Setting up your Voicemail

With increased opportunities for online networking and limited face-to-face connections due to COVID-19, it’s important to take the steps to set up your voicemail and make sure that it represents you in a professional way.

Employers will want to call you to leave urgent messages to schedule you for an interview. If you don’t have a voicemail set up or they’re not certain the number is connected to you, they won’t leave a message. It’s not worth the risk to assume that they’ll call back or send you an email instead of moving on to another candidate.

When setting up a voicemail, keep your message simple to ensure that your name is pronounced clearly and doesn’t involve a lot of creativity. People also change phone numbers for various reasons. Ensuring that your voicemail says your name will also help ensure you’re not getting messages that aren’t intended for you. An example voicemail can include:

“You’ve reached (insert your name). Unfortunately, you’ve caught me at an inconvenient time, so please leave me your name and number for me to return your call as soon as possible. Have a wonderful day!”

But what if your voicemail is shared with the rest of your family, or someone has agreed to take phone messages for you? In this case it can be important to ensure that everyone’s names are clearly presented in the voice message. Here’s another example:

“Thanks for trying to connect with (name) and (name). We can’t answer the phone but welcome you to leave a message. Take care!”

These short-term changes in your messages can lead to long-term conversations and help you to attain the position that you’re looking for.