Want to get your job search off to a fast start?

I have been cold calling HR and line managers for over 33 years.....in fact I started when it was high-tech to send resumes by telex and it was common place to contact many job seekers by telegram.

In that time nothing much has changed. The best way to get a job is by cold calling the manager of the department you want to work in. Our training programs coach people on successful techniques I have employed since 1975.

It's impossible for me to recommend the following technique too highly -- it's simply ingenious in its simplicity AND results.

Please try it and prove it for yourself.

Now, here's the #1 overlooked job search strategy ...

It's cold calling.

This is a VERY powerful strategy that conjures up feelings of "yuck" in many job seekers. You, too?

Well, that's understandable. Because, frankly, many job hunters are frightened of calling people they don't know.

But first, before describing this technique, it's important for you to consider the hiring "cycle."

A new hire doesn't appear out of thin air. Usually, the hiring process is a response to an executive, manager or supervisor trying to find the right person to fill a need. This need and the idea to fill it may have originated nine months to a year before the opportunity is advertised in newspapers or on the Internet.

Jobs that are filled before they're advertised comprise the "hidden job market." These make up about three-fourths of all available jobs, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.

So what's the best way to learn about hidden jobs? How do you locate positions that exist only in the minds of directors, vice presidents and company leaders?

One way is to network, but this can be slow compared to cold calling. And cold calling isn't as scary as it sounds. You're probably already thinking, "I don't want to sell myself. I'm not a telemarketer. It's beneath my dignity!"

Stop.

Realize that when you make a cold call, you're doing the employer a favor. First, you're saving the company time. You're decreasing the time required for a new hire to be approved, reducing months of paperwork in human resources, weeks of advertising, and weeks -- even months -- of interviews to choose a candidate.

Secondly, you're reducing funds spent on productivity lost when between one and seven managers have to take time out of their regular workdays to interview potential hires.You'll also save the company on newspapers, magazines, Internet and trade- publication help-wanted advertising costs. Hiring is expensive!

One director of operations learned and rehearsed a phone script for making cold calls, then decided to test the technique at 7:30 p.m. one Friday. Who would work so late on a Friday? He was stunned when the company president answered. After the director repeated the phone script he'd rehearsed, the president said, "You want an interview? Come see me at 10 a.m. Monday." After a series of interviews, the director of operations was offered and accepted the job.

Some employers are so disarmed by a cold caller's guts that they can't say no. Others will have no problem turning you down. The vast majority of employers are likely to say no. However, when you consider the chances of gaining interviews through help- wanted ads, the odds are a vast improvement. You must expect rejection; toughen your skin; and don't give up.

What magic words make an employer want to hire you over the phone? The script resembles the following (you fill in the blanks):

Hello, my name is _________.

I have _______ years experience as a ____________, specializing in _____________, ____________, and ______________.

I have a (B.A., M.S., Ph.D., certificate) in _______________ and I recently completed (name a recent successful project with a measurable result).

When can I come in for an interview?

These words are so simple that you may feel foolish saying them at first. "At first I didn't feel comfortable using the phone script. It seemed wooden, without spontaneity," says a computer hardware engineer. "Then I discovered it doesn't really matter how you say it -- rote, friendly or funny -- the words just seem to work. I got four interviews in 20.

Cold calling works. It just takes courage and practice to implement it into your overall strategy. Some tips:

• Practice the script out loud a few times.
• Say your whole script without small talk and without interruption as soon as the hiring manager answers the phone.
• Don't say, "Can I come in for an interview?" Say, "When can I come in for an interview?"
• Then, get out your schedule book and set the date!