Does calling a hiring manager you don't know intimidate you? Make it easy
by properly preparing yourself before you call.
Write a script: Practice it until you have internalized it, not memorized
it. Role play it. Video record it. Correct your mistakes when it doesn't count.
Successful scripts raise curiosity, ask permission to continue, ask questions
to learn about needs, discover urgency, and establish next steps.
Due Diligence:
Before the call, research the company, its history, products and services. Find
out what's new, review recent PR announcements or other news, etc. Learn about
the hiring manager's background and likes. Discover things you can align yourself with.
Time: You can
safely assume the hiring manager is busy. Respect his or her time. Some small
talk is OK but be sensitive of time. Avoid unnecessary elaboration.
Delivery: When
you reach the hiring manager, briefly, introduce yourself. Say who you are, what
you do, and state the purpose of the call without making the hiring manager
defensive by announcing you want a job. Speak quickly but clearly, and
enunciate carefully.
Ask permission
to talk: If the answer is negative, ask when a better time would be or say "I'll
just take a minute" and immediately launch your script without waiting for
an objection.
Be
conversational: After your opening, the call cannot be scripted. It never
happens the way you script it. Focus on gathering information by ask questions
to find out what the hiring manager's needs are. Look for opportunities to
describe an accomplishment that could help resolve a problem. Ask about things
you have learned by researching the company. Once you have generated interest,
tell the hiring manager you'd like to send your resume and get his or her email
address.
Next steps: Before ending the call, establish expectations. Say
you will follow up, and repeat any next steps the Hiring Manager sets.
Send your resume to kl@hoochresumes.com for a FREE estimate Today! Then let's talk, no obligations!
And visit my website at bit.ly/1TEqj93.
8/4/2016: 1888
gatekeeper4.jpeg
Gatekeepers
serve an important role for busy managers. One of their functions is to keep
unsolicited callers at bay. Another is to filter important calls from
unimportant ones. Gatekeepers have to make fast, intelligent decisions to allow
a caller through or not. There are some things to do to get past gatekeepers.
Qualifications:
Make sure you are a strong candidate for the position based on what you know
about the job. If you are not qualified you will waste your time and theirs.
Approach:
Approach the call with polite respect for the gatekeepers and hiring manager.
If someone is rude to you, don't react, maintain your cool.
Time: Respect
the time of each person you speak to. Some small talk is OK but be sensitive of
time. Avoid unnecessary elaboration.
Due Diligence:
Research the company before calling. Learn about its products and services, its
recent PR announcements or other news. Align yourself with their mission,
activities or thinking, particularly when speaking with the hiring manager.
The Admin: The
hiring managers' administrative assistant may be a formidable and experienced
gatekeeper. It is important to establish rapport with the admin in order to
reach the hiring manager.
Process: As
you work your way up through the organization on your first call, get the
admin's name, pronunciation and spelling. Address the admin by first name and
make a complementary remark. You need the admin's help and will be asking for
it immediately.
Scripts: When searching for a new position, what you say to the
receptionist and the admin is critical to reaching the hiring manager. Before
calling, write scripts, then practice and internalize them. Successful scripts
provide context to raise curiosity, ask permission to continue, ask questions
to learn needs, discover timing, and establish next steps.
Send your resume to kl@hoochresumes.com for a FREE estimate Today!
Then let's talk, no obligations!
And visit my website at bit.ly/1TEqj93.