Your Voice Mail Message: Is it a Job Search Don’t?
Article Title: Your Voice Mail Message: Is it a Job Search Don’t?
Author Byline: Mary White, M.A., SPHR
Author Website: Daily Career Connection
A great deal of job interview and career advice focuses on preparing a well-written resume, dressing for success, and the do’s and don’ts of job interview questions. However, it is also very important to pay attention to other factors that might impact whether or not prospective employers are likely to view you as a good job candidate.
One of the most important, and most often overlooked, aspects of preparing for a job search is actually related to your telephone. Most home and cell phones have voicemail these days. The pre-recorded greeting on your voicemail sends a message to prospective employers who might call you to set up an interview. When you are in the process of searching for a job, it is critical that you make certain that your voice mail message is professional.
However, people sometimes forget to pay attention to the little detail of how their voicemail message sounds when they start filling out job applications. Employers will definitely pay attention, though. If your voicemail message sounds unprofessional, they will just hang up without leaving a message, and you’ll never get a chance to interview with them
Voicemail Don’ts:
* Messages recorded by small children
* Musical greetings
* Religious messages
* Whassup?
* Sarcastic comments
* Mumbled greetings
* Any form of profanity
Voicemail Do’s
A professional voice mail message is a simple greeting, such as “This is Stephen, I’m not available to take your call right now. Please leave your name, number, and a detailed message and I will return your call as soon as possible.”
There should be no music in the background or other noise. Your voice should come across as pleasant and polite. When a job interviewer gets this type of message, he or she is very likely to leave a request for a return call to schedule an interview with you.
What Message are You Sending?
Before you start filling out job applications are sending out resumes, verify that you don’t have a message on your voicemail that might harm your prospects of getting hired, or even interviewed. Taking care of this little detail can go a long way toward helping your job search efforts.
About the Author
Mary G. White, M.A., SPHR is the Training Coordinator Mobile Technical Institute & MTI Business Solutions (http://www.mobiletechwebsite.com), where she specializes in human resources, management, and marketing training. She teaches open enrollment classes for MTI, provides on-site corporate training, and frequently speaks at conferences and association meetings. MTI also provides a variety of consulting services, including IT Training, certification testing, HR consulting, custom database development and website solutions. For free career and business development tips, see http://www.DailyCareerConnection.com and http://www.DailyBizSolutions.com.
Article courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap, a content exchange service sponsored by CollegeRecruiter.com, a leading site for college students looking for internships and recent graduates searching for entry level jobs and other career opportunities.
August 25th, 2008 at 12:22 am
Nice. I definitely hang up when I hear little squeals on the answering machine… Something you don’t think of but that can cost you a recruiters call.
August 28th, 2008 at 3:40 am
Are you saying lightening up on your answering machine is a bad thing? I can understand your tips for the office answering machine. But for the one at home…i think most of us go through life so seriously that we miss out just being happy and carefree (not careless).
August 28th, 2008 at 10:05 am
I think during a job search it is a good idea to sound professional at least on the phone that you tell your prospective employers to call.