1. HOW TO GET A JOB
A Phone Sourcer’s Advice
How to get to the frontof the line in your job search?
CALL.
Very few others are.
Do you want to know a secret?
Many recruitersdon’tunderstand thejob requisitions they work on.
Rather than send a candidate’sresumeforward to a Hiring Manager in a
departmentthat they’re “not quite sureof” and risk lookinglike they
don’tknow what they’re doing, they just don’t.
That’s part of the reason you hear so muchabout the “black hole” of
recruiting.
It’s moreof a “dark secret” than a “dark hole.”
Ego (and job security) is a big thing in the recruiting industry.
As a Job Seeker, here’s what I’d do.
Makea list of companiesyou wantto work for - call and find outwho
the manager is in the departmentyou’d fitinto; then call him/her.
Every 5th or so MANAGER you connectwithis going to have an opening
(or a futureopening.)
I first wrote this adviceback in Marchof 2011 -in the midst of the Great
Recession.
At that time I estimated every 10thor so manager you’d connectwith
would have/know of a job.
THINGSHAVE CHANGED!

2. Once a MANAGER hearsyour story and then calls over to HR and asks
for the Recruiting Manager (or the Recruiter) and tells that person to:
“Call thisguy – I want to bring him in for aninterview,” allhell breaks
loose.
The trick is in makingthings happen and part of this is havingthe
tenaciousnessto makethe calls and in stayingorganized.
Makeit a project.
Makeit your job.
Here’s how you do it:
Call and ask the receptionist who the manager is of the department
you’d fit into.
Many times she’ll tell you - IF you ask in the right way.
What’s the right way?
Say your name, repeathers back to her (if she told you her namewhen
she answered – if she didn’tdon’task) and ask who the manager is in
the appropriatedepartment.
“Hello Jennifer. My name isMaureenSharib. Can youtell me who the
manager is in your processengineering group?”
A good percentage of the time she’ll tell you flat-out.
Then ask her if she can give you that person’s extension or direct dial.
You wantthis so you can contact her directly withouthaving to go
through the switchboard next time you call. Chancesare you’regoingto
hit the manager’sVoice Mail this first time you call – unlessyou’re
calling at opportunetimeslike early in the day or late (in some

3. industries.) It also helps you understand whatrangeof numbersthe
company usesin their internal dial directory. This is usefulin the event
you wantto “bouncearound” likesome people (like me) do insideof
companieswhen they wantto talk to other peopleon the inside to
gather information.
You may also want to do this to learn about what it’s like to work at the
company. This isn’t as scary as it sounds. Peoplearepeopleand are
surprisingly easy to talk with on the phoneif you’reonly willing to be
earnest and forthright in your communicationsforward withthem!
I call this “stabbing in.”
It’s oneof my most powerfulphonesourcingweapons.
Use it.
Think it won’twork?
TRY.
I know you’rethinking (everyonedoes!) “What if she won’t tell me the
number?”
“What if she asks me why I need it?”
Tell her why you wantto know!
This wasan old recruiter’strick when I first started phone sourcingand
I resisted usingit for years thinking it wouldn’twork! Ionly recently
(last coupleyears) started usingit – to great success.
“Tell them you wantto talk to (so and so) to ask them if they know
anyonelookingfor a job (in your case it’ll be looking to hire) and can
she connectyou to them?”
The percentageof times she won’tjust connect you flat-out is pretty
much filled by the percentages of time she does when you tell her this!

4. Or, if all this seems too daunting, you can hire “phonesourcers” like me
to find out the namesfor you!
Good investmentif you’reseriousabout your jobsearch.
Other Tips:
Speak slowly (when we’re nervousour speechspeeds up)and distinctly
(when our speech speedsup it tends to sound garbled.)
Practice a few times if you think it’ll help. The best way, though, is to
just get on the phoneand start calling. After you do this a few times it’ll
become more natural, will actually become kinda’fun (scary things that
we tackle tend to be that way)and easier.
Take a few deep breaths (sit up straight and breathe from your
diaphragm – a singer’s trick) before you make each call. This will help
relax you.
Call on a landline. HiringManagers(these are the manager heads of
departments, generally)get irritated when they have to strain to
hear/understand you. Your credibility really dropswhen your call
drops. I don’tcare what you think – landlinesstill deliver the best, most
reliable product. Go to your mother’shouse to makeyour calls if you
have to.
Don’tleave Voice Mails. Call ’til they answer live! (Call block your phone
so they don’t know it’s you calling for a fifth time that day!To block
Caller ID on your nextoutgoing call, dial *67 on your phone, plusthe 10-
digit phone number you’recalling (if it’s long distance.) I’m notsure it
workson cell phones – I don’tthink it does.)
Let the company you’reinterested in workingfor know how you can
MAKE MONEY for them. That’s a powerfulcallingcard. Commerceis
NOT a social experiment.
Begin the conversation with something along the linesof, “I’m very
interested in your company and thework you’redoing.”

5. Makesure you know aboutthe work they’re doing.
Makesure your LinkedIn profile/resumeisup to date and reads well.
ALSO, and few are doing this, make sureyour TELEPHONE NUMBER
and EMAILADDRESSareprominently displayed – there’sa place on
your profileto putit – it’s near the bottom of the profile – look for it.
The truth is few recruiters can contact you effectively through LinkedIn
because their limited InMails (the ones who pay to useit) run outearly
each month. IF you putyour emailin don’tuse the @ – it’ll cause bots
and robots to pick you up and add you to spam lists. Use “at” in-
between your nameand email domain. Peopleknow to replace it with
the ampersand (@)Almostas good, upload your resumeand haveit on
there!
If you’reon Twitter putyour Twitter name in your LinkedIn profile - I
putmine in my header - @MaureenSharib follow meon Twitter!
The BESTway to get inside info (the skinny)on what’s going on in a
departmentis to talk to peopleIN THAT DEPARTMENT!
Sometimes (usually!) the receptionist knowsif there is an opening
insideher company. Ask her!
Follow the news in your industry aboutnew hires. If you think you’d fit
into company whereperson justleft-track back! <-It’s NOT brain
surgery. Recruitersdo this to find jobs!
REMEMBEREvery fifth(or so) call to a manager of a departmentthat
you’resuited to work in (generally) will have an opening. <-Recruiter
Secret
Save yourself all the social media steps.
Makea list.
Gatekeeper will answer.

6. Ask who’s who – be direct!
Speak clearly, slowly and sound likeyou know what you’retalking
about.
If you’reseriousabout your job huntand you’d like to know who the
hiring managers or departmentmanagersare in any company in the
world – call us!
Maureen Sharib
PhoneSourcer
TechTrak
513 646 7306