Ask the Experts: Leave a Message When Following Up
Question:
I recently interviewed with a company and after a week, I called them back to follow up but instead of getting through to the hiring manager, I got his voice mail. His outgoing message provided his cellular phone number. Instead of calling his cell phone, I left a message for him. Now, I’m wondering if that was a mistake. Any advice?
First Answer:
In my experience, leaving a voicemail seldom works, because as a job seeker, follow-up is your responsibility, not the company’s. If your contact at a
company has provided you with a phone number and its voicemail provides you
with another phone number, by all means, use it!
(To minimize risk of irritating your contact, always begin your call by
stating your name and asking “Do you have a moment?”)
In the future, avoid this type of dilemma. By the time your interview
concludes, you should know two things:
- When and whether the company plans to contact you regarding second interviews or hiring decisions.
- When, whether, and how you may follow up with your contact(s) at the company.
Immediately after the interview, you should follow up with a customized letter of thanks to each and every person with whom you interviewed. This
letter is much more than a formality – it should include the highlights of
the interview, ideas that you’d like to implement on the job when hired, and
a resolution of any concerns that the interviewer may have raised.
At the end of that letter, state your intention to follow up by telephone
within a few days. This more or less paves the way for follow up by phone if
you didn’t ask at the interview.
Persistence pays off. Follow up weekly until you get a definitive answer on your status with the company. Even if you’re not the one for the current job
opening, ask your contact if you might be a candidate for a future job. If
so, ask how often you might check back with the company.
— Tracy Laswell Williams, certified job and career transition coach, accredited resume writer and founder of CAREER-Magic.com
Second Answer:
Don’t fret too much about it – it’s a natural thing to do. The only problem is, the ball is now back in his court, which increases your
stress levels because now you’ve relinquished control of the situation.
In future, avoid leaving messages and keep trying different times of the
day, and different days of the week, until you get the person you want
to speak with.
At the end of the day, if an employer wants you for the job they’ll be in touch. It’s how long they take to do that which is the biggest
freak-out factor for the candidate. What seems like an eternity to you
is just one small part of this person’s busy working life. My advice
is, be patient for another week and if you haven’t heard by then, either
send them a polite email asking for the current state of play with
regard to your application, or try to call again. Frankly, I prefer the
former course of action because it doesn’t put the other person on the
spot.
I know a lot of people say ‘persistance pays’ but having spoken to oodles of hiring managers in my time, they tell me that the candidate
they want will be the candidate they contact first. How long it takes
them to do that is anybody’s guess and has a lot to do with the other
things that are vying for their attention in the business.
Hope this helps – and good luck!
— Liz Simpson, motivational speaker, workshop leader, author, journalist, and forum panelist
Third Answer:
My gut tells me to leave a message just as you did. If the voice mail message gave specific instructions asking callers to call the cell, then that would be the thing that the individual calling should do to comply with the other person’s wishes.
You might want to write a note or send an email expressing your level of interest and reiterating your specific qualifications for the position and then say that if you don’t hear from him, then you will contact him on his cell phone in the next few days. Good luck and let us know if this strategy is successful for you!!
— Debra Feldman, founder of JobWhiz, creator of the JOBWHIZQUIZ, and specialist in cyber savvy strategic job search consultations
Fourth Answer:
It sounds to me as though you are over analyzing. Look at it this way: what if he had not heard from you at all? What would he think then? As far as contacting this individual’s cell phone, I can only make one suggestion: use discretion. When following up with people, I often get their cell numbers. But typically it’s made available for more urgent situations–and such calls are more welcomed by clients or prospects, not job applicants or vendors (unless it’s an issue that requires prompt attention).
Rather than calling the cell, you left a voice mail. That’s probably what I would have done. Wait a few days, then call again. Be persistent, but don’t be a pest. Whenever contacting ANYONE by phone, remember the first rule (which I emphasize in my book DON’T WAIT UNTIL YOU GRADUATE!): as soon as they answer, ask if they have a moment to speak. You never know where you are catching them, and it is one of the most important–albeit subtle–gestures you can make to another: sincere respect for their time.
— Keith F. Luscher, Creative Director with Goettler Associates, Inc., a fund-raising consulting firm serving non-profit organizations nationwide, and author of Don’t Wait Until You Graduate!
Fifth Answer:
Congratulations, you got the interview and you knew the benefit of taking a follow-up step! The important thing is to stay pro-active in the interviewing process, which it sounds like you are doing. Regarding voice mail vs. cell phone, I think you made the correct choice.
In Europe cell phones have all but taken the place of good old landline phones, not so in the U.S. Here the primary point of contact still remains to be the office phone. Since that is the number you called, I am presuming it was listed on the business card first or it was the number someone in the company directed you to.
Unless the voice mail message gave you some indication that either messages on this number would not be checked regularly or that all calls should be directed to the cell phone number, you made a good call in judgement. For most people, a business cell phone is reserved for emergency/immediate action.
Your next step would be not to just wait 5-7 days to call again, but to get a typed thank you letter in the mail. The purpose of all interview follow ups is to remain fresh in the employer’s eyes, remind them of why you are the right candidate for the job, and your seriousness about the job.
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 newsletter article.
— Janine A. Schindler, Professional Coach and owner of the Jas Coaching Company
