3 Phone Blunders that Can Hang Up Your Job Search

3 Phone Blunders that Can Hang Up Your Job Search3 Phone Blunders that Hang Up a Job Search3 Phone Blunders that Can Hang Up Your Job SearchOn the heels of Ricks post yesterday about phone interviews, I thought we should look at another phone-related topic for job seekers. I actually got this idea from a comment in my post about resume mistakes last week, where astute reader Marilyn pointed out that job seekers often forget about changing their voicemail messages, coaching the other people who might answer their phones, and using personal (not work) numbers in their job search. Heres how to keep these three phone-related blunders from disconnecting your employment opportunities. Blunder 1. An inappropriate or cutesy voicemail message.Your outgoing voicemail or answering machine message should tell hiring managers what they need to know, as quickly as possible. In fact this post, called How to Make Your Outgoing Voicemail Message Not Suck, makes a good argument for recording nothing m ore than your name and phone number. (That may only be an option if you live alone.)So keep your messages clean and simple, and DONT include any of the followingPrecious childrens voices (Da Smiffs ahh not home wight now)Snark (We might call you back if we feel like it.)Background noises or music (Woof-woof or thunka-thunka-thunka)Hackneyed messages (You know what to do)Long-winded lamentations about how sorry you are to have missed the call, how important the call is to you, what the caller should do after the beep, and how youll be sure to return the call just as quickly as humanly possible. And by the way, thanks for callingAfter eye-rolling through umpteen messages like the ones above, imagine how refreshing it would be for a hiring manager to hear simply, Julie OMalley, 555-867-5309. BeepBlunder 2. Allowing others to answer for you.I have kids. I have a husband. In the past, Ive had roommates and other family members living with me. I love them all dearly, but I would not hire any of them as my personal secretary.When youre anticipating calls from hiring managers, I highly recommend that you cajole, threaten, and/or bribe your fellow household members to NOT ANSWER the phone. Let the machine pick up (once youve heeded the advice above). Otherwise, you risk receiving the Job Seekers Message from HellOh I forgot, some guy named Bob or Rob from XYZ Company called yesterday. I think he wanted you to call him back? Something about an interview tomorrow morning.Blunder 3. Giving out your work number.This one doesnt need much explanation. Its not wise to announce to your would-be new boss that you are willing to use your current bosss resources to secure your next job. (Nor is it wise to converse with a potential employer within earshot of your coworkers and old boss.)BONUS Blunder It sounds obvious, but typos happen in phone numbers, too. Always double- and triple-check the accuracy of your phone number(s) on your resume. If they cant reach you, they cant hire you When youre involved in an active job hunt, you need to evaluate everything through the filter of how it might sound in the ears of a hiring manager. Heres a link to some other mistakes you can learn from (re email, ring-backs, and more on the voicemail issue). If you have any job-search blunders (or advice) of your own to share, please leave a comment Its good karma to let others learn from your mistakes.