If there's one thing that will make a job seeker anxious, it's the cold call to an employer. You know the situation: you've sent your resume, and now you need to follow-up with a phone call to pry your way into an interview. This follow-up tactic has become essential in the new world where employers will typically receive 200-300 resumes per job. A well-executed phone call has the potential to elevate your resume from the middle of the pile.

I'm going to pass along a few tips for doing a great job on your phone work. With a little practice, you'll be on your way to giving yourself an edge in the war for getting an employer's attention. For many employers, a candidate that shows this level of initiative and desire automatically becomes more attractive.

To be realistic, most of your calls will result in you leaving a voice mail message. HR professionals and hiring managers are busy, and very few of them want to be interrupted all day with job seeker calls. Don't despair. There's a high probability that your voice mail will be listened to if it's well planned and executed. Whether your 'pitch' is made to a live person or a voice mail message, the same fundamentals apply.

Here are the five essential elements of a great telephone follow-up to a resume submission with a sample for each element:

1. Start with a contextual opening:If the job opening is for a project manager, introduce yourself in a context that will make the employer want to speak with you. For example, "This is Bob Jones, and I am one of the experienced project managers from Smith corporation, one of your local competitors."
2. Say why you're contacting her/him in context to the search they have underway:"I recently saw that you're looking for someone with experience in Microsoft Project. I believe I am one of the most experienced MS Project people in the local area. I have more than 7 years of experience and have an advanced certification in the software."
3. Say why you are interested in the job: "I am familiar with the type of work you do at Jones Corp and think it's both interesting and exciting. Even if I'd have to start as a junior member of the team, I'd be excited to learn and grow in the position."
4. Let them know how to find your resume in their email stack that contains hundreds of resumes: "On February 11th, I submitted my resume with joejones@powermail.com as the return address."
5. Close with a call to action: "I'd love the opportunity to interview for this job. My mobile phone number is 555.555.1234, and my email address is joejones@powermail.com. Thanks in advance for giving my resume a look."

I hope you find these tips to be helpful.

Rob McGoven is the CEO and founder of Jobfox. For the past 15 years he has helped people get ahead in their careers. Rob started Jobfox to help workers connect with employers in a whole new way. Prior to Jobfox, he was the founder and CEO of Careerbuilder. In his spare time, he wrote the book Bring Your "A" Game: The 10 Career Secrets of the High Achiever.

Last updated: January 2010