Ask the Experts: How to Follow-up When You Have No Email Address, Phone Number or Other Contact Information
Question:
I see over and over again that it is best to send your resume to a specific person at a company, or to at least follow-up with a person at a company to which you’ve already applied. Yet on-line and newspaper job posting ads almost never provide even a phone number let alone the name of someone at the company. How can you contact or follow-up with someone if you don’t know who to speak with?
First Answer:
Having a specific name at a company, hopefully the name of your boss-to-be, is the ideal way to focus your communications. It’s not always possible to
get this information, but it is certainly worth a try.
Determine what title your new boss would most likely have. Then call the company or do online research to find out who exactly that person might be.
Do not call Human Resources unless it’s an HR position that you are seeking.
Failing the direct approach, you can try calling the sales department, where
you can warm up with a few general questions about the company, then get to
specifics about the department in question. Another idea is to contact
public relations or investor relations, again, starting with general
questions and gradually becoming more specific.
And yet another idea…call over the weekend or late at night. You might be able to get some information just by going through the company’s automated
voicemail directory.
— Tracy Laswell Williams, certified job and career transition coach, accredited resume writer and founder of CAREER-Magic.com
Second Answer:
I would hesitate to say that ALL ads without contacts are “faux” but many times, they are. If you think the job is for real and you really want a
personal contact, call the company and ask who hires the type of job that
is described. If it is human resources, ask to speak to someone there. If
it isn’t, your job is to find the department that is hiring, and then call
around until you find the right person. When you finally DO get to the
right person, don’t be surprised if you are met with a bit of irritation.
You’re taking a lot of initiative that may pay off, but had they wanted
that kind of personal contact, they’d have asked for it. Be honest. Be
polite. Your enthusiasm and hard work may pay off. If it
doesn’t…well…nothing ventured, nothing gained!
— Alison Blackman Dunham, life & career expert, columnist, personal public relations consultant, half of THE ADVICE SISTERS¬Ã, and the author of the ASK ALISON career advice column
Third Answer:
Your dilemma most often occurs in the larger corporations where one position can attract many responses and of these respondents many do not even meet the minimum qualifications for the position. Therefore, human resource personnel will often post generic email addresses for which you are to apply, but, with little hope for good follow up. So how do you circumvent this system if you are indeed a good candidate with the right qualifications?
First, read all of the criteria for minimum qualifications and make sure you have addressed those in your resume and cover letter. Next, contact any of the individuals you know who may work in this organization or who know someone who does. Let them know you have applied to their company and describe the position and your matching qualifications for the position. Ask them if they would be willing to walk your resume into the hiring authority or if they would help you find the proper person to speak to and if you could use their name as a referral source. Many positions are filled through this type of mind mapping technique….someone knows someone who knows someone who finally gets the job. The key here though is that you are a stellar candidate with the right qualifications. Do not bother with this if you are not as you will not receive the help and if you do and you are not a solid qualified candidate you will burn a bridge.
Next, if you have searched your network of individuals who are willing to help yet there is no one with a connection to the company then try the following. Call the organization and ask who is in charge of recruiting for these types of positions or who the hiring manage is for the position and then send your resume directly to them with a follow up phone call. You may receive a response or they still may leave you hanging but at least you have tried to get their attention and have tried your best to draw their attention to a great candidate.
This is also an indication of the type of corporate culture you would be facing if you were to secure a position there. Ask yourself if this is the type of place that fits your work culture values and if not, then maybe it is worth it for you to pass.
— Terese Corey Blanck, Principal, College to Career
Fourth Answer:
The situation you describe represents one of the most perplexing dilemmas in contemporary job-hunting. It can, indeed, be difficult
to find out the name of a specific individual to whom to address
your job-search correspondence and follow-up efforts. But there
are ways to do it:
- The most straightforward way is to simply call the company’s main switchboard number and ask the name of hiring manager for
the job in question. The worst that can happen is that the person
answering the phone won’t tell you. The second-worst thing is that
the person will tell you to address your materials to Human Resources.
If that happens, ask the name of the Human Resources Director. If you
get that name, don’t automatically send your materials to that person,
but do file the name away in case all your other strategies fail. - One important key to finding out contact names is networking. If you’ve done as much networking as you should as part of your job-search
efforts, you may find it relatively easy to get names. Let’s say you
see a job posting for Company X. If you’re a proficient networker, chances
are you know someone who works at Company X — or someone who knows
someone else who works for Company X. In that case, you can simply
get in touch with your network contact and ask who is the best person to
write to about this specific Company X job opening. - Become a proficient researcher. If you learn as much as you can about how to research companies, there’s a reasonable chance you
will uncover information about the best person to contact. Check
out the Quintessential Careers Guide to Researching Companies,
Industries, and Countries and the accompanying article, Step-by-Step Guide to Researching
Companies. Visit
the company’s Web site. Enlist assistance from a reference librarian
at your public or university library. - One trick that has worked for many job-seekers is to address materials to the president of the company since you can almost always
find out the name of that individual. The president, or more likely, his
or her assistant, will have to forward your letter to the hiring
manager. And your letter may even get extra attention from having been
filtered down from on high. Of course, that still doesn’t give you the
name of someone with whom to follow up, but you can try calling the
president’s assistant and ask to whom your letter was forwarded. - If an ad or job posting contains only a fax number, you can enter the fax number onto an Internet search engine such as Google and usually
find out the name of the company behind the number — and then resort
to the other steps listed here to try to find a person’s name. - If the job posting gives only an e-mail address, use it to lead you to the company Web site, which will probably have a phone number.
For example, the job posting gives the e-mail address HR@CompanyX.com.
