Follow-Up Phone Scripts

Most job seekers do not follow up with employers regarding their resumes. We are usually encouraged not to contact employers at all- you know, the "don't call us, we'll call you" feedback that we sense from employers. However, in the current economy, sometimes simply sending in your resume and waiting for the phone to ring is not enough. Some may advocate an email follow-up, but for the strongest impact, phone calls work best.

Below are some sample scripts to use:

Receptionist              This is Mr/s, how may I help you? (Make note of his/her name)

Caller                         Good afternoon name, this is Mr/s Jones calling for Mr/s Interviewer

Receptionist              I’m sorry, Mr/s Interviewer is not available, would you like their voicemail?    

Caller                        Well…   When would be a better time to call?

Receptionist             I don’t have their schedule available, but Mr/s Interviewer is always in and out all day.

Caller                        Would it be possible to leave him/her personal message at his/her desk?

Receptionist             Perhaps, but I would also recommend leaving a voice message.  

Caller                     Ok, again, my name is Firstname Jones and I can be reached at (555) 555-1234. You may transfer me to the voicemail also if you wish.  Thank you very much!

Receptionist               This is Mr/s, how may I help you? (Make note of his/her name)

Caller                          Good afternoon name, this is Mr/s Jones calling for Mr/s Interviewer

Receptionist               Please hold and I’ll connect you.     

Interviewer                This is Mr. Interviewer.

Caller                      Good afternoon, Mr. Interviewer, we haven’t spoken before, but I forwarded you a cover letter and copy of my résumé on date and I wanted to make sure that you received it.

Interviewer                We will be reviewing résumés for that position next week and we will get back to you if we feel that you are a good fit.        

Caller                       Terrific.  I would like to follow up with you near the end of next week to see how the selection process and schedule is working out.  How would next Friday at 2:00 be?

Interviewer             I’m not sure right at the moment, but my receptionist will be able to take a message should I be unavailable.

Caller                          It has been a pleasure speaking with you.  Thank you very much!

Receptionist               This is Mr/s, how may I help you? (Make note of his/her name)

Caller                         Good afternoon name, this is Mr/s Jones calling for Mr/s Interviewer, I spoke with you last week.

Receptionist              I’m sorry, Mr/s Interviewer is not available, would you like their voicemail?    

Caller                   If you don’t mind, I would like to try reaching him tomorrow afternoon, he’s expecting my call.

Receptionist               Would you like for me to give him a message?      

Caller                  Sure, again, my name is First name Jones and I can be reached at (555) 555-1234.   Thank you very much!

The Best Career Book of All Time

What Color Is Your Parachute?, by Richard Nelson Bolles, is not only the top-selling career book of all time, it's also the best. I feel that every job seeker, no matter what your occupation or industry, can benefit from Mr. Bolles' wisdom on a number of job search-related topics. What truly impresses me about this book is that it just makes sense about how to approach a job search: namely, that employers have needs which need to be filled and that your job is to convey your ability to do this to them. It also touches upon the use of non-traditional means to find employment- an effective approach because, let's face it, some of the standard approaches are very ineffective (e.g. posting your resume to a popular job board and waiting for the phone to ring or the email to alert you).

Even if you're not currently looking for work, buy this book. It has valuable lessons about work and life in general.

Formatting on a Plain Text Document

When you convert your resume into a Plain Text (.txt) document for copying-pasting into online formats, there is very little you can do in terms of formatting because it strips out everything- bold, underlining, italics, line borders- heck, even the font is your standard typewriter-looking style. However, you can at least add a few subtle touches to make this normally unattractive document look a bit better. 

View the sample below and see if you can identify the formatting touches we included using only what our keyboard provided:

GARY JOHNSON

5401 68th Street

Lubbock, TX 79424

Phone: 555-555-5555

Email: garyjohnson3855@yahoo.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

CAREER PROFILE: SALES

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

15+ Years of Experience in All Sales Activities, with Consistent Success in Meeting Business Growth and Client Relationship Goals; Work Effectively in Non-Supervised Environments Requiring Frequent Travel

>> Solutions-focused professional able to increase sales and client bases through persistence, persuasion, and fulfillment of clients’ needs. Effective communicator and presenter; strong research and analysis skills. Over 10 years in working with high-profile clients within the Lubbock area. Fluent in Spanish.

