Posted in Career Advice for Young Professionals Generation Y/Millennials Getting from College to Career Internships on March 31, 2008 at 8:00 am
I spent this weekend speaking at the National Conference on Student Leadership in Atlanta, where I met some incredibly talented and interesting student leaders. In one workshop, we spent some time on the topic of voice mail greetings — what to do, and perhaps more importantly, what not to do.
In today’s super-busy world, callers are more likely to get your voice mail than you personally. So, if you’re in the middle of a job or internship search, make sure your greeting reflects the professionalism you will show on the job.
If you have a—ahem—less-than-appropriate voice mail greeting on a phone you plan to use for your job search (“Hey, leave a message” or the one I’m hearing a lot lately, “Don’t leave a message”), re-record a new one. “Hi, this is Laura Roberts. Please leave me a message and I’ll call you back as soon as possible.” That’s all you need.
Potential employers should feel as if they’re calling another desk in their office, because that’s exactly where you want your phone to be someday. This is a simple change to make, and it can make a world of difference.
This an extremely important topic because it’s one of the first impressions you may make on an employer! Thanks for writing about it. Check out http://blog.1stgig.com/2010/04/12/voicemail-etiquette/ for some other related tips!
I really enjoyed this post! I think that the advice you give is practical and something that most college students and young professionals do not consider. I encourage you to visit http://www.InternshipRatings.com, a new resource to rate, research and compare internships in various industries across the United States. Keep up the good work on the blog!
@ Miriam – Glad we are on the same wavelength! I can’t believe that voicemail — definitely not impressive to potential employers. Yikes!
- Lindsey
Lindsey,
This is a key topic…Coincidentally one I have lined up to post this week. :-)
I recently worked with a client whose voice mail approximated an actual conversation:
“Hello? (pause long enough for the caller to respond)…”Yes, this is Jane” (another pause)…”I’m not here, so leave a message.”
This might be amusing for friends, but it made me feel foolish (trying to converse with a machine). You don’t want to make fun of a potential employer. At least not if you want them to hire you!
Miriam Salpeter
Keppie Careers