that call. But if you can begin to think about helping someone by providing solutions, the call will become easier, and you'll have a better chance of success.
According to Marky Stein, author of Fearless Interviewing, cold calling has had proven success for even the most faint-of-heart. Stein suggests preparing a script to read from before making the call. “The script itself has to have a hook, something extremely enticing to the hiring manager about your accomplishments, your years of experience, the successes you've had, and in some cases, your education,” according to Stein. Her advice is very specific: “A necessary element of the script is the key phrase: ‘When can I come in for an interview?' These words are so simple that you may feel foolish saying them at first, but they get results. Modifying the phrase to, ‘Can I come in for an interview?' won't be as effective. In fact, I would venture to say that the results have been unsuccessful.”
Writing your script will be the first step toward success with the cold call. This will require you to evaluate how you want to focus your statement. Think about what you have to offer. Why would this employer be interested in you? Begin by researching the company and finding out about the projects and business deals it's working on. How can you use this information to sell yourself?
- Begin with a greeting -- sounding enthusiastic (but not phony) will be a plus.
- Introduce yourself and say what your specialty is and how many years of experience you have in your field.
- Talk about your specialty or two or three key strengths you have that are relevant to the company's needs. Example: “I have the ability to close sales, and negotiate killer deals.” Or, “I recently negotiated a 35 percent savings on project costs for my company.”
- Ask the magic question, “When can I come in for an interview?”
Sales professionals will tell you that not everyone you call will be interested in what you're selling. Expect rejection; two out of every three calls will not lead to new prospects. But success is the result of trying. Athletes provide a good example of persistence. Michael Jordan has missed many shots with the game on the line, but what makes him great is that he's still willing and eager to be the one to take the decisive shot when the game is tied and the clock is ticking down. Your career will benefit from the same type of determination.
Consistent efforts are important. Keep practicing and trying, even when you face repeated rejection and it seems that all you hear is “no.” Your goal is to continue calling until you get a “yes.” That's when you will feel the thrill of making the clutch shot.