After interviewing for a job offer you may well be sitting pretty
waiting for that precious phone call - yes or no being the answer. Can
you speed up the process without causing trouble? After all you do want
that job and its income yet do not want to reduce your chances of
employment by being seen as over aggressive or a trouble maker to begin
with.

In times of high employment rates, with corresponding low
unemployment rates, following up your direct mail campaign letters, or
post interview outcome is generally not necessary. Generally no more
than two or three days after your interview you will be besieged by
more phone calls than if you asked for quotes for a new car from a
number of auto dealerships. In times of high employment rates, when
workers are almost impossible to come by you will receive job offers
and / or requests for interviews for as soon as humanely possible.

In
a not so demanding job environment your follow up phone call should put
you in direct touch with the person who can give your answers- in the
case of the interview - did you or did you not get the job. In cases ,
where you are earlier in the process - that is you have sent out
letters , the process is the same - only your end goal is to get that
job employment interview.

If events are perfect the person at
the other end of the phone call will recognize your name immediately,
would you give immediate action as well as positive assurance. You
would well hear such phrases as " We would like to offer you the
position", or in the case of setting up a job employment interview of
"Yes , we have received your letter and are more than interested in you
joining our organization. When can you come in for an interview?"
Better yet would be "We would like to arrange this quickly (or
promptly)".

However in the real world of 2008, along with modern
high tech business communication tools and procedures you may well
receive the following. Either you receive the person's voice mail
(Press 1, press 2, leave a message after the tone, x will get back to
you quickly) or the person's assistant may answer the phone, ask what
it is that you want, and explain that the firm had received the letter,
events are in process, or that your material has been placed on file.
Worse yet you may well receive the relevant party on the phone but
either the authority figure at the gate is too busy to talk to you
know, may not remember your case, or may remember your situation but
expresses no interest at the moment.

What to do in these
situations? After all you want the job but do not want to push too hard
when you run into resistance, or indeed apathy. Of course rejection and
slowness in the job prospect and employment game is only to be
expected. How and to what degree do you follow up?

First of all
if you receive voice mail follow the prompts and procedures and leave
the information as requested in the phone message. It is best to leave
your name, phone number and a brief message indicate that you will be
following up and calling again. You can follow up this voice mail, and
show your level of professionalism and thoroughness by following up by
email as well as fax or letter.

If an assistant answers the
phone, recognize that this person may not be a small cog in the wheel
but rather a "gatekeeper". This person and their role are significant.

Appreciate
this and you may well get through the door and hurdle of the process.
Explain yourself and answer questions in a clear up front manner.
Appreciate the role and responsibility of the gate keeper. Her boss may
be more than busy. Most people including the gate keepers take their
jobs more than seriously and perceive that they are doing an
indispensable job. You may ask the gatekeeper for their help in getting
you the information or arranging an interview.

Lastly if you are
lucky enough to have the actual person answer then introduce yourself
as quickly as possible, explain why you are calling and ask if the
person has a moment to spare. Ask if follow has proceeded. Then wait
for your answer.

Remember that in the end, you are there for the
job and that the firm or organization is there to hire good employees
who are of benefit to their organization and will bring them either
profit or better service levels. By following through your procedure in
a most professional , thorough and determined fashion , that you are
demonstrating in real terms and as a real example that you are just
such a person and future employee who will be a good asset to the firm..