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Phone Power for your Job Search

Make the phone your job search friend!

You can use phone power when you respond to advertised vacancies, contact people within your network who may be able to provide job leads, or when you make investigative calls to an employer about possible jobs they may have.

Advantages

• You have a great chance to tell them about your best skills and qualities.

• The phone is more personal than a letter and allows you to demonstrate your personality.

• The phone is quicker than writing a letter - advertised jobs get snapped up quickly.

• Use phone power and be one step ahead of your competition by getting to the jobs before they do.

• Follow up job leads more quickly and increase your opportunities.

• You get an immediate response by phone, whereas you may have to wait days or weeks to get a reply to a letter.

• The phone power approach is more flexible and allows a conversation to develop, so even if a job has already gone, you can ask about future jobs or openings.

When telephoning for advertised vacancies

• Have the advert with you and highlight who you want to talk to, the job title and any reference number

• Make notes of any questions you will want to ask.

• Be ready to take notes.

• Rehearse what you have to offer and be prepared to answer questions about yourself, your experience and why you are interested in the vacancy

• Have a copy of your CV to hand.

• Be prepared with dates and times if you are invited to an interview.

• You might get the answering machine, so think of what message you will leave.

• Don’t hang up If the vacancy has already been filled, there may be others coming up, if so can you ring in a few weeks to check. Or can you send in your CV should a vacancy unexpectedly arise?

• Thank the employer for their time.

Investigative Phone Calls

Of course anyone can ring an employer and ask if they have any jobs - but the answer will usually be no.

Making an investigative call is different, much more potent, but will involve a lot more preparation, so this is a skill that has to be developed and practised.

Your call should aim to achieve one of three goals:

• To arrange a meeting;

• To arrange a time to talk further on the phone;

• To establish a job lead.

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