When you are seeking employment, remember that you are always on an interview.  The interview begins when you first post your resume either on a job board or by simply getting the word out that you are on the job market.  The point is to be on your toes.  The job market has picked up and job seekers are getting more calls from recruitment agencies but it is still a very competitive job market.  Here are a few ways to make the best impression when you get a phone call from a recruitment agency. 

1. Answer the phone. If a recruiter is calling you, they are also calling several other people. If it is not a good time for you to talk, it is alright to ask if you can call them back. But take the opportunity to make the connection.  If you can not answer your phone, make sure that your outgoing greeting on your home phone and cell phone are professional.

2. Have your resume available at all times. You will most likely need to reference your resume during the conversation.  If you are receiving a call from a recruiter, they are interested in the details behind the resume and how you can describe them.

a. Be able to describe each company you have worked for  in one to two sentences. For example, “My current job is with ABC Company which is the largest producer of blue and green widgets in the United States.  I am part of the application development team within the IT Department.

b. Practice explaining what the scope of the main project is that you worked on in each job. For example, “the project I manage will result in a new application that will allow our customers to view the status of their orders online.”

c.  Sell yourself. Now that you’ve been able to explain what your current and prior employers do and what your project (or purpose) was, be ready to sell yourself.  You may have to step our of your comfort zone but this is the time to do it.  Some job seekers say, “I don’t want to brag”.  However, this is the right time to brag about yourself.  It is all about your delivery.  Keep it humble but confident.  You can do this by keeping a list of responsibilities and accomplishments for each position handy.  Talk about what YOU did in your job.  The caller would like to clearly understand what YOU have done and what YOU are capable of doing.  They don’t need to know about your team or your entire department.  Try to avoid talking in terms of “we”.  Next, itemize your main skills and do your homework.  Know what versions of applications or databases you have worked with and how to quantify how much experience you have with each of your primary and secondary skills.

3.  Know your salary and/or hourly rate history. If you can’t remember what you’ve been paid for the past several years, look at your previous pay stubs or W2s and have the information readily accessible.  A good recruiter will need to understand your history and will discuss your compensation goals with you.

4.  Have your references ready. If the recruiter is inquiring about pay and references, they are most likely interested in you.  Offer to provide the references over the phone or better yet, offer to email them if asked.

The recruiter will be very impressed if you have analyzed your current and previous employment prior to opening yourself up to receiving inquiries.  If you are prepared, alert, friendly, and professional you should be asked to continue the call, schedule a follow up call, or to meet in person.  Talk to your friends about how they found their job.  It is all about the positive impression you leave all around you.  It could be anyone you come across that might be the key to your next job.

Look for future blogs on Preparing for a Call with Human Resources and Preparing for a Call with a Hiring Manager.

photo by Nathan Green

Click here to download the interview “best practices” checklist from Agile.

This entry was posted on Friday, March 19th, 2010 at 3:25 pm and is filed under IT Job Search, Job Seeker. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.