Contacting employers

Contacting employers How to successfully access the ‘hidden’ job market

Improve your changes of getting a job • You can contact employers by:  writing to them  visiting them  phoning them

Be prepared • When you contact an employer, make sure you have with you:  your résumé  a pen and paper for making notes  a checklist of questions that you want to ask

Cold calling • ‘Cold calling’ is phoning employers that you have not met before. • Cold calling can be used to:  gain an interview  find out job related information  make networking contacts

How to sound confident over the phone • You can sound confident by:  knowing the name and title of the person you want to talk to  practising what you are going to say  letting the person you are talking to know how you can benefit the company or their business

Getting access to the person you want to speak to • Receptionists or personal assistants are often responsible for screening calls. • The more important the person you are calling is, the harder they will be to reach.

Getting access to the person you want to speak to • Ask the receptionist the name of the person who does the hiring: ‘Hello, this is Kathy Porter. Would you please give me the name of the person responsible for staff selection?’ OR ‘Would you please tell me the name of the manager of the IT department?’

Get the name right! • Ask for the person’s full name and the correct spelling, and find out how to say their name. • If you can’t get past the assistant, tell them about your skills and experience. Ask about the company and for advice on the best way to follow up on getting a job there.

Try again later! • If this doesn’t work, call at a different time of day and speak to someone else. • Now that you know the names and roles of people you want to speak to, this should be easier.

Contacting employers