Tuesday’s Tip: No One Returns Your Voice-mails, Do They?

Let's face it, leaving someone a voice-mail is a crap-shoot. You are giving them control (which you need to keep at all times during your job search) when you leave that message and hope they call you back. You might have better luck betting on the Bears to win the Superbowl this year than hearing from them. So, it is time to get a little tricky.

If you want a call back, here is what you say in a real excited, upbeat voice, "Hi, this is Kevin Crews calling from 312-555-1212 and I am excited to tell you all about..." -click- (you hang up the phone in mid sentence). Their curiosity alone will pressure them to call you back. And when they do, it is your opportunity to sell yourself as a great candidate, or discuss what you were hopelessly going to leave them a voice-mail about.

Will they know that you have tricked them into calling you? Probably not, and you're not going to tell are you? Especially, since you're going to be too busy getting your message across to them while your competition is waiting for the phone to ring.