Cold-Calling for Searching Job Opportunities
Cold-calling needs to be part of your job search portfolio. It is a very effective way of expanding your network in order for you to access unadvertised employment opportunities. With the development in communications, this method is not just limited to making calls anymore. Now it can be done via email and social networking as well.
There are reasons that you need to cold-call for jobs, the close enough but far enough away: You don’t know anybody at that company or you know someone at that company but it’s not the hiring manager. Any of these and more is a great opportunity to use this tactic but you need to be at your best in doing this approach. Here are killer rules to increase your success:
Look through all your contacts
If you know anybody at that company, anybody at all, whether by LinkedIn or your personal contacts, do contact them. This can be via email, phone or you can even leave a thorough voicemail explaining what you’d like to talk to them about and what your job search goal is. Ask them if you could use them as either a referral that they simply referred your name to someone or a real reference that they could speak on your behalf. They can also be a spokesperson for you to represent your skills vouching that you’re a fit for the position or company if asked.
Many applications in companies do ask if you know someone from their organization and you can write down their name if they are going to be a referral for you. There is a distinction between the two and you need to ask permission of your contacts to help you through that.
Build relationships by looking for employee profiles
If you don’t know anybody at your target company, try to get the name of someone who can forward your application to the hiring manager and this can be easily done by searching for employee profiles in LinkedIn. It is always better to send your email to someone directly and put their name in the “To” line than simply to the human resources department. The best approach is that you need to do both. You need to cold apply and you also need to try to build relationships in the process. Always apply your best game forward and build a network.
If you have a network contact within the company, try to call or email them first. Never ever use their name without talking to them because that’s a bad practice. Another bad form is using social networking website emails to pursue a position or to refer someone else for the position.
Never attempt an informal approach
Casual notes like “hi I’m seeking employment. Can you help me?” is certainly not interesting to see on your inbox so make sure to avoid this method. It’s really short, there’s nothing attached and it’s not formal. The ideal approach is to describe your job search goal in a very short version and the reason why you are contacting this person. End it with a closing question asking for a business email address to write them properly so you can send them more information. The next step is to wait for their approval to be contacted at work before you can send a formal letter with your resume and you’re on the right path.
Make sure to watch these dos and don’ts in order for you to cold-call with success.
