Get the interview: 5 tips for a good voicemail

Many applicants prepare phenomenal resumes but fail to land an interview. Often this is due to improper phone etiquette, poor voice presentation and bad voicemails.

Here are five things to think about before you leave your next voicemail if you want to make a good impression and increase your chances of getting an in-person interview….

1.Never underestimate the power of the phone

In our digital age, most communication with friends and family is done via SMS or other direct messaging. A phone call seems like a cumbersome, slow and inconvenient form of communication. However, people over the age of 35 are much more confident with the phone and often use it as a screening tool for job applicants. Regardless of the age of the hiring manager, most employers will schedule a phone interview with you before inviting you for an in-person interview.

Knowledge of telephone interviewing is important at all levels of employment. Both high-level consultants and café employees are usually faced with a phone interview and will need to use the answering machine at some point during the interview. This is your first contact with a potential employer, and it is important to make a good impression.

2.record your own voice and listen to it

Leaving an excellent voice message starts with cultivating a good speaking voice. Speak slowly, clearly, and correctly. Use Dragon software or even the simple recording feature on your phone to develop a good phone voice. This takes practice.

Prepare five announcements in quick succession. On the first one, speak in your normal voice and your usual announcement. On the second, follow this text: “This is (your name). Press # to skip the rest of this message. I am not available at this time. I check and answer voicemails after breakfast, lunch and at 3:30pm. Please leave a detailed message and I will return your call as soon as possible. (Adjust the content of the message to your personal schedule, but let the listener know when you will check messages and call him back.)

On the third greeting, deliberately lower the tone of your voice and speak again. On the fourth message, deliberately speak a little slower and omit “ums,” “uhs,” and other common filler words. On the fifth message, speak more slowly and softly and speak clearly.

Wait at least four hours and then listen to all the repetitions of your announcement. Then record a final announcement using what you learned from listening to your own voice. Listen to this sixth message the next day, and if you are satisfied with the result, keep it as your announcement.

3. good voicemails start with details

When leaving a voice message, always put your full name and the job title of the position you are calling about at the beginning of the message. Then leave the reason for your call and your callback number, including the area code. Repeat the callback number and your name at the end of the voicemail.

4.help the recruiter

In the text of your voicemail, leave enough information so that the listener can quickly distinguish you from the other applicants. This can be as simple as, “This is John Jones, I submitted my resume two weeks ago on April 15. I’ll call you back on May 10 and ask for a face-to-face interview. Something more informal can also work. The purpose is twofold: to make a good impression and to help the interviewer quickly identify who you are and why you are calling.

5.Leave enough information to entice the recruiter.

It’s a common mistake to leave too little information. In a voicemail, after all the details, there’s room for at least one sentence to really make an impression. Don’t beat around the bush! The point is to leave the recruiter with something that shows you are as interesting as you are interested. Like this:

“This is John Smith, I’m calling about the position in the herpetology lab at the Natural History Museum that you advertised. I sent you my resume last week. My callback number is (913) 244-8022, so if your department could use another nut with an excellent Godzilla movie collection, I’m your guy. Again, my name is John Smith and my number is (913) 244-8022.”

Phrase your text carefully and appropriately. Herpetologists are scientists who study reptiles and amphibians, and they are known to love Godzilla movies. The comment above reflects both the research and the personality of the applicant.

The next time you need to leave a voicemail in your job search, remember these five tips. With a well-crafted voicemail, you’ll make a good first impression and increase your chances of getting an in-person interview. Practice makes perfect!

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