Job Hunter Newsletter
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Telephone Etiquette and Proper Use of Voicemail

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IN THIS ISSUE:

Contents

Job Search Video

"Beyond Interviewing Passion"

Displaying passion for the job in an interview is important. It lets your interviewer see that you are serious about your career and interested in the company. But you may not be the only passionate candidate. You need to set yourself apart from the others by going one step further. Learn that step by watching our one-minute-video tip:

www.CollegeGrad.com/job-search-videos/beyond-interviewing-passion.shtml

CollegeGrad.com features more than 60 job tips in one minute video format. Review them all at:

www.CollegeGrad.com/job-search-videos

Contents

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

"Telephone Etiquette and Proper Use of Voicemail"

Consider for a moment how your phone is currently being answered. Professional courtesy is quite often not the standard for many college students. An abrupt "Yeah!" could be listed among the more courteous greetings. The more outrageous remarks will often buy you a major black mark in the professionalism category—even if it was your roommate acting crazy. A simple, "This is ____" is always a pleasant change for the average college dorm room or apartment. Make the change today, before the next (or first) employer phone call. You should also encourage your roommate to do the same.

One final note on phone etiquette: if you (or any of your roommates) persist in the use of creative phone answering lines ("Sam's Mortuary, you stab 'em, we slab 'em"), just remember that the click you hear on the other end of the line may be the sound of your dream job being passed on to Contestant #2.

An integral part of Job Search Central is the effective use of voicemail to take your calls when you arenot available. Imagine your future boss being greeted by your voicemail greeting and then answer this question: will it enhance or detract from what they think of you? If it is the latter, change it. Otherwise, your future boss may end up being someone else's future boss.

I realize I should not even have to address this subject, but woefully, over 25 percent of the college voicemails I reach have an inappropriate outgoing message. They often are references to social habits ("I'm unable to answer my phone because I'm either out partying or passed out on my bed"), references to study habits ("I'm blowing off my normal classes to pursue advanced studies in chemical inebriation"), or even sexist remarks ("guys leave your phone number, girls leave your measurements"). And there are many others, some not suitable to print. I have heard them all. Take note—when I hear one of these sophomoric messages, that is likely the end of your candidacy with our company. You will never even know that I called. I will probably just hang up and cross you off my list. Think about it the next time you hear the caller "click off" on your voicemail without leaving a message. That could have been your dream job gone bye-bye. It may have been fun for the first few years, but don't blow your job opportunities over a stupid message. Stop right now, put down this book, and change your message to one of the following:

Your phone line and/or if you live by yourself:
Hello. This is (name). I'm not available to take your call right now. Please leave your name, phone number, and the best time to reach you. I will get back to you as soon as possible.

If you live with others and use an answering machine:
Hello. You have reached (names). We are not available to take your call right now. Please leave your name, phone number, the best time to reach you, and the name of the person you are trying to reach. We will get back to you as soon as possible.

Next newsletter: "Your Job Search Tool Kit"

Contents

Education Center

"Continuing Education Now Easier to Manage"

Education may have its benefits, but it's still an investment of time. Fortunately, technological advances make earning your degree easier to manage than ever, even if you're working full-time or supporting a family. Online degree programs are booming, both in number and credibility. Many are accredited, and most allow you to work whenever and wherever you can. Even campus-based programs typically cater to a working adult's schedule, offering night and weekend courses.

Browse Top Online Degree Programs:

www.CollegeGrad.com/education/

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!

Contents

Job Search Links:

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:

http://www.CollegeGrad.com/book

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 is being continually updated at CollegeGrad.com. So the most current version of the book is actually the online, free version.

Disclaimer: please note that all of the links were active as of the newsletter publication, but some may become inactive over time.


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