Making a ‘cold’ call to an employer
Article found @ http://www.myfuture.edu.au
cold calling an employer
Cold calling involves phoning an employer without previously having sent them a resume. (If you’ve sent a resume, you’re making a warm call.)
Use the following steps as a guide when you make a cold call:
- Step 1—Get the recruiter’s name.
- Step 2—Ask to speak to the recruiter.
- Step 3—Use your skills statement.
- Step 4—Ask for a meeting or referral.
- Step 5—Get the details.
- Step 6—Thank the recruiter.
When you’ve completed the call, record it in your job search files.
Step 1—Get the recruiter’s name
You may be able to find the recruiter’s name on the company’s website. It’s worth checking that the website lists it correctly, with a quick phone call.
Ask the receptionist for the name of the person who does the hiring. For example:
‘Hello, this is Emma Cloyst. Can you please give me the name of the person who is responsible for staff selection?’
‘Can you please tell me the name of the manager for the IT department?’
Write down their full name and, if there is any doubt:
- Check that you have the spelling right.
- Make notes on how to pronounce the name correctly.
- Check whether the person is a man or a woman.
What if the receptionist won’t give you the information?
Try calling back later with a request such as:
‘I have some material to send to the IT manager/human resources manager, and I want to make sure I send it to the right person. Would you please give me their name and exact title?’
‘I’m just updating our files, and I need to check your company’s address, and the name of the current human resources manager, and the person responsible for staff selection.’
If you still have no luck, try calling at a different time of day (for example, when the receptionist is likely to be at lunch) and speaking to someone else.
Step 2—Ask to speak to the recruiter
When you ring back, be ready to answer any questions that might come up in the conversation—have your resume and any other relevant papers on hand.
Ring the company and ask for the recruiter by name if you have it.
The recruiter is unavailable
If the recruiter is not in or is unavailable, ask when you should call back and try to establish a time when you would be guaranteed to reach them.
When you call back, ask for the person by name (‘Would you please put me through to Jack Hall?’) and, if it’s a large company, refer to their department too (‘Can I please speak to Jack Hall in the IT department?’).
You’re put through to voicemail
You may be put through to the recruiter’s voicemail. If this is the first time you’ve called, leave:
- your name
- telephone number
- the reason why you’re calling
- a message that you’ll call back later.
Leaving your telephone number means they can call you back if they want to, even though you’ll take responsibility for calling again.
If you are put through to voicemail on subsequent calls, only leave messages if it is a week or so since you left your last message. Make the second message short and friendly.
If you have tried repeatedly to reach the person with no success, leave a message saying that you:
- realise they must be very busy
- are sorry to bother them
- would still really like to talk to them about the position
- will only take a few minutes of their time
- look forward to hearing from them when it’s convenient for them.
A word about receptionists
Be friendly and polite to everyone you speak to at your prospective employer’s company, even if they’re less than friendly towards you.
Receptionists, telephonists and personal assistants are often responsible for screening calls. Be honest about why you’re calling. Sell yourself to the assistant on your positive attitude, your courtesy and your efficiency. They might put in a good word for you to their employer.
If it seems appropriate, sell yourself on your experience and skills, too. If they seem happy to talk, ask about the company. Do they have any advice about the best way to pursue a position there?
If they’re not happy to talk (they might be frantically busy, or you might be taking the wrong approach), don’t hound them. Thank them, hang up, and move on to the next priority in your job search.
Step 3—Use your skills statement
When you do get through to the recruiter, do three things: greet them, give your name and explain why you’re calling. If someone referred you to this recruiter, give that person’s name, too.
Then briefly state the skills, experience, interests and personal qualities you have:
‘Hello, Mr Hall.This is Emma Cloyst. Rose Sawdon from SA Electrical Goods suggested I speak with you.
‘I’m calling regarding a possible sales position with your company. I’ve had four years’ experience in all sorts of retail environments: white goods, brown goods, furniture, homewares. I’ve got lots of current product knowledge, I can order and receive stock using manual methods or a computer, and I’m particularly good at setting up in-store displays that make people want to buy goods.
‘I really enjoy sales and customer service—I even won the Manager’s Award for outstanding customer service at my last job. Do you think you could use someone with my skills anywhere in your company?’
Step 4—Ask for a meeting or referral
When you’ve told the recruiter about your skills, they might respond in one of several ways.
They might ask you to tell them more. They might have some questions about your skills, abilities, or experience in a certain job or company.
They might say that there’s a suitable position for you, or that they know of one coming up. If they do, say something like:
‘That’s great! I understand that you’re busy. But would you have a few minutes in the next day or so when I could come in and see you? Just so that we can meet and talk further about the position/possible positions.’
Give the recruiter several choices of meeting times—this makes it harder for them to refuse to meet you.
If the recruiter says there are no openings at the company right now, you can do one of at least four things:
- Suggest a meeting anyway, to talk about possible future vacancies.
- Ask if you can send in your resume, and when would be a good time to call them again—this will depend on how often vacancies are likely to come up. Send a resume and covering letter immediately. Make your follow-up call at the time the employer nominates, and ask for an interview at that time.
- Ask what this recruiter looks for in new employees for this company. If you’ve got skills that are compatible with the direction the industry is taking, ask them what they think you could do to be a more competitive applicant. For example: ‘I know you don’t have any vacancies at the moment, but what sort of skills will you be looking for when you do recruit?’
- Ask for a referral or other leads. For example: ‘Do you know of any other companies in the area/industry who might be hiring people with my skills?’ If they do:
- Take down the company’s name.
- Ask whether they know who you should contact there.
- Ask for permission to use this recruiter’s name when you make your networking call to the other company.
Whichever way you take the conversation, speak in a confident and energetic way; this might make the recruiter reconsider meeting you.
Step 5—Write everything down
Don’t rely on your memory, especially if your job search is a wide-ranging one. Write down all the details!
If they tell you to call back in the New Year, ask precisely when would be a good time, and write it down.
If they give you the name of a hirer at another company, write it down, together with any contact details they can give you.
If you do arrange a meeting, verify the address, and make sure you know exactly where to meet them. For example:
‘Wednesday the 15th at 2pm would be fine. Is your address still 398 Fullington Road? What’s the nearest cross street there? And do I need a Level number?’
If they give you guidelines about the sort of person they hire, write all of these down so that you don’t forget any. This is very valuable information—it lets you see into their business and their specific requirements. It might suggest, for example, some training you could pursue to make yourself desirable as an employee of the company.
Step 6—Thank the recruiter
If you haven’t been successful in arranging a meeting, say something like:
‘Thanks very much for your time, Mr Hall. I’ll send you my resume, and I hope you’ll put it on file. I’ll ring again in a couple of weeks/in January, just in case something comes up. Thanks again.’
Restate your name if the recruiter didn’t ask for it during the conversation, in case they didn’t write it down when you introduced yourself. For example:
‘I’ll see you on Wednesday at two. Should I go to reception and say you’re expecting to see Emma Cloyst?’
If they’ve referred you to another company, you might say something like:
‘Thanks for your help and the referral, Mr Hall. I’ll contact Ms Coles at Mondo Enterprises tomorrow.’
Whatever response you get to your cold call, thank the recruiter pleasantly for taking the time to speak to you.
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