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Can someone please tell me how much it's appropriate to call a potential employer? How many times can you call before you are labeled a pest?
I applied for a job on Friday and received an email Monday around 6:00pm from the hiring manager, asking me to call her back as soon as possible. (Yeah, a live one!) I replied to the email that I would call her this morning. So I did call this morning and of course, she didn't answer the phone. I left a voicemail and left my number (it's also on my resume).
So...do I just wait for her to call back now? Should I keep calling and hope she picks up? Do I continue to leave messages? Do I email her again?
Obviously there was interest. I can't understand why she just didn't call me in the first place.
This is what I would do and it might not be the right thing, but I would call at the end of the day. If I was not able to reach her, I would leave her one more voicemail and let it go. She would then have two voicemail messages from you and that shows that you are still interested in the position and tried twice to reach her.
This is what I would do and it might not be the right thing, but I would call at the end of the day. If I was not able to reach her, I would leave her one more voicemail and let it go. She would then have two voicemail messages from you and that shows that you are still interested in the position and tried twice to reach her.
Interesting. So you wouldn't try to call again on Friday or next week?
Interesting. So you wouldn't try to call again on Friday or next week?
Well, to be honest, my way of thinking is she knows that she emailed you and told you to call and she would have gotten your two voicemail messages already. Now (and I am thinking as if this were me) I would say to myself, why isn't she answering my voicemail messages? Hmm, must be a reason. I probably wouldn't. But then again, I guess it wouldn't hurt to call again on Friday.
I always convince myself that they aren't calling because they are busy working and they don't get around to it. I am probably fooling myself.
There have been instances in the past where I felt like I lost the job because I called too much. So maybe I need to tone it down. But...at the same time it is hard to let a good job pass you by. I like to "make things happen" rather than wait.
Well, maybe I am a bit cynical because of the experiences I have gone through with employers. I have had them practically tell me I have the job and then, boom, they give it to someone else. I have learned not to get my hopes up no matter what. Hope things are different for you. Maybe you will be able to reach her this afternoon. Good luck to you!
Why not e-mail her again and tell her you left a phone message and you're looking forward to speaking with her?
I find e-mail much less intrusive than a phone call; she can get back to you when it's convenient for her. She may have been tied up all day today, or maybe she was out. I strongly believe that repeat phone calls are annoying. But an e-mail will keep your name on the front burner without making you a pest.
You already called her back and left her a voice message, so in terms of phone-tag, she's "it."
Why not e-mail her again and tell her you left a phone message and you're looking forward to speaking with her?
I find e-mail much less intrusive than a phone call; she can get back to you when it's convenient for her. She may have been tied up all day today, or maybe she was out. I strongly believe that repeat phone calls are annoying. But an e-mail will keep your name on the front burner without making you a pest.
You already called her back and left her a voice message, so in terms of phone-tag, she's "it."
Excellent advice; I am a hiring manager and that is EXACTLY the type of communication I would prefer to get. For one thing, it would give me a clue about how you communicate in writing, which is important but often difficult to discern from a resume and cover letter; a lot of people hire them done, after all.
And for all you know, she may have had someone else in her office when you called, so she couldn't talk privately. I always close my office door when I'm about to make a phone call to offer a job to an applicant (that's about the only time I close the door, in fact), and sometimes I wind up having to play phone tag a time or two before we can connect in a way that I can speak both candidly and privately.
Were I in your shoes, I'd email with something along the lines of "I'm sorry to have missed you when I called on Monday morning. Is there a particular time this week that would be a convenient time to talk?" and then leave the ball in her court.
Excellent advice; I am a hiring manager and that is EXACTLY the type of communication I would prefer to get. For one thing, it would give me a clue about how you communicate in writing, which is important but often difficult to discern from a resume and cover letter; a lot of people hire them done, after all.
And for all you know, she may have had someone else in her office when you called, so she couldn't talk privately. I always close my office door when I'm about to make a phone call to offer a job to an applicant (that's about the only time I close the door, in fact), and sometimes I wind up having to play phone tag a time or two before we can connect in a way that I can speak both candidly and privately.
Were I in your shoes, I'd email with something along the lines of "I'm sorry to have missed you when I called on Monday morning. Is there a particular time this week that would be a convenient time to talk?" and then leave the ball in her court.
Good luck!
What do you think it means when you email and you still don't hear anything?
What do you think it means when you email and you still don't hear anything?
Any one of the following scenarios:
She just learned that her department's budget got cut and she can't afford to add another person after all.
The person you would have replaced just asked for their job back.
She's sick.
She's the kind of evil manager who loves to toy with her underlings and make their lives miserable.
She doesn't follow through promptly with plans.
She's a poor communicator.
She got fired.
The company folded.
Or any one of several dozen other possibilities.
Please note that none of the above scenarios has ANYTHING at all to do with the applicant, beyond the unavoidable mental anguish involved when you go from "oooo, I think I'm gonna get that job" to "oh, rats". However, they're all clues to what you might expect if you DID actually get the job. It might turn out to be not at all what you were expecting or hoping.
It's really hard not to second-guess yourself when you're out there desperately trying to land a job. In effect, you're selling yourself, or at least you're selling your skills, knowledge, personality and work ethic. And for those of us who do not shine at salesmanship, that is a helluva tough thing to do.
The best counsel I can give you is to never, ever give up. Don't pin all your hopes on a single prospect, don't pass up any possibility, and don't get down on yourself if it takes a while to find the right spot. There's a job out there for you somewhere; you just haven't found it yet. But you will!
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