Job Hunter Newsletter

How To Get Past Fraulein Frieda, 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:

"How To Get Past Fraulein Frieda, Guardian Of The Gate"

Every company has its "Guardian of the Gate"--a person who rises to the level of mythological beast when you are trying to get through on the other end of the phone. As hard as we may try to get inside, this person keeps cutting us off. "Who is calling?" "What is this regarding?" "I'm sorry, but we don't have any openings at this time." "Just send your information to Humn Resources and they will call you if there are any openings." Whew! The Fraulein Friedas of the world can be a true pain when you are trying to get to the hiring manager. It could be your first call or (worse yet) when you are on step #2, calling the Hiring Manager. And here comes the screen, trying to keep you from reaching your target. Do not give up easily.

The best way to get past the Guardian of the Gate is to avoid her altogether. The 7:30/12:30/5:30 Rule states that if you call early in the morning, during lunch, or late in the afternoon, you will likely get someone who is not nearly as good at screening as the person who normally screens the calls. You can often gather all the information you need, since this person is not a true Guardian of the Gate.

Remember that extension number you asked for? Many companies now have automated call forwarding which allows you to enter a person's extension during the off hours. That extension number can usually put you through directly to the phone on the manager's desk.

This is also an excellent approach in reaching a hiring manager who has been hitherto inaccessible. Why? Because if you are in management, you likely start early, work through lunch, or work late (or possibly all three). Many managers end up answering their own phone at those times. For all they know, it's their spouse calling to ask them to pick up something on the way home.

P.S. If you are calling a different time zone, make sure to adjust your timing accordingly.

P.P.S. This is also a great way to reach a Vice President or even the President of the company. Keep The 7:30/12:30/5:30 Rule handy for future reference--you may need it later in your career when you find yourself reaching higher within a company.

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

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- 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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Job Search Links:

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- 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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