All the career guides suggest calling to follow-up job applications, yet most job ads explicitly state “no phone calls, please”. Is it appropriate to call anyway or does calling make the applicant appear unable to read or follow instructions? Would emailing to follow-up be more appropriate?
What a great question! This is a very common dilemma that many job seekers face. There is an inherent Catch-22 component to this situation. If I’m not able to call, how can I differentiate myself and stand out from the crowd, or even know that they’ve received my resume? There was a time when applicants would at least receive a polite rejection letter expounding upon their wonderful qualifications, and the even more wonderful qualifications of the other candidates (one of whom actually got the job). At least then you knew your resume had been reviewed and you had been considered.
Perspective, perspective
Let’s look at this from the 2 perspectives in the more modern job search process. From the hiring manager’s point of view, they want to find the best candidate for the position in as little time as possible, with as little impact to the day-to-day operations of the organization. They don’t want to waste their time talking with potential candidates who are not qualified.
As a candidate, you need to know that your candidacy is being taken seriously and your qualifications are being adequately reviewed as they pertain to the job. Getting this job might be a very high priority for you, but for the hiring manager, it is only one of many, and circumstances can change during the hiring process, sometimes leading to delaying or even abandoning the need to hire anyone at all.
The gates and the gatekeepers
Organizations usually know what they want when they are hiring, and have spent a lot of time documenting the duties and responsibilities for the position, in addition to the experience and educational requirements of the successful candidate. There are lots of potential candidates who feel that they are qualified for every position out there, and take the “Shotgun Approach” to job search – throwing enough resumes out there that one of them will stick.
Organizations simply don’t have the time to talk to all these candidates and provide free career counseling to whoever calls them. That is why they do not want phone calls; it’s simply a case of “Don’t call us, we’ll call you”. Sometimes it does happen that your resume gets lost, misfiled, or for whatever reason, not given the opportunity for appropriate review. In these cases, most organizations would be pleased to find another qualified candidate to consider, and very few, if any, would think poorly of that candidate for “not following directions.”
However, as a frequent reader of this column, and therefore as a better job seeker, you have done your homework, and carefully outlined your experience and qualifications for the position in your resume, and additionally, provided a cover letter outlining how they apply to the job in question. Therefore, you are different, and don’t need to be kept out by gates. You do, however, want to convey the fact that you understand the realities of modern organizations and how the hiring process generally works.
So I emailed my resume 10 minutes ago, why haven’t I heard anything yet?
Just like the dating scene, timing is everything. If you call that hot date you met in the pick-up bar too early, you might appear to them to be desperate. If you call too late, you run the risk of them moving on to someone else. In job search, a week is usually a good time between calls, as a general rule of thumb. Very few people actually do call, so use that fact to your advantage. Just make sure you do it in the right way.
Call with a purpose
Have an objective defined before you dial – know why you’re calling them. Let’s face it, for many of us, cold-calling anyone can take a lot of nerve. We screw up our courage and finally find the number, determine who is responsible for the hiring decision, and then make the call. Then we can be left scrambling when we’re actually required to start talking. Other times, “voicemail jail” occurs, and a message is left. Either way, you need to be prepared.
Have a strategy defined before you call
So we’ve determined that calling is OK if it’s done correctly. If, for example, you emailed your resume through a CharityVillage ad 10 days ago, and you’re getting anxious that you haven’t heard back, design a call strategy such as:
- Plan a call to find out who the hiring manager is – and try to stay away from Human Resources – they can sometimes be dismissive and assume you’re in the huge pile of resumes somewhere.
- Know what you’re going to say – Have a script prepared (Use bullet points to avoid sounding as if you’re reading out loud).
- Know when to make your calls – Try to actually talk to the hiring manager, which in this day and age, is easier said than done. Try for before 9am (when many managers are working at their desks); just before noon (when they get back from meetings and regroup at their desk before lunch); and after 5pm. Of course any time of day will do, but be persistent. Avoid leaving voicemail messages unless days go by with no luck speaking directly. Consider using the “*67” phone feature to avoid call display systems.
- Ask them when you can follow up, and do follow up when you say you will.
Be polite, but be persistent.
Emailing is generally not as effective as telephoning, and is much easier to ignore, so get on that phone and call – in the right way, of course.
Michael Mayne, M.B.A., CMA, is Managing Partner and a Certified Professional Career Counsellor at Catalyst Careers, a Career Transition, Counselling, and Outplacement firm. Michael has been involved in the not-for-profit sector for many years, and is Past President and Treasurer of ALS Canada. To contact Michael, visit: www.catalystcareers.com.
To submit a question for a future column, please e-mail it to careercoach@charityvillage.com. No identifying information will appear in this column.
Disclaimer: Advice and recommendations are based on limited information provided and should be used as a guideline only. Neither the author nor CharityVillage.com make any warranty, express or implied, or assume any legal liability for accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information provided in whole or in part within this article.
