☎️ Dear Gen-Z, please be easy to reach
6 tips every recruiter wants you to know
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Your dream job might be calling, but are you answering? Or better yet, are you using the phone in the best way to help you get hired?
If you have yet to be called in for an interview, change up your strategy by applying these 6 tips to up your phone game and see how your job luck changes by being easy to reach.
📱1. Always put your cell number in your submission email. I know it’s on your resume, but if you are submitting your resume in an email, make sure to include your cell number. When motivated recruiters need to fill a job fast, you want to be reachable in one click. So make it easy by putting your cell number in your email in a font size that is easy and large enough to read in the body or signature of your email.
📱2. Keep your phone on pick up. Yes, I know you might be at work or maybe even in class, but if you are actively looking for an internship or new job, you need to be available. Put your phone on silent and if you see someone is trying to reach you, excuse yourself from the room and pick up immediately! If you are driving and think you might need to take notes or check your calendar just pull just pull over. If you are in a crowded place, pick up and say, “Hi, I’m just leaving Starbucks, can you hold one moment until I get to a quieter place?” Recruiters want to get the best candidate in the shortest amount of time possible, so don't let that call go to someone else.
📱3. Even when it looks like spam, answer. You have no idea where your next job is coming from, so treat every call like it might be "the one." Make sure you answer with a confident, strong and friendly voice — even when the number is blocked, looks like spam or you simply don't recognize it. Pick up all calls.
📱4. Change your greeting. If your phone must go to voicemail, make sure that you have a professional greeting. Get rid of the silly recording you've had on there since your freshman year when you were pretending to be cat with an Australian accent. Make it simple, clear and short like "Hi, you've reached Avery Jones. Please leave your name and number and I'll get right back to you." As most assistant jobs in entertainment require phone skills, an experienced recruiter is listening for tone, energy, confidence and clear enunciation. Hearing your voice might be the first step to impressing a future employer.
📱5. Return calls promptly. Don't play hard to get. When you get a call, return it immediately. You want to show that you want this job by being responsive. The energy you put forth is the energy that will come back to you.
📱6. Delete Old Messages. Nothing is a bigger turn off to a future employer than hearing "the mailbox is full and can't accept new messages." I know sometimes it's a ploy to get people to text you instead, but if you are looking for a job, clean out that vm box ASAP!
Recruiters want to find you, so make it easy for them.