When cold calling, is it better to hand deliver or mail my resume?

by Robin Etzin
(Philadelphia, PA)

There are no jobs in my field advertised at this time, so I have to cold call. Should I hand deliver my resume to prospective places of employment, or should I just mail them? I would be applying for a position at physicians' offices. I doubt if those in the position of hiring would see me unannounced.

Answer: I know we are all in the mode of electronic communications these days, and indeed many employers seem to prefer that mode of dealing with job candidates.

But I recommend you hand deliver your resume and cover letter to the doctors' offices. First off, you'll stand out and you give at least the receptionist an opportunity to connect your paperwork with a real person's face and personality. Be completely courteous, warm and patient when delivering, so that s/he may pass along something like, "She seemed really professional" or "She was a really warm, friendly person", when passing on your resume to the person in charge.

Also, if you're there in person and you ask if it would be possible just to chat with the office manager (or whoever would be the point of contact for hiring) "for just a minute or two" about... future job opportunities... or making an appointment for an interview... or something along those lines, you never know what might happen.

Another idea is to do something memorable when you stop in with your resume... maybe it's to drop off some homebaked cookies or a box of candy for the staff or discount coupons for a local eatery. I'm not talking about bribery, just something to get you noticed in a positive way.

And one more idea for you... in addition to your resume and cover letter, you might think about doing a 1 page "highlights" sheet where you put down in quick bullet points things that make you worth moving to the top of the hiring stack... accomplishments, innovative things you've done, testimonials from past employers/patients, etc.

Hope this helps... Kathi