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Believe it or Not: Reoccurring Phone Call Issues
 
 

Hey Greenhouse Agcy, Ltd fans, groupies, loves, candidates, clients, haters, followers, stalkers, friends, family, etc. You know we like to inform you of the little things that could help you with your professionalism and in general life. Just because you are a “Domestic Worker” such as a Nanny, Housekeeper, Chauffeur, Houseman, Butler, Chef, etc. does not mean you lack professionalism when it comes to professional business etiquette. We are trying to change this perception and as an agency that cares about their clients and candidates well being and happiness, we have to do all we can to make it happen. This blog is just a percentage of what we get sometimes. Lets start from the beginning:

Phone calls are usually the beginning stage of your relationship with a staffing agency. It is also the main source of communication, besides email, that you will use to maintain communication. How you act when calling says a lot about your professionalism. Here are a few problems we run into ALL the time. We like to call them the “Believe it or Not” list. You would think that these things are embedded in everyone’s mind, but they are not. If you do any of the following, just make the correction. Hopefully, it will shed some light. We are a very busy staffing agency and time is of the essence. We want to help you, but we need your help as well so that we can also move on to help others.

Believe it or Not!

1. Don’t call if you are just waking up: Believe it or not, we get people calling right when they wake up. Some are still yawning, the cracks are still in their voice, and they are still asking us the same question over and over because their brain is still awakening. I can’t even begin to tell why you shouldn’t do this but, it’s rude.

2. Know what you want to ask: Believe it or not, people call us and have no idea what they want to ask. Remember, you are calling us. Calling us and saying, ‘’I want a job” (which is the number one saying) is leaving the door open to get no information. No one can answer a question if one wasn’t asked (this is a life lesson also). If you have a question you have to ask one. “Hello, I was given this number from a friend. I wanted to know if you could provide me with some information about your company?”

3. Know who you are calling: Believe it or not, there are some people who have no clue who they are calling. “Who is this?” If, you got the number from a friend, they should have told you the name of the company. Usually phone numbers with names go hand in hand. If you are returning a missed call, I can guarantee you that the person that called you left a voice mail. Listen to it and get their name. If you did and you were unable to understand the message then call and say this; we know that this kind of stuff happens, but to just call and say “Somebody called me” with no other information wastes an extreme amount of time for us. We have to put everyone on hold to ask each counselor whether they remember calling you.

4. Don’t kill the messenger: Believe it or not, you put a bad taste in everyone’s mouth if you call with an attitude and speak ill to the person answering the phone or taking a message. If you cannot get in touch with your Placement Specialist and the person answering the phone is trying to take a message from you and you are yelling at them, it will not solve this issue. You can explain your frustration in a professional manner and that person will do their best to give you some information that could possibly help.

5. Be ready to take information: Believe it or not, if you are asking a question you just may get an answer. So, why not have your pen and paper ready. To tell us to hold while you take 5 minutes to come back can be very frustrating if we have others calling, waiting to be helped, and are being interviewed. Preparation.

6. Don’t call if you are in a bad environment: Believe it or not, people will call right when they get on the subway. We can’t hear, they are screaming on the phone and then it goes dead. Guess what? They keep calling back to go through the same thing. If it is an emergency, then get off the train and call us so we can hear each other clearly. Also, turn your television down, we are trying to help you and we can’t hear you because “The Young and the Restless” is blasting. I love Victor Newman, but I hate spoilers.

7. There are other candidates besides you: Believe it or not, we are a business and we have other candidates besides you. So if we ask you for your last name and to take your number, we are doing that to save time from the counselor having to look your number up and to refresh our memory. We have about 100 Dolma’s and we want to call the right one back. Also, sometimes we are very busy. If you call first thing at 10am and the counselor was unable to call you back at 2pm, there is no need to get fussy. I don’t think some people understand that there are others that are looking for jobs. From 10 til 2 that counselor might have interviewed 6 or 7 people, answered 25 emails, and talked to about 5 clients that need information on a candidate and still did NOT eat. Yes, it gets that busy.

8. Slow down: Believe it or not, we can only write so fast. When telling us your name and phone number, you should speak clearly and slowly so we can have a chance to write it if we are taking a message. Also, make sure you give us your registered name and your nickname. If we have to look you up, we will not find you under your nickname. However, having your nickname will jog our memory. Finally, pronounce your name as clearly as possible. Annunciation is key especially since we have so many difficult names from all over the world. One trick is to say your first name and then pause to say your last name. Most people run their name in one, which can get confusing.

So the next time you pick up the phone, think to yourself……is this a Believe it or Not moment? If you have to ask…..it probably is. 🙂

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Greenhouse Agcy. Ltd,
55 West 39th St. ~ Suite 308
New York, NY 10018
Telephone: (212) 889-7505
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