>> Core competencies include: New Product Introduction ** Consultative Sales Approach ** Customer Needs Assessment ** Client Relationship Development ** Product Analysis – Evaluation ** Sales Development Life Cycle ** Traditional & Online Research Strategies ** Prospecting & Lead Generation ** Relationship & Solutions Selling

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sales Representative – Wood Flooring Specialists – 1996-Present – Wood flooring installation business.

Manage all business development activities, including prospecting/cold calling, lead generation and qualification, product presentations, and overall client service. Sell services to homeowners, business owners, and public institutions. Create and implement marketing strategies to build business, establishing and sustaining strong client relationships. Travel frequently to deliver on-site presentations and client projects.

SELECTED ACCOMPLISHMENTS:

++ Expanded business from Lubbock-only territory to region that includes Eastern New Mexico, southern Oklahoma, and most of Texas. Grew client base from average of 3 to 16 per month.

++ Gained experience and skill in working with high-profile clients, including local physicians and government leaders. Consistently met and exceeded client expectations, leading to repeat/referral business.

++ Demonstrated persistence and high tolerance for overcoming rejection through efforts in increasing sales for start-up company. Excelled in convincing clients of product/service benefits.

Sales Representative – Ace Tile & Marble – 1985-1996 – Tile and marble product/service business.

Launched start-up distributorship, selling tile and working with homeowners, contractors, architects, and designers to specify products. Handled all phases of sales cycles, from prospect identification to closing and follow-up activities, with emphasis on consultative selling and relationship building.

SELECTED ACCOMPLISHMENTS:

++ Secured several lucrative projects for Accent, including largest job for Interceramic (largest North American ceramic tile manufacturer) involving 480,000 sq.ft. Sheraton hotel (6-figure sale). Developed repeat business with builders, architects, and designers.

++ Gained expertise in product knowledge to drive sales growth, providing client recommendations that led to satisfaction and referral business.

>> Additional positions include Personnel Director with the Marriott Hotel and Owner of XYZ Service. For the Marriott Hotel, implemented Employee Relations and Spanish-Speaking programs to improve relations and service. For XYZ Service, grew customer base through on-site visits to businesses.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

ASSOCIATE OF ARTS IN MANAGEMENT

South Plains College – Lubbock, TX – 3.5, Major Studies

LANGUAGE SKILLS

Fluent in Spanish and English

COMPUTER SKILLS

Microsoft Office applications, Internet research

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT

Volunteer to support Boy Scouts and local church organizations

USA Jobs- The Official Site for Federal Jobs

U.S.A. Jobs is the official site for nearly all federal job opportunities. 

www.usajobs.opm.gov

There is no better way to learn how to use the U.S.A. Jobs site than to use its tutorials:

http://www.usajobs.gov/EI/tutorials.asp#icc

We will be providing blog entries periodically on specific aspects of federal government job search, and U.S.A. Jobs will be at the forefront for many of those entries. We do recommend that you visit the specific site for each government agency, as there are some that may have their own Careers section to go through. In most situations, U.S.A. Jobs is the site to use.

 

Translating Technical Language on Career Documents

Some of us work in fields that involve the use of highly technical language- technology, medical, science, and numerous others. While it is important to provide industry-specific terms within your career documents (resume, cover letter, etc.), it is also important to "translate" some of the jargon into terms that the average person can understand. This is especially important for members of the U.S. military to translate military terminology when they are seeking to transition to civilian employment. 

The following is an excellent example from an article written about transitioning from military to civilian employment:

"Start by translating job positions such as 'Company Commander' into “Operations Manager.” Spell out all abbreviations and acronyms and translate their importance. Translate OJT and military schools into the real meaning behind the school. If you attended the NERS (Navy Enlisted Recruiter School), show it on your résumé as an in-depth, three-week sales training course. Your rank is important, but what’s more important is the relative rank. If you supervised five people as an E-5, say that! Most civilians don’t supervise five people until they have many years’ experience. Did you make E-5 on your first try? If so, say that and indicate that only 20 percent of those in your field make E-5 on their first try. This shows superior performance relative to your peers and is a good indication of future success."


http://www.gijobs.com/military-experience-to-civilian-terms.aspx

Resume Heading

The heading on your resume is the section you will spend the least amount of time on, but it is nonetheless critical. I can't tell you how many resumes I've seen over the years with no email address, no phone number, an incorrect mailing address, etc. I will mention below the most important items that need to be in your resume heading and some things to consider about each:

1. Name. I would use a first name and last name that reflects professionalism, leaving off any nicknames unless you are known by all by this name (and then you want to write it as "Charles 'Rocky' Johnson"). 

