Your First Words are the Loudest

I guess with how advanced technology has gotten, it’s easy to forget proper conversation etiquette. Most of us rely on texting/social media/emails to correspond with people; it’s quick, easy, and it’s a visual so it makes it easier for us to remember to respond to someone. With all of the pros of conversing with these methods, the one big thing I’ve noticed is that very few people answer the phone properly anymore.

Now, when I say properly I’m not implying EVERY. SINGLE. PERSON. that calls requires a formal greeting. You may have a special way of answering the phone for close friends or family, and that’s 100% fine.

BUT– when you are actively seeking a job and apply for positions, please expect a recruiter or hiring personnel to reach out to you. Your reaction and how you answer the phone says so much about you as a candidate, sometimes it can make or break your chances of even being considered anymore. Some examples of how NOT to answer the phone: “Yeah?”; “Who’s this?”; “What do you want?”; “What’s up?”; or the occasional grunts/weird noises people like to make to see if the caller responds first.

Your demeanor and tone tells me everything I need to know about you professionally. If you want to be taken seriously as an applicant, answer the phone call seriously. The recruiter that calls you is probably contacting anywhere from 10-100 other applicants/job-seekers daily, and when you answer the phone rudely or unprofessionally you’re only pushing yourself to the bottom of the rank with nobody to blame but yourself. Sure, you’re risking an annoying conversation with a telemarketer or bill collector when you answer pleasantly, but being unprofessional presents a bigger risk of not being considered for the career you’re shooting for…that’s what matters in the end.

As a recruiter, I’m calling because I WANT to talk to you…don’t change my mind within the first 5 seconds.

Happy job hunting!