First impressions aren’t just visual. Sometimes a first impression is entirely auditory.
Take your home or cell phone voice mail for instance. As a recruiter, I’ve left more than my fair share of messages on all sorts of voice mail systems. Most of the time, when I call someone who is unable to answer, I receive a fairly clear and straightforward automated greeting. There have been times, however, when greetings have left me speechless, and I’ve heard the same feedback from hiring managers. Here are a few examples of candidate messages…
“Twinkle, Twinkle little star,
bet you’re wondering where we are?
Well, put your mouth up to the phone
And leave us a message for when we get home!”
“It’s Greg, you know what to do – so do it.”
“I’m on vacation this week and won’t be checking my voice mail until I return on January 15th.” (Which was especially interesting, as I called on February 2nd.)
I have a pretty healthy sense of humor, but when you’re in a job search, make sure your voice mail message fits your personal brand. If you want to come off as a true professional, leave greetings on your various voice mail systems that suggest you are a smart and responsible person.
Often, the best way to manage your risk, in this particular area, is to only include your cell phone number on your resume or within your resume postings. Keep it simple and professional with ONE phone number. And you don’t have to mention the fact that it’s your cell phone on your resume. No one needs to know or really cares. They just want to be able to talk to you or leave a message.
If you feel you must include a landline number on your resume, let’s think about how you, your family, or even a roommate should answer the phone. If you’re in job search mode, have an instructive talk with anyone in your household who might answer the phone. Let them know how critical it is they answer the phone in a professional manner, and the importance of taking detailed messages. While you’re at it, make sure to leave out some paper and pencils for easy message and note taking when the time comes. If you want to stick to a land line, you might also consider investing in individual voicemail boxes for each member of your household.
9 Things to Consider Before Prospective Employers Call:
1.) Never place your office number on your resume. Never.
2.) If you’re in job search mode, place your phone number on your Linkedin profile in several places. On my profile you’ll find my number in three different sections (top of my Summary, within the Personal Information section and within the Contact Settings).
3.) When you are in a job search, check and respond to your phone messages throughout the business day. There is nothing more frustrating for a recruiter than playing phone tag with a candidate.
4.) If you must use a ringtone, make a very safe and sedate selection during your job search period. To be honest, it’s hard to take you seriously, immediately after hearing 15 seconds of Lady Gaga singing the song “Bad Romance” (Rah, rah, ah, ah, ah / Roma, roma, ma / Gaga, ooh, la, la..,).
5.) If you are awakened by a call from a strange number, let your voice mail pick it up. Frankly, we can tell when we just woke you up – and your personal brand really suffers when you sound groggy at 10:30 am in the morning.
6.) Create an “Employer Cheat Sheet” to have near the phone. In other words, make a list of the companies at which you’ve applied and the titles of the positions for which you’ve applied. By having this at your ready, you will have some idea of which job someone is calling about. After all, the interviewer would like to think his or her company is important. You don’t want to say “Now what job is this again?”. When you do this you seem disorganized or desperate (as if you’ve sent out hundreds of resumes).
7.) If an employer or recruiter leaves a message for you, return the call as soon as you can. When you are returning the call, consider that the person who called you may have called 70 others candidates, within the same day – relating to ten different positions. So when you return their call, give your full name and indicate that you are returning their phone call regarding the _______________ position.
8.) If you didn’t get your message until after normal business hours, still call and leave a voicemail then. Again, give your full name, the specific position and your contact information for the next business day.
9.) Many interviewers would like to do a brief 5-20 phone screen, to confirm you are a qualified candidate. As the candidate, you have to quickly determine if you are in the right frame of mind and if you are in the right environment to be the best “you” you can be.
You never know. The interviewer may only have a couple of minor questions – or they may launch into a 45 minute, full-blown interview.
If you are a natural on the phone – and the environment you find yourself in is right – you may feel comfortable with an impromptu interview. However, if you are distracted, it might be best to suggest a different time. Simply tell them you’re very pleased that they called, but you aren’t able to talk at this time. They will understand and be glad to schedule a convenient time.
AUTHOR: Mark Newsom
Founder of FiveChairs, a Recruitment Firm, focused on Nashville Talent and
Goldfish Resumes, the foremost resume writers in Nashville. | mark@fivechairs.com
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