Get on the phone. Recognize you’re not bothering anyone, you’re trying to help solve their problems.
Calling people is terrifying. It’s 10 times worse when you feel like you don’t have a serious reason to call them. Get over it.
If you really want to work for that company, you need to call. You also need to be qualified (sorry, even the most driven person fresh out of high school is never going to get a job as an IT Director). Now, be positive, and be honest: Would you hire yourself for the job you want? Really? Okay, then. They might want to hire you.
First write down the jobs you really want in that company. Who would be your boss’s boss? Not your direct supervisor, who is THEIR boss. Write it down. The title is fine. He’s the key to success.
Who do you know who knows that person, that Mr. Big? Do you know anyone in the company? Start by asking for their help to contact Mr. Big. If someone you know can recommend you or get your resume directly to Mr. Big, you’ve got it made. Give them your resume. Then call after Mr. Big should have it, and introduce yourself. There is a script for that call below.
If you don’t know anyone in the company, call the receptionist and get Mr. Big’s name and extension, or at least the department secretary. Call Mr. Big AFTER you have written down some notes about how:
- You have saved businesses a lot of money.
- You speeded up processes to save time.
- You saved customers or brought in new ones.
These are not notes about your responsibilities, but notes about what you actually accomplished. This is like a portfolio of your accomplishments. Instead of a real portfolio, you’re talking about what that portfolio got you. What amazing deals have you gotten? What got done because of your unique push? What did YOU excel at?
Here is the easiest set of scripts.
When you give Mr. Big a call, you have a 1 in 10 chance of talking to him. If you get voice mail, the first time leave a message asking him to call you. Don’t say what it is about. Just say, “Please call me.”
Two days later leave a voice mail telling him briefly about 1, 2 and 3 above, ask for his help in getting a job, and leave your phone number.
Do the same thing 3 days after that. For your last call, I suggest a very simple line: “As a professional courtesy, would you please call me back?” with nothing else. If you still have no response, then call the person who would be your direct boss, Mr. Manager, in the same 3 try attempt.
Finally, after this 2 week attempt, call HR (Human Resources).
If you are asked to call someone else, do so. Tell them Mr. Big told you to call. But, before they hang up ask them, “What are your plans for the next few months for hiring a (my job)?”
Send a resume to Mr. Big and the person he told you to call. Mail or email works. Ask the company receptionist for his address.
Now, put a reminder on your calendar to call Mr. Big, the other person, and HR again in 3 months. Leave one message reminding them you talked before. Tell them you talked to the other person like they suggested and are just calling to follow up and see if their strategic plans have changed and they will need your help in the next few months.
Then send a note thanking them for their time. The follow up note is as important as the call. It gives them something to file away to contact you later. Make this single call to each of the 3 people you contacted at the company every 3 months. You are establishing yourself as a candidate who needs to be called.
Scary? For many people it is. If you really want to work for a company at a particular job, it is the best way to be considered for that job that I know of.
Something To Do Today
If you really are qualified for a job at those companies, write down your accomplishments so that you have crib notes. Now introduce yourself to the big boss who can give you a job.