Your phone call still matters

We are a generation who is afraid to make a phone call, especially in a job search. The job seeker keeps applying to job after job and maybe even invests in the services of a professional resume writer and career coach to help them navigate the job world. But the job seeker often stops short of using the phone to follow up.

Just ask, “Is this a good time to talk?”

There are times when we make appointments to make a phone call. Asking the question, “is this a good time to talk?” is always a good idea. Make sure even if your party answered the phone that they have time for the conversation are willing to spend time talking with you. When we think we need an appointment to talk, we tend not to call at all. My website clearly says you can call me but I get emails asking to discuss my services which don’t give me a number to call back or a best time to call. There are always times when your call isn’t convenient for the person you called. When I am with a client, I defer most calls to voice mail to return later but I am not always with a client so it is worth the call.

Don’t be afraid to make a phone call in your job search

If you are in a job search, you can call and should call during your search. The assumption is that the applications that you are submitting are for jobs you would like. If you are ambivalent about the position that you don’t want to call with a follow up, ask yourself if you really want the job. Hiring managers would be extremely grateful if only the people who really want their job would apply. This make for workers who actually want to work for the company. What a novel idea!

Use a Targeted Job Search approach and then call

If your job search is a massive blast of random applications without a target or any follow up calls, I guarantee your job search will take much longer. It isn’t hard to research companies and jobs today. You have the internet at your finger tips. Study companies you really want, learn product lines, learn services, how they deliver, and then call the hiring manager and ask if you can learn more about the position.

The company perspective about phone calls

When I published this post, I was inspired by a conversation I had with my former intern about phone calls. As an individual soon to finish her Bachelor’s in Human Resources, she has a keen eye to what hiring managers need and her comment on Facebook was:

Most hiring managers get so many resumes across their desk they need your call to get a good feel for you as an applicant and so they take a solid look at it. It might just get swept to the side if you don’t bring it to anyone’s attention.

Stop avoiding the phone, you may be one call away from being hired.