How’s Your Voicemail Greeting?

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Some will argue that voicemails are obsolete these days. Why leave a phone message that requires a login to access when a short text message is faster and includes a visual component! Regardless, answering machine and voicemail greetings have provided some great laughs over the years.

Whether it’s Arnold Schwarzenegger recording a greeting for fans or a less than optimistic message from Owen Wilson in the film Wedding Crashers, many folks enjoy adding a little flavour to their personal greeting.

George Constanza continues to boast the most celebrated greeting of all time:

Despite a social shift away from leaving messages with voicemails, professional communication remains an exception to this trend. You must be willing to accept VMs from clients or business contacts. Text messaging is still mostly reserved for messaging between friends or colleagues, but not for formal interactions. If your resume catches the eye of an employment counselor or recruiter, they will often reach out to you by phone to learn more about you or to schedule an interview at a later date, and they just might want to leave a message. How’s your voicemail greeting?

The last thing you want to do is present a poor reflection of your character before you even meet your potential employer. One writer at employmentguide.com reminds their audience to think about how they want to be perceived by employers and to consider the following:

1) A voicemail greeting serves as a first impression.

2) A voicemail greeting demonstrates your ability to communicate in a professional manner.

3) A voicemail greeting confirms whether you are serious about finding a job.

4) A voicemail greeting provides a glimpse of how you may interact with customers.

5) A voicemail greeting helps employers determine if you are suited for the position. 

Homer Simpson provides us with a great example of what not to do:

If you’re in the hunt for new job or looking to take that next step in your career, make sure your current voicemail greeting presents you in a professional manner. You never know if your voicemail will have to make a first impression on your behalf, so ensure it speaks FOR you and not against you. 

 

What Your Voicemail Greeting Says to Employers

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