Call me baby on your voice mail and if I’m ringing you about a job I might not leave a message

When you’re looking for a job and you’re in a crowded market, it can be the seemingly little things that can make a big difference to your chances of success.

It’s a safe bet to assume that the recruitment process starts from the first call that you make, or email that you send, or perhaps even before then…

I’m prompted to write this because I was having dinner with a friend this evening, who was talking about what she did when she was hiring a part-time administration assistant.

She eliminated one applicant on the basis of her voice mail message which said “call me back baby.”

That may seem a little harsh, but she’s not alone in doing this.

When I’ve spoken to employers about how they make assessments of people, many of them apply rules that extend far beyond interviews.

Some look at how applicants treat their receptionist.

Some look at how applicants speak to waiting staff (if they’re having a coffee interview).

Others engage in small talk on the way to the meeting room to see whether the applicant has strong interpersonal skills.

I know of one employer who pretends to close the interview and assesses candidates on their responses to questions when they’re not being interviewed.

When I was recruiting one of my pet annoyances were voice mail messages that I had to listen to 2-3 times before I understood it.

I also did not spend too much time with applicants who did not remember they had applied for my role.

So if you’re looking for a new role try to apply some simple common sense.

Put yourself in the mindset of the person who may hire you, and think about whether you look, sound and act like someone who wants the job on offer.

And if you have a funny email address or voice mail message that sounds more like an invitation to your special massage service, please change it to something simple and professional.

Unless you’re looking for that kind of job, of course!

Then you can practice your husky voice for as long as you like.

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