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Once you have applied for jobs, you should start getting responses. Being prepared to handled these responses can give you a significant advantage in your job search. Let's look at how you can go about doing that.
If you follow the steps and craft a good cover letter and resume,
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tailoring it to the application, then you should start getting responses.
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Even after customizing your applications, don't expect to get
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a callback from every single one.
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The process could look something like the following.
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You send out 100 applications.
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You receive 20 responses, of which you initiate contact with 18.
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Of those 18, you get past the first stage, whether it's a screening interview,
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phone interview, or something else, with 15 of them.
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And of those 15 phone interviews, 9 result in an in-person interview.
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Of those 9, you nail 3 of them, and then you have 3 offers to select from.
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Be optimistic.
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It is definitely a numbers game out there, especially in this economy.
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Don't think that you can apply to one or two jobs and succeed nowadays.
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Of course, there are going to be exceptions.
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Some people may be the perfect fit and only apply for that one job and get it.
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But in general, if you're looking for a job, you want to cast a wide net,
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so you bring in more results.
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When you start getting responses in, there's a certain craft
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to managing them as well, so you make the most of it.
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I recommend having a separate email address for your job search.
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If any of you have used a job board before,
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you know that long after you find your job,
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you will keep getting emails from these job boards.
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Having that separate email address makes it easier, so you don't clutter
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your regular inbox.
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Okay, so how do you manage your responses?
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Now what I'm about to mention aren't any sort of official tips.
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They're things I've read about and done myself that make a lot of sense.
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But they're not must-dos, by any means.
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They're what I find works best.
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First off, when you get a call from a recruiter during a job search,
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just let it go to voicemail. Don't pick it up.
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Now that seems highly unusual, but let me explain.
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When you apply for a bunch of jobs, say, 50,
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you're not going to remember the details for every single job off the top of your head.
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Remember, we're tailoring our applications.
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So when we talk to anyone from the company, we want to know
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all our facts, the background about the company,
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and anything about the individual who we're going to talk to.
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We need to be as prepared as possible.
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If you pick up the phone straightaway, you're going to be caught off guard.
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You will have to simultaneously figure out what the position was
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at this company that you applied to, what details you mentioned in the application
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that was pertinent, and listen to the person on the other end, all at the same time.
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It's a lot to do, and you will start to get nervous and forget a thing or two.
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I once applied at a very large corporation.
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This corporation had several departments with the same position
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and multiple postings across the company.
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So I applied for the same job within three departments at the same company.
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When I got the call, I had to worry about knowing which department
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it was and how to customize my message based on the job requirements.
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So instead, just let it go to voicemail.
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Now this obviously means having a really good voicemail message in place.
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Mention who you are and a brief message saying you're unavailable.
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If you have a time you want them to call specifically,
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you can leave a time in the voicemail message as well.
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Once they have left a voicemail, listen to it.
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Write down the company, the job, and the name of the person who called.
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Now go refresh your memory.
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If you used a job board, all your applications will be saved to your profile.
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Go over the job posting, your elevator pitch, cover letter, and the resume you sent in.
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If you had done background research on the company,
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its culture and values, pull it all up. If not, research it.
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Finally, try and find some information about the person who just called you.
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A few years ago, this would have been impossible.
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But with everyone on LinkedIn and all sorts of social media nowadays,
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you can get an idea of who you're talking to and how to relate to them.
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Now, armed with all the information, you can call them back.
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You're as ready as you could possibly be.
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So what do you talk about on this phone call?
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Now most of the time, the employer, HR person, whoever it is on the other side,
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will tell you more about the position.
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If they don't, ask them.
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If what they say has additional points not covered in the job posting,
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adjust your elevator pitch and responses to suit the new information.
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This first interview is just a test to see if you match up to the job,
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a screening interview, of sorts.
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If you have prepared your elevator pitch and cover letter well,
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you can just knock each item out of the park by reading off your bulleted list,
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saying why you're absolutely perfect.
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Be enthusiastic when you're doing all this.
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Smile when you're talking.
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Now that may sound absurd, but it really comes through your voice.
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Some people even suggest setting yourself up in a professional environment when calling back.
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Sit at a desk, somewhat well dressed, instead of lying on your couch in shorts.
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It makes you feel more prepared, and it comes through to the interview.
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If you are no longer interested in the position since you applied for it,
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this is the time to let them know.
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Even if you don't want the job, be professional about it,
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and let them know you're no longer interested.
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If you do a great job, you will get past the screening interview
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and progress to either a more job-specific phone interview
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or even an in-person interview.
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Let's talk about that next.
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