Hi,
I was just wondering what the general attitude towards cold callers is? I'm an undergraduate student looking for work experience within this field and have been hesitant to engage in this practice thus far. But upon having very little success through any other methods I am now desperate.
Any advice about calling hours/making multiple calls/who to ask for (HR? or go above them?)/when to give up...etc would be much appreciated.
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Could someone from the recuitment side of things give me any kind of indication on these factors? I know that there must be people from HR around on these forums.
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I did it and managed to get an internship. The worst that will happen is a 'sorry but we're not interested' but a couple of firms will ask them to send a cv and covering letter without any promises. Make sure you ask who to address the covering letter to and follow that with a call in a week and you may get lucky and get an interview....
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1) Ideally get an introduction from a friend of a friend or even try alumni network for your university. Any connection however tentative is better than being completely cold. However nothing wrong with cold calling either.
2) Avoid HR if possible
3) Call early morning before secretaries arrive to vet calls; and before meetings start.
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I think you should go for it. I've had a fair amount of success cold calling companies; let's face it, its quicker and easier than churning through websites or relying on agencies. Call HR and explain your position. If they fob you off then call a partner or director and just ask them if there is anything available.
Be persistent. The worse they can say is no.
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I can't see this can do any harm. Even if someone is really irate receiving your call, there's no way any record is going to be made of your details that would derail any future graduate applications you might make. And to be frank internships in consulting are quite rare so you do need to go the extra mile (or have the right connections) if you want to secure one...
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