2. Mailing Address. Only include a mailing address if you are searching for a job within your address' geographical area or if you know, for some reason, that potential employers will be mailing you information (e.g. some government agencies will do this). Otherwise, you can now leave the mailing address off.

3. Phone Number. Only include the phone numbers at which you want to be contacted. Many job seekers are electing to include only one phone number on the resume to simplify the means by which employers can contact them. Others want to include several- home, cell, work- to expand the ways employers can get in touch with them. It's truly more of a personal preference.

4. Email Address. This is essential for 21st century job search. You MUST have an email address on your resume. ** TO NOTE: make sure your email is a professional sounding one- sexylady@yahoo.com is not appropriate for a resume. Try to include some variation of your first name and last name or first initial and last name (e.g bjohnson34@aol.com). 

5. LinkedIn Profile Link. If  you have a LinkedIn page that is well-developed, include a link to it in your heading. It gives the employer the option of reviewing your profile, including the Recommendations which are often not found on your resume.

6. Others. Facebook Link? Possibly. Twitter? Possibly. Web Page? Possibly. The key for including any of this information is: does it contain information about your career? If not, leave it off.

Don't Badmouth Former Employers During the Interview

Now, an interview isn't exactly a police interrogation like the above-referenced clip. However, the interviewer is bound to ask you questions regarding your former employers, and let's face it- many of us have had not-too-pleasant experiences with some of them.


The key is this: keep negative opinions of former employers to yourself. If for nothing else, the interviewer realizes that they may be your future employer, and they wouldn't want you badmouthing them as you did (assuming you did, of course) to your former employer(s). It seems an obvious point, but I have heard story after story from interviewers about job candidates airing their former employers' dirty laundry during the interview. It's one of those situations in which, even if you have a burning desire or conviction to tell the truth, don't. You're the only one who will lose in this scenario.

Southworth: Resume Folders YES, Labeled Envelopes NO!

I wholeheartedly endorse Southworth's "Exceptional Resume Folders." They are terrific for "housing" your resume when you present it to interviewers (you can also use them if you happen to send out resumes via regular mail, but since emailing is more commonplace, you may not have to do this that often). I have used these for the past 10+ years; there was a company called PM Resource that offered these folders in different colors, but they have since gone out of business, so cream-colored and gold-embossed folders is our only choice (and they look great, so this is fine).

However, I would STRONGLY RECOMMEND that you do not use the envelopes they included that are labeled "Resume Enclosed" on the front. They are a waste and I can't understand why Southworth continues to include them as part of the package, for the following reasons:

1. As mentioned above, most resumes are emailed as opposed to being sent via regular mail. 

2. If you do send any resumes via regular mail, the last thing you want to do is announce it on the front of the enveloped. Let's be real: most employers receive way too many resumes, and as a rule, they generally don't like reading them. If they see the words "Resume Enclosed" on the front, I would guess that most are going to simply throw it away. However, if they receive an envelope that does not mention this on the front, they are most likely going to open it, if only to see what's inside (the Christmas syndrome). Once they look at your resume, hopefully if you've done a good job on yours, they'll be intrigued enough to read it top to bottom and consider calling you in for an interview.


Therefore, my last comment is directed to the decision-makers at Southworth, whom I've spoken with several times in the past: KEEP THE FOLDERS, BUT LOSE THE ENVELOPES! Or, if you do keep the envelopes, please remove the Resume Enclosed label. Thank you. Sincerely, Job Seekers Worldwide.

Simply Hired- A Beneficial Job Search Tool

SimplyHired is one of the best job sites to utilize in your job search. I have been registered with SimplyHired for the past 14 months (free sign-up), and they send an email every day with listings within my designated area (Resume Writing, for contract opportunities). 


As I mentioned in a blog entry from last month, SimplyHired is an aggregate site in that it "scours" the Web for job listings based on your job target (keywords) and geographical preference (area). So, the two ways to use SimplyHired are:


1. Going to the site and conducting searches. As with any online search site, be sure to examine the ads carefully so that you don't apply for any multi-level marketing schemes (any job offer that requires you to pay to get in is to be avoided). 


TIP: If you want to search nationwide, leave the Location box blank.


2. Signing up for their free service. As I mentioned, I receive ads every day- now, sometimes they are for non-resume writing opportunities, but most are for my chosen profession. 


The important thing to remember is that, even though you can have ads sent to you and you can use their site, you need to examine the ads in detail and act upon as many as you can. In the current economy, it can still be a numbers game.

