To a hiring manager who’s never met you, your voicemail greeting is the window to your soul. No, I’m not being overdramatic! When looking for work, your voicemail greeting can make or break you in terms of landing an interview. I cannot count the number of times I have called a person to arrange for an interview and am completely turned off by their voicemail greeting or lack of one. There can be a world of difference between “The Message” you record and “The Impression” it leaves. Here are the first four examples of what I have heard and how I reacted:
1) NOT IN SERVICE:
The Message: “The number you have reached is not in service. Please check the number and try your call again.”
The Impression: You are scattered and unorganized; are you sure you want a job? You are definitely not the right fit.
2) M.I.A. – MISSING IN ACTION:
The Message: “The owner of this mailbox has not set up their voicemail. Please hang up and try your call again later.”
The Impression: It’s the 21st Century and you don’t know how to set up a voicemail! Or, maybe you’re lazy or indifferent; so if I gave you a job to do there’s a good chance it would never get done. Either way, it’s not good. Let me try calling the other 20 applicants who may have taken the time to set up their voicemail.
3) THE PHANTOM:
The Message: “You know who I am, leave a message at the beep!-Beeep.”
The Impression: Actually I don’t know who you are… and you haven’t told me! I hope that I called the right person. Then again, if you are the right person and you know there’s a chance that a potential employer may call, I don’t think you know how to make a good impression. I’ll just move on to calling the other 20 applicants who clearly state their name and sound more professional.
4) THE DJ:
The Message: The latest hit song plays…“Bing boom bang yeah, yeah, yeah… Hi, this is ______ leave a message. Bing boom bang yeah, yeah, yeah…”
The Impression: I am not hiring a DJ and I am pretty sure this party animal will be playing the same awful music at my workplace, perhaps driving away my customers. I don’t think the party animal remembered that recruiters may be calling. I wonder what other important details he/she may forget on the job?
The Bottom Line: Don’t let your voicemail greeting betray you! You’ve spent so much time working on your resume and it has done its job because a recruiter is ready to take the next big step… set up an interview. Do not let a flawed voicemail greeting put you out of the running for your next job.
My Challenge to You: Write down your voicemail message and practice it a few times before you record it. Find a quiet spot and record a greeting that will reassure recruiters that they’ve made the right decision to contact you for an interview.
