Using Google Voice for your Job Search

by James Ellis on March 19th, 2010

Do you have a phone? Duh, yes you do.

What would happen if I called it right now while you were away from it? Would I get a voice mail message that has the sounds of laughing children in the background in it? Is it cutesy? Does it sound liek it was recorded in four seconds before you ran off to the grocery store?

Probably.

I mean, if I'm any indication, my outgoing voice mail message was done in the middle of a move to a new place three years ago. Frankly, I don't even know what it sounds like. It was recorded, for all intents and purposes, a lifetime ago.

So what happens when a job calls? Yeah, don't do all that work to get the interview and then blow it with an outgoing voice mail message. But instead of turning your family phone into job search central, get yourself an alternate phone number just for your job search from Google Voice.

Once properly set up, when someone calls your Google number, your phone will ring just like a regular phone (you can send those calls to your cell phone or your home phone or where ever). If you miss it or chose not to answer it, you will get a voice mail message and a text (if you request it) with the text of the message.

There are a couple of reason why you might want Google Voice for your job search:

  • Seperation of work and home. Just like it wouldn't be appropriate to let your young daughter give your outgoing message on your work number, it might not be appropriate to put your email address in your home voice mail. But it might be a good idea for your work number.
  • Centralization of information. Keep all your work information in one spot so you can focus your personal marketing message. When you log into your Google pages (Gmail, Docs, Reader, etc), your voicemail will be available. Google will keep a audio copy of the message on line for you to listen to anytime and then transcribe it to text to you can always access it. (Google's speech-to-text function is still... in the process of getting better, so you may find some unintentional humor in your transcriptions. Enjoy!)
  • Get a text when you get a call. I hate answering the phone unless I know who's calling. Google VOice will send you a text with the voice mail message in it, giving me a good idea if this is a serious call or yet another "opportunity" to start a life insurance franchise in my locale.
  • Your new phone number can be from anywhere. When I was in Madison, Wisconsin looking for a CHicago job, I didn't want people to ignore my resume just because they didn't want to bother bringing someone in from three hours away.  A local Chicago number made sure that wasn't a concern.

Once you have your account set up, give it a professional-sounded message and paste your new phone number on your resume, cover letter, and online accounts.

Caveat: Google still hasn't released Voice to everyone. But if you submit an request, they will send out an invitation, albeit on their schedule.

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