Cold Calling Your Way to a Job

 
Whilst the best place to start your job search is by using a job search engine that will bring thousands of job listings to your attention, the time-tested method of cold calling (or cold emailing) may be the tool that lands you an offer.

If you consider that four-fifths of the job market is ‘closed’ i.e., jobs advertised internally or by word of mouth, the following steps for cold calling might help you out in finding your dream job...

1.    Compile a list of the companies that you’d like to work for. If you spy a great company when searching online add them to the list even if you don’t see an open role suited to your skills. 

2.    Research the department where you want to work and the name and title of the person who has the power to offer you a job. LinkedIn is a great place to start, but you can also try calling the company’s central number and asking the receptionist. Getting a name is key: many hiring managers have said they throw away any letter which isn’t addressed to them as it’s as good as junk mail!

3.    Write a dynamic cover letter specifically tailored for the role you want and addressed to the relevant person. Make sure you’ve done your homework on the company, and include why you want to work there and what you can bring to the role. Ask to be considered for any positions that open up in the department. 

4.    Enclose the cover letter and your CV and send to your contact person either in email form or a hard copy in the post.  If you really want to make sure it’s received why not do both? 

5.    Put in a follow up call a week after sending off the letter if you haven’t received a response and request to speak to the person you’ve contacted. If you’re told there are no current openings, ask for an informational interview. Informational interviews not only give you great insight into a company, but they can often lead to more contacts or referrals to other openings. This could be your chance to dazzle them, so don’t feel shy about asking for an interview!

6.    Stay in touch. Check in periodically with an interesting article or a Christmas greeting to ensure you stay on the radar.

7.    Repeat steps 2-6 until you find the perfect position.

Cold calling can be a successful job search tool if worked correctly.

Good luck!