The First Call Is The Deepest

Making ‘The’ Call Is Never As Tough As It Seems

Never before has it been more important for candidates to understand the importance of how they interact with prospective employers.

Whether you are setting up an appointment for an interview, receiving post-interview feedback, or making that dreaded ice-breaking call to apply for a role or introduce yourself and your skills, you must always be in top form.

How do you achieve that?

Preparing for the Call

Don’t ever rely on your memory when preparing to call an employer. There is nothing like finding yourself in the spotlight to erase everything from your mind and leave you stuttering.

Before you make any call to a prospective employer, consider what you want to achieve. Once you are clear on that, figure out what you are going to say to reach your objective.

A call without a plan is a waste of time.

Do it this way:

Research – if it is an ice-breaking call, familiarise yourself with the employer and the details of the role before you call. If it is a follow-up call, recap on your past research and on the interview or conversations that took place previously.
Purpose – know what you want to achieve and target your intended conversation around that. Write it down. Read it over and over until you are familiar with it. Then put it aside because you don’t want to be reading a script over the phone.
Ansafone – or voicemail. Up to 73% of calls into internal recruitment teams go to unsafe, so prepare for that. Prepare a voice message that includes your name, a brief reason for your call, and most importantly a valid contact number.

Making the Call

Before calling make sure that you are relaxed and familiar with what you want to say. If you feel very nervous, take a few deep breaths, close your eyes and briefly change your focus. Disconnecting for even a few second will recharge you. It’s like restarting your computer. After a short break, everything works again.

Don’t put off making the call, especially if you are responding to a job advert or calling to introduce yourself to see if the employer has any requirements.

There is plenty of competition out there, and opportunities that you don’t take will be snapped up by someone else. The call that is bound to fail is the call that you don’t make.

Take a deep breath, stand up, smile and dial!

Now it’s make or break:

Remember courtesy at all times. If the call is not handled well on the receiving end, stay calm and stay friendly. You won’t get anywhere by being rude to reception and trying to court internal recruitment. People talk.
Be clear and transparent in your communication. Don’t try to dominate or coerce, and don’t be a smart-Alec. It’s off-putting.
Control your voice. Speak at a steady and even tone. Make sure that your voice is clear and audible. Don’t mumble. You don’t want anyone asking you to speak up or speak clearly.
After a polite greeting, open your conversation with the question “is this a good time to talk?” before you say anything else. You could be unintentionally imposing on someone.
If it’s not a good time, ask when will be a good time, immediately diarise the time and day. Make sure you call at that time.
State the reason for your call and your desired outcome upfront. Keep to your call plan and don’t go into long-winded You could be keeping someone away from pressing matters.
If your call is answered by someone who says they can’t help you, ask when the relevant person will be available and call again at that time. If the relevant person isn’t available don’t try to coerce someone else into helping you.
If your call immediately goes to ansafone, leave a clear and concise message. Make sure that you read your name and contact number slowly. Break your contact number into sections and repeat it at the end of the message.

Closing The Call

End your call professionally by asking what the next steps in the process will be. Never be afraid to ask for feedback or advice if the call doesn’t go the way you had hoped.

If you are unclear or unsatisfied with the outcome, don’t be afraid to question or contest the situation in a polite and friendly manner. Don’t allow yourself to be fobbed-off unnecessarily.

Whatever the outcome, always say thank you! There is never a reason for you to be rude.

If The Call Went Badly

If you really mess the call up – don’t worry!