7. Pen Some Notes & Listen Carefully. Follow-up calls are like an open book exam, therefore, have a pen and paper near the phone, some water, your phone script, questions to ask, and your resume in case they ask questions. While on the phone, get a sense if there is going to be an opening in the near future and avoid multitasking or other distractions such as the radio, TV, music or your friends and family.

8. Phase Out the Call. Don't waste the person's time. Stick to the purpose of your call, keep it short, say what needs to be said and move on! Before ending the call, thank the person and repeat any actions that need to be taken such as providing references. In addition, ask when they hope to make a hiring decision. If you set up an interview as a result of the call, confirm the date, time, precise location and names of the people you will be meeting, before hanging up. After the call, write down how you felt regarding the conversation.

9. Pass Pot Holes & Roadblocks. Establish a good relationship with the office secretary, because often they can become your best ally or your worst nightmare. If you are having difficulty getting past the office secretary, consider calling before nine, after five, or during lunch. If leaving a voice mail is necessary, state enthusiastically and articulately why you are right for the position. Using E-mail may be another follow-up tool and it also provides written record of your communications.

10. Phone After Interviewing. Once you have had an interview and sent your thank you note, you have one last shot to make the interview memorable with a follow-up call. If the company said they would get back to you in two weeks and you fail to hear from them, don't lose hope because filling a vacancy is a time consuming process that often takes longer than expected. In the meantime, contact your references and let them know what to expect. Since no position is a guarantee until an offer has been made and accepted, continue to interview and send out resumes. If in a few weeks you still have not heard from them, continue to be in touch regularly until you get a satisfactory answer. Don't take rejection personally and move forward with faith rather than fear.

 

11. Provide Progress to Your Referrals. Follow-up calls accelerate your job search, and provide quick and valuable feedback on the quality of your search. After obtaining an interview from a connection, contact and thank the referral source, update them on your progress, and reiterate your interest in obtaining additional referrals. How well you speak on the phone is an example of how well you have developed your communication skills. The more prompt you are with follow-up, the more likely people are willing to give you more leads. An increased number of leads turns into increased interviews and offers. Follow-up, don't foul-up!

 

Thomas J. Denham is the Director of the Siena College Career Center and a Private Career Advisor with Careers In Transition. He is a regular guest on Northeast Public Radio's, The Career Forum. He can be reached at http://www.siena.edu/denham . Thomas J. Denham retains the copyright to this article.

 

The above is an excerpt from The Last Job Search Guide You'll Ever Need: How to Find and Get the Job or Internship of Your Dreams, which is available for sale for $19.85 in our bookstore or $27.00 at Amazon.com but for free to those who subscriber to our free career newsletter. This hot new book contains job search secrets of the most experienced, most knowledgeable and most respected career experts. Learn career planning, job hunting tools and tactics, interviewing, cover letter and resume writing (lots of samples!), networking, and how to find an internship. Written by 149 career experts. To receive a free copy, subscribe to our free career newsletter.

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