HEARD IN THE LUNCHROOM

Waiting by the Phone …

You found the perfect job opening and immediately submitted your cover letter and resume. But it’s been a few weeks, and the phone call you were sure the hiring manager would make still hasn’t come. Should you follow up?

Yes.

Eighty-two percent of executives polled by Robert Half International said a job seeker should contact the hiring manager again within two weeks of submitting an application. Following up demonstrates your enthusiasm for the position and may give you an edge over other candidates who lack the same level of initiative. At the very least, sending a short, simple message often is enough to motivate a hiring manager to take a closer look at your application materials.

Respondents to the survey also noted that it is appropriate to communicate with the prospective employer via e-mail, over the telephone or with a handwritten note. Here are some additional tips:

• When sending an e-mail: An electronic message is a great way to inquire about the availability of the position and to resubmit your resume without seeming too pushy. When doing so, reiterate your knowledge of the company while reinforcing your qualifications for the position.
• When making a phone call: Rehearse what you will say beforehand and call when you think the person is likely to be free - early in the morning or late in the afternoon are good times to try. Keep your conversation brief and to the point. Only leave a message if you’ve gotten the hiring manager’s voice mail at least twice.
• When sending a handwritten note: The key in this situation is to send a personalized note that includes the hiring manager’s name and details about how your qualifications relate to the open position. Doing so shows genuine interest in the job and indicates to the prospective employer that you're not submitting blanket resumes.

If you submitted your resume and cover letter to a generic e-mail address and do not know the hiring manager’s name, visit the company’s website to see if the appropriate contact is listed there. You also can call the firm directly and ask to speak to the person in charge of the job opening for which you applied. If you cannot locate the hiring manager’s contact information, send a follow-up e-mail to the same address to which you sent your resume. If, after all your efforts, you still don’t receive a response, it’s safe to assume you may not be in the running for the job.

School Daze

Ongoing professional development is vital to your career growth, and you may be considering earning another degree. But is doing so really necessary? Following are some of the best and worst reasons for going back to school:

Best: You’ve lost your job and want to gain more skills so you'll be less likely to be laid off in the future.
Worst: You’ve lost your job and figure school is exactly what you need when you don’t know what to do with your life.

Best: You want to change careers and believe a degree is required.
Worst: You think another degree will automatically result in a fabulous new career.

Best: You'll be offered a much better starting salary with a degree.
Worst: You figure that with an MBA you'll make the big bucks, even though a career in business wouldn’t ordinarily be at - or near - the top of your list.

Heard in the Lunchroom^SM is provided by Robert Half, the world’s largest specialized staffing firm and a leading authority on workplace and management trends.  For more information, visit www.rhi.com.