Not enough has been written about that power tool you have on your desk and how it can benefit your job search. No, I don’t mean your laptop. I’m talking about the phone right next to it, or perhaps in your pocket. It’s old-school but it’s still very effective.

While you may know how to use your phone features and apps, that’s not what I’m talking about here. My column this month is about whom you call, when, what you say, and how you say it. You can use your phone skills to be among the top 20% of job seekers, most of whom are out there working on good leads they got by talking to humans.

Most people think that a job search is something you do on a computer. And while much of that is true, it’s generally limited to updating a LinkedIn page, responding to online job ads, identifying addresses and prospective employers for your resume and so on. These are perfectly valid job-seeking activities, but they are just preliminary steps that come before the real networking begins. I know this sounds old-fashioned but trust me, the business world still runs by phone and face-to-face meetings.

While anyone can make a phone call, not everyone can use their voice to make a positive impression or to leave a voicemail message that gets returned. These little skills can get you hired.

Incoming Phone Calls

Recruiters or H/R staff (and even the occasional hiring manager) will start out after finding your profile by making a phone call to get some initial impressions. This first contact may come out of the blue, and often at the most inconvenient time. Perhaps you’re in a meeting with your boss or you’ve just pulled up to a tollgate on the highway. You might be wringing wet and just out of the shower.

If this has ever happened to you, you’ll agree with me when I say that one of keys to taking such an incoming call is to remember that you control the time. Because the job requires a certain degree of focus that is hard to find at the spur of the moment, my #1 rule of job-related incoming calls is not to take the call if it comes in at a bad time. Take control . . . call back or request a later appointment. Simply ask if you can return the call in 30 minutes and 99% of the time that caller will be happy to abide. This will allow you to be at your best when the call happens, focused but relaxed.

Sometimes the call comes in after a decision that your CV appears to match up with items on their must-have list; as a result, you warrant an initial phone interview from the hiring manager. These will likely be lined up in advance at a specific time. But don’t be offended by the caller’s brisk efficiency! This may be one of many similar calls that person has planned, and it will include a tight focus centered around a few position specs. While she might toss in a couple of “behavioral” questions, the goal of the call is to take a large pile of incoming CV’s and make it smaller. The process is to winnow down a longer list for a slate of later interviews where the serious “fit” questions will be asked by others too senior to be on this contact.

Your goal on any incoming call is to ensure you stay in the process. It’s critical to succinctly answer questions and keep the responses down to the timeline you’ve agreed to in advance. If they’ve arranged for a 30-minute discussion, don’t spend half that time answering the first question. If the call was arranged in advance, they’ll also expect you to have a couple of good questions lined up. Don’t disappoint! Make sure you know that position announcement inside-out.

Outgoing Phone Calls

One of the best ways to utilize your phone as a job search tool is to reach out beyond your normal work friends and talk to people who are on the same career trajectory you are on, but just a couple of steps ahead. Find them by the recommendation of others, or simply use LinkedIn or any social media to initiate a connection. People in industry get networking calls all the time – it’s a part of our daily work life.

When making a call to someone who doesn’t know you, always promise you’ll keep it brief. “John, I’m Bill Smith, a Quality Manager over at ABC. I have a question for you and wonder if you have five minutes. I know you are busy and I’ll keep it super brief.” Most people can take a few minutes, but they’ll turn you down if it sounds like your call is likely to require a bigger time commitment than that.

What’s the “question” for John? This fellow has a background like yours but he’s a decade older and a senior player in his company. Wouldn’t it be useful to know how he landed his leadership role, or how their company recruits for staff at your level? Networking is just gathering information—it’s just what you’ve been trained to do as a scientist or engineer. It’s funny, though . . . while most people will give you the few minutes and tell you a bit about their process, the moment you ask about your job search the call comes to an end as your contact sends you over to HR or to their webpage.

If things go well you might agree to follow up by sending along your resume, and that’s OK because it’s a natural extension of a good phone call. And keep in mind that most companies offer a hiring bonus paid to internal staff who send good prospects over to Human Resources. If you can get this person to consider you in that category, you might both have resulting good luck.

Leave a Voicemail Message

This is where subtlety pays off and where salesmanship loses out. Some days, 90% of the calls that I make end up with a voicemail message. In those cases, the person I am calling skims through them later and makes a decision about which need attention, and which are disposable. If you leave a lot of information (it’s obvious you’re making a job-related networking call) then you may not hear back. If you leave a professional sounding message with your name, your reason for calling (brief question, know you’re busy, etc.) and your contact number, you will at least stand a chance of getting a call.

A part of sounding professional when you leave a voicemail is using their name properly. If their outgoing message says “Hey, this is Phil, leave me a message,” then I would use an informal approach (“Phil, this is Bill Smith calling.”)

But if the outgoing message says “Hello, this is Dr. Phil McCoy, please leave me a message” than the best approach is more formal. Try, “Dr. McCoy, this is Bill Smith” instead. You can use the same formal approach if the contact you are attempting to make is very senior – someone who’s earned that distinction by the difference between your level and theirs in an organization.

In Closure

Your computer can hold you back if you hide behind it and never pick up the phone. It might be best to think of your laptop as a mere accessory for the phone that you’ve got in your hand because that’s where the real work gets done. 

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Dave Jensen is CEO and Founder of CTI Executive Search. He can be reached at (928) 274-2266 or via davejensen@careertrax.com; www.careertrax.com.