Type www.CompanyX.com or simply CompanyX.com into your browser, and
you will probably get to the company’s site. - If the company name appears in the job-posting as an abbreviation or acronym, you can still find out the company name and proceed from
there. In the Q&A interview Quintessential Careers did with her,
career-management consultant Norine Dagliano said: “I have even
found names when all I had was, for example, “FLC is looking for a
mental health therapist in its city, state location.” I went to the
Yellow Pages under the listing for mental health; read the names of
all the mental health agencies until I found one that might use the
initials “FLC,” and then called the number in the book to get the
name of whom to address the letter. BINGO!” - If all else fails, and you can’t find out the name of the hiring manager, you can at least address your materials to a specific named individual in
Human Resources, if you’ve been able to attain the name of that person.
— Katharine Hansen, former speechwriter and college instructor who provides content for the Web site, Quintessential Careers, edits QuintZine, an electronic newsletter for jobseekers, and prepares job-search correspondence as chief writer for Quintessential Resumes and Cover Letters
Fifth Answer:
While a job search would be much easier if it came with step-by-step instructions in perfect order, like most active searchers, you’re stuck with figuring it out pretty much on your own. But like programming that new DVD player, or deciphering furniture instructions (ever buy anything from IKEA?), all it takes is some elbow grease and extra effort on your part.
So what would you do if a piece was missing from that IKEA box? Well, you’d call the store and have them send it to you. And if you got a confused salesperson who wasn’t quite sure what widget you were talking about? You might even march back to the store and describe it in person.
The same goes for a job search. If a job ad is missing a contact name, go find it! Call Human Resources and indicate you’re researching the organization and looking for the Head of ABC or the Director of XYZ. Networking isn’t about following-up with the name given to you on a silver platter, but rather seeking out contacts on your own. If it is a company you are really interested in working for, seek out contacts in different departments and at different levels by researching the organization online. Use Google, the company website, industry publications, even the main receptionist. Set up informational interviews (by phone or in-person) that are NOT a direct by-product of your job search but rather a quest for you to solely learn about the organization, its’ challenges and the different roles.
The idea is to get out from behind your computer and focus on meeting people where you would like to work and then learning about open opportunities. Your name will be then be on the tip of the tongue of your contact and of HR all at the same time. Remember, the most successful job seekers are just that—seekers. They work to seek out the jobs and organizations that are right for them rather than waiting for an opening to be announced.
— Susan Strayer, Assistant Director, Career Services, School of Professional Studies in Business and Education at the Johns Hopkins University and founder and President of University and Career Decisions
Sixth Answer:
Yes, you have received some good advice; it is always best to send a targeted letter. With that said, postings rarely have the name of the hiring manager – this is where your work begins! Once you have a hint that a company you are interested in may be hiring tap into your network. Contact those first who work for the company, then those who may know someone within the company to see if they can direct you to someone (and don’t forget to send a personal thank-you to each person that helps you in the process). If that isn’t an option try on-line and library research. For some companies you can call the main number and ask to be transferred to a department that would potentially hire people with your skill set. (If you are an accountant you might ask for the accounting, accounts-payable, or accounts-receivable departments.)
Contact and join professional organizations and associations – the people who attend and speak at the events they sponsor are more than likely employed in your target companies. Read and subscribe to trade journals – another source for leads and contacts. The idea in effective job searching is to stay connected to as many influential and industry people as possible. If you haven’t built or maintained your network it is never too late to start, and remember to keep it going even after you are hired!
If you are still wondering, work with a professional coach who can guide you through the process easier and faster. I am offering a 20% discount on one month of coaching to anyone who mentions this article.
— Janine A. Schindler, Professional Coach and owner of the Jas Coaching Company
Seventh Answer:
When placing a cold call, most people start out with, “Hi, my name is. I’m with. We do.”? This standard opening statement is used by people selling something. What happens after hearing this line? Most people know instantly that you’re making a sales call and they move immediately to end the call by making an excuse to hang up.
I’m sure you’ve heard this one from your careers services expert – finding a job is like selling a product only the product you’re selling is you. Simple enough, right? So why do so many people use the above approach when on the hunt for information? Frankly, most are taught to call in just as in the above example. Here’s a simple answer to your question – pick up the phone and do a little sleuthing. Call the main number and say the following in a calm, soothing voice, “Hello, maybe you can help me out for a second?” The person on the line will almost always respond by saying, “Sure. How can I help you?” Why? Because our normal human reaction when someone asks us for help is to offer it. And there you have it – the start of a conversation rather than an opportunity to be rejected.
Next step is to ask for the person in charge of the function in question. But what if the gatekeeper offers an objection – “I’m sorry, but I can’t divulge the name of the Manager of Finance.” You’re response should be “That’s not a problem.” Why? Because you’ve just validated what the person told you. “I understand your position but can you suggest another way for me to contact the person?” extends the dialogue and may even convince the gatekeeper to let down their guard. If the person doesn’t budge, say “Thanks for the time. By the way, my name is Anita Job. What is your name?” Write down the person’s name and call again the next day using the person’s name as an opener, “Hello Bob, maybe you can help me out for a second? This is Anita Job – we spoke yesterday.” Get the picture?
Sure you can network outside the doors of the company but that could take quite some time. The phone is still one of the best tools to use during a job search.
Caveat time: What if you’re sent to the dreaded abyss of job search – Human Resources? Depends on the philosophy of the internal staffing function – most are inflexible gatekeepers who insist that everyone goes through them; very, very few will give you the desired time you need to state your case – AKA, a mini-interview. In a nutshell, just keep smiling, keep dialing, keep trying – even HR has a heart for job seekers. You may catch one on a good day.
— Steve Levy, Principal of outside-the-box Consulting
