Using Voice Mail to make a great first impression

Here's a great article my older brother sent me that provides some great tips on leaving impressionable voice mails during your career search. Enjoy!

Job seekers know there is more to a job search than want ads and e-mails. But when it comes time to make that phone call, are you really prepared? You might think leaving a message isn't a big deal, but it really is. Look at it this way; first impressions are always important, and sometimes a phone call is the first impression people have of you. So make the most of the phone calls you make. Job searching is a process, so take every aspect of it seriously. You never know what just might seal the deal.

Speak With Confidence There's not a lot you can do on the phone to sell yourself, so set out to perfect the basics. To start with, prepare what you're going to say and then make sure you feel confident saying it. The phone call should be brief but factual. You want to leave the most informational message possible without talking their ear off. If they're bored of you on the phone, they probably won't want to wait to see what you're like in person. Be clear and concise and tell them what they need to know. Here are a few ideas to get you started.

Leave a message for a specific person. Anyone can call and say they're simply calling about a job or possible opening. If you do a little research to find out who you should speak to, it will only pay off. It will show that you have a sincere interest in the job and you're not afraid to go the extra mile to get what you want

Always know your employer. Find out about the company you're applying for so you can communicate to them how compatible you are as a candidate.

Practice what you're going to say. You don't want to sound like you're reading a script, but the more prepared you are, the more confident you will sound. Not to mention, if you're prepared to leave a message and you get a person instead, your delivery will be that much better.

Don't let an answering machine or voicemail scare you. You may be eager to get the ball rolling, but don't think of it as a blockade. Instead, consider yourself lucky. If you don't get a "live" person, you'll have more time to prepare what you want to say. This will give you time to get all your thoughts in order and make little or no mistakes.

My personal advice is to be cautious in who and how many sites you post your resume to as ther are uos and downs to utiliaing a resume blasting service. Downside is that your resume gets overstaurated and possibly sent out numerous times to teh same person making you look somewhat desparate...Upside is that the more it is out there, the more accesibility recruiters and hiring managers will have to be able to find you. If you decide to go this route, here are a few sites that may help:

If you're not getting as many leads as you think you should, try using the ResumeDirector service. It lets you get your resume posted on over 90 job sites at once, including Monster, HotJobs, CareerBuilder, etc. To find out more, visit: http://www.jobsearchinfo.com/rd.htm

To find out about ResumeArrow, a service that can get your resume sent instantly to thousands of recruiters specializing in your industry and geographical location, visit this web address: http://www.jobsearchinfo.com/dist.htm
Good luck!!!

Join me on Facebook!

Hi everyone!! I hope your summer is going well! Hard to believe how quickly it has flown by.

I have started to become more involved in different venues and resources in my recruitment focus and wanted to share with all of you what a possitive and powerful experience Facebook has been for me thus far. Not only is it completely addicting in reconnecting with old classmates or friends...but as you all know networking is the number one way to land that next dream job you are searching for! I have networked and tapped into so many amazing people thus far!

If you are already on Facebook or decide to join...please visit Prolyn's page at: (you will have to copy and paste the link!)

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Prolyn-Executive-Search/41805329304?ref=nf

And also feel free to link into my personal profile that has both hints of my personal life (lots of pictures of my beautiful daughter) and also hints of Prolyn throughout as well! To link into my personal profile, you will have to send me an invite through Facebook asking me to be your friend (sounds funny I know!! - it is just Facebook terminology!) as with Facebook one of the benefits is having to approve anyone that wants to link into your profile.

Look forward to linking in with you all and helping you all find your dream jobs...or candidates for that next hard to fill search!