Preparing for the call. Start by identifying your objective for the call. You may be seeking information, trying to schedule a meeting, or presenting your qualifications to a potential employer. Often, you won’t achieve your primary objective, but every telephone call is an opportunity to seek information. Anything you learn during the call could potentially enhance your chances for employment within that company. Some people have a hard time with the idea of selling their qualifications over the phone. Nobody wants to sound pushy or unprepared, but learning how to sell yourself is critical to a successful job search. Just like a sales call, you will get about 20 seconds to capture the employer’s attention. Therefore, communication should be to the point and concise. Even the best communicators use scripting to make sure they get their point across. It helps to relieve jitters and keep the conversation focused. Outline in writing what you want to say. This is important in the early stages of cold-calling or when the call is important. Later on, you’ll script most of your calls in your head. Don’t read directly from your script, but you can use it as an outline. Your presentation should be natural. The script will depend on the goal of the call and whether you know the person you are calling. A good script should include an introduction that describes who you are and whether you were referred and if so, by whom. State the purpose of your call and then ask for information or to schedule a meeting. Making the call. You may need to start by calling the business call to get the name and phone number of the person you want to speak to and then either have the receptionist transfer you or redial and make a direct call to that individual.
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