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Another Three Ways To Get Past the Guardian Of The Gate

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IN THIS ISSUE:

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Contents

- Job Search Tip of the Week, by Brian Krueger, author of "College Grad Job Hunter," the #1 book for entry level job search:

"Another Three Ways To Get Past the Guardian Of The Gate"

The Importance Of This Call Technique

The classic screening line from the Guardian of the Gate is:

"May I ask what this call is regarding?"

If you are calling based on a referral, you can either reply: "_____ asked me to call _____."

or:

"This is a personal call." (if the referral is personal, not professional)

Otherwise, the best overall reply is:

"I was informed that I needed to get in touch with _____ directly."

The reply may sound nebulous at best--but amazingly, it often works. A truly astute Guardian of the Gate, however, will follow with:

"Regarding what?"

to which you reply:

"I was advised to only discuss this matter directly with _____."

How true! Who advised you to do this? I did. Here and throughout this site. You have read it, so consider yourself advised. Stick to your guns, even during that uncomfortable long pause that you may be forced to endure. Sure, it all sounds like a game and in a way, that is exactly what it is. Whoever has the most marbles in the end wins. You have just been loaded up with some tiger eyes, so take care to shoot them straight and fast. And keep shooting until you hit your target.

The Unanswerable Question Technique

Another way to get past the "May I say what your call is regarding?" screen is to ask a technical question that Frieda will not be able to answer. If you have done your homework, you should have access to the industry buzzwords that can make this a very valid inquiry, one which the Guardian of the Gate would likely not know the answer to.

The best way to do this is to ask a question that would further qualify your potential interest in the company. An example question for a computer science grad seeking to reach the Telecommunications Manager about networking positions might be:

"I needed to ask _____ what type of Cicso routers your company is using. Can you help me?"

Probably not. Once you get through to the Telecom Manager, you should still ask that question, then follow with how your background can potentially benefit them. For example:

"I recently received my Cisco certification and have been working with Novell and NT networks for the last two years. Is this the type of experience your company would usually look for in the area of LAN administration?"

This technique is something of a gamble. But if used intelligently, it can launch you through to the hiring manager.

The Instant Best Friends Technique

If you are someone who has a gift for making friends with the friendless or have been known to strike up conversations with total strangers, feel free to reach out and make an instant friend. Even Fraulein Frieda is open to gabbing now and then. An especially effective tactic is to ask for her advice on how to reach the hiring manager. If you are sincere in your approach, you may gain an ally in the very person who was previously considered your greatest roadblock.

Next newsletter: "Three Final Ways To Get Past the Guardian Of The Gate"

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Contents

- Help Spread The Word!

Do you know of someone who can benefit from the information in this newsletter? Simply forward this e-mail to them and tell them to subscribe at http://www.CollegeGrad.com/newsletter. Thanks for spreading the good word!

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Contents

Job Search Links:

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Contents

- Job Search Book Online

There are at least two other entry level Web sites that offer books on job searching, proclaming that they will tell you everything you need to know about entry level job search.

However, there is a very important point about these books they don't mention up front: they cost money.

At CollegeGrad.com, we give you two things they don't:

    1. The #1 entry level job search book ("College Grad Job Hunter").
    2. It's free.

It's that simple. So don't buy the hype. Read the real information you need for FREE:

Don't ever pay for books or reports or resources of lower quality when you can access the very best quality information for free.

P.S. Yes, you can buy "College Grad Job Hunter" in hardcopy format as well at Amazon.com for $15 (actually, 30% off that price), but the online version is better. Why? Because the version at Amazon.com (the 2003 edition) is being continually updated at CollegeGrad.com. So the most current version of the book is actually the online, free version.

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