“Here is my resume, now what?”
I received an email last night from one of my followers asking me the proper way to follow up on a sent resume. Read this story and see if it makes sense…if you want additional information on proper follow up, be sure to check out this recent post, Proper Interview Follow Up.
I have enjoyed reading all of your interview guru posts and emails. One of my favorite posts most recently was the ‘Pitch the Cover Letter and Get More Response’.
Right now I happen to be looking for a change and I guess I may be in that boat. I don’t think I have the capability to pitch that cover letter that was in your sample. I had a friend (a business owner) submit my resume to an associate small business owner of his, whom I know to be hiring. I definitely think I am fit for the job but a quick resume forward may not do justice. I hope that it would have gotten extra attention considering who it came from, but how can I guarantee that he looks at that and is able to recognize what value I can bring to their company? Can I follow up with him separately, or do I stay out of it since I did not initiate the submittal. How long should I wait if so?
I personally think that this is a common question…my response is outlined here. I would think I would need a little bit more information from to fully say but no matter what…YES, do contact the person directly.
First clarifying question is how long ago was the resume passed along to “your friend?”
Did you follow up with “your friend” to see if he even passed along the resume yet?
I would check with “your friend” to see where your resume is at this point. If he has not passed along, make sure he CC’s you on any correspondence. If he has not passed it along yet, ask if he can no only send an email but put in a phone call first. So say we are past that at this point and the prospective business owner has your information. I would give it any where between 3 – 5 business days before reaching out after he has received your resume before reaching out.
I would put in a call to him and introduce yourself. I would suggest that you have a “script” or agenda of something to say before you call. This is an opportunity to introduce yourself and potentially a couple of quick points on why he should be talking to you. i.e. % increased, % decreased, $ saved, $ earned, took something from XX to YY. Keep it to NO MORE THAN 45 seconds. Time yourself, practice your pitch. If you need help with the script, let me know. You are calling him at an unscheduled time so have an expectation that he will not have but only for a couple of minutes, especially as a business owner. Goal of the call: Introduce yourself and attempt to get a scheduled time to talk about his company strategies and hiring needs. The purpose is to get a scheduled call and not get a job offer at this point. Make sense?
Be prepared to leave a voicemail too. If you do get VM, keep it short and do not read your entire script. Something like…this is (name), we have a mutual friend in (name) and he recommended that I contact you regarding the how I could possible be a part of your company and help you achieve your business objectives. When you receive this message, please give me a call at (xxx) xxx-xxxx. Then, follow up with an email. This is important as statistics say that you increase the response rate by 60% when using both sources. Even more improved odds if you can ping him on facebook, twitter or linked in.
Have you experienced any similar follow up situations?
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