"Nebraska"- A Portrait of Troubled Times Relevant to 2011

We find ourselves in a very difficult economic period, one that has parallels to 1982 in terms of unemployment. Bruce Springsteen released an all-acoustic album that year entitled Nebraska which provided an unyielding look at individuals in troubled times. 
Occasionally, it is important for those of us struggling within the current job market to turn to art and other endeavors for inspiration and understanding. "Nebraska" is, song for song, one of the best albums for those that can relate to the individual's struggle to survive in the modern world- particularly in a difficult economy.

Perhaps the most representative song on the album is "Atlantic City":


"Well I got a job and tried to put my money away,
But I've got debts that no honest man can pay,
So I drew what I had from the Central Trust,
And I bought us two tickets on that Coast City bus."

LinkedIn Profile Categories

We will include future blog entries about LinkedIn, a critical factor today in job search. For now, I would like to include a list of the categories on LinkedIn for which you can add information- some of which may mirror your resume headings, and others which may be new to you. You can copy-and-paste the categories below into a blank Microsoft Word document, then copy-and-paste your resume content category-by-category into this document, so that when it comes time to build a LinkedIn profile, so you can just use the LinkedIn template.

LinkedIn Template

I. PERSONAL INFORMATION

Name

Headline  (120 characters, including spaces)

Location & Industry

II. SUMMARY

Summary:  (2000 characters, including spaces)

Specialties:  (500 characters, including spaces)

III. ADDING SECTIONS TO THE PROFILE (**NEW**)

Certifications

Languages

Patents

Publications

Skills

IV. EMPLOYMENT SECTION

Title:  100 characters including spaces

Company Name:  100 characters including spaces

Industry:  from LinkedIn website list

Employment Dates: 

Job Description: (2000 characters, including spaces)

V. EDUCATION SECTION

School Name:  

Degree:  

Dates Attended: 

Description:

Activities and Societies: 

VI. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Interests:  (1000 characters, including spaces)

Groups and Associations

Honors and Awards

VII. CONTACT SETTINGS

** Opportunity Preferences (drop down list includes Career Opportunities, Consulting Offers, New Ventures, Job Inquiries, Expertise Requests, Business Deals, Personal Reference Requests, Requests to Reconnect)

** You can add a statement that answers this question: “What advice would you give to users considering contacting you?” Include comments on your availability, types of projects or opportunities that interest you, and what information you’d like to see included in a request

Cover Letter to a Recruiter

Cover letters are cover letters; their primary purpose is to introduce your candidacy (and resume) to the reader, including key selling points regarding your experience, education, and skills. 

However, not all cover letters are alike. The cover letter written to a recruiter is different in that you want to convey your personal "wants" such as salary, geographic preference, company culture, etc. The letter below illustrates in the latter paragraph (the bold-face part) the type of information you can impart to a recruiter in order that they may help you find the best fit for your background:

(Date) 

(Name of Recruiter) 
(Name of Company) 
(Address) 
(City, State Zip) 

Dear Recruiter: 

If you are currently seeking a senior executive with a highly diverse background and extensive experience in all communications and PR functions for one of your client companies, I am enclosing my resume for your review and consideration. I am confident that I would be an ideal fit within an organization that expects leadership, creativity, and dedication from its executive team members. 

Briefly summarized, I offer the following qualifications: 

** Over 17 years of experience in public relations, communications, and policy leadership experience within complex corporate, non-profit, and military environments, backed by a M.S. Degree in Mass Communications. 

** Strong background in media relations, leading my current organization in firmly establishing itself as the primary source for information, analysis, and expert commentary within the adoption policy and child welfare advocacy fields. 

** Quoted or referenced in over 200 media outlets that include CNN, USA Today, CBS News, The New York Times, and The Washington Post. 

** Track record of success in developing integrated communications programs and comprehensive campaigns that dramatically enhanced public awareness, brand recognition, and market positioning. 

What I now seek is an opportunity to provide leadership in an organization that offers a challenge in the form of high-level responsibilities, cross-functional team management, and complex goals. Please note that my current salary requirements are in the <Salary Figure> range and that I would be willing to relocate from Colorado to the East Coast (north of Virginia) given the right opportunity. Regarding company culture, I would prefer to provide leadership within an organization that values Communications and PR as integral business drivers as opposed to non-essential functional areas. 

I am available for immediate interviews and will gladly provide additional documentation for your client companies per request. Thank you for your time, and please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions. 

Sincerely, 

Larry Thomas
  
Enclosure