During a recent discussion with an experienced recruiter, she explained to me that she often experiences an unusual occurrence when fielding calls for advertised roles…
The issue is that many of those who call, simply call and say something like: “Hi, My name is Paul and I am calling about the job…”. Then silence. Yes, silence! Presumably, the individual calling about the job then wants the recruiter to explain more about the job while they sit back and take it easy. Needless to say, such poor introductions don’t get these applicants very far…
A much better strategy is as follows:
Preparation – What are you going to say? What questions do you want to ask? Spend a few minutes jotting down some notes about the things you want to cover during the call.
Make the call and when answered, introduce yourself by saying something like: “Good morning David, my name is Paul and I am calling about the XYZ job. Do you have a few minutes for me to introduce myself and to ask a few questions?”
Give an effective overview of who you are and what value you bring. For example, “I am a (position/title), with experience in (industries/companies). I have expertise in (your vocational or professional skills/strengths) and my strengths (your broad leadership or employee strengths) are…”
Ask your questions and take note of the responses.
Thank the individual for their time and if appropriate express your interest in the role and finish by repeating your name and saying goodbye.
Don’t be surprised that if you do this well enough, the recruiter may even extend the discussion because you have piqued their interest or even invite you in for an interview. Is it worth it? Absolutely!
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