The Fax Yourself Technique

The next best way to handle the "Send me your resume" stall--especially if you are not located near the company--is to offer to fax your resume directly.

Tell the person you will fax your resume and call back within a half-hour. By doing this, you accomplish two goals. First, you immediately overcome the initial stall. Second, you put information in their hands that can take you to the next step in the process: setting up the interview.

If they do not have a fax available (unlikely), offer to e-mail your resume. Either way, delivery is nearly instantaneous, so you can then carry your dialogue to the next level (i.e. setting up the interview). But a fax does have an advantage with this technique.

There is something truly magical about faxes. They are usually handled differently from other incoming mail. While other mail is processed through the mail room and dropped in a pile in the manager's in-basket, faxes are often hand-carried to the recipient and placed on the center of the desk. Small thing? It is not, I assure you. Yes, they often arrive with less than perfect print quality and are generally unacceptable as long-term documents, but as a way to get your message across immediately, there is no better medium. Plus, many companies are now using plain-paper faxes with a quality level approaching laser printers, so be sure to send in "Fine Mode" on the fax machine. Put it to use!

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