The voicemail. This technology is often shunned by the younger generation in favour of texts or emails but it still plays an important part in our professional communication. Whether you’re interested in a job opportunity, following up with a company, or calling in sick for work, leaving a voicemail message is likely to be something that you will have to do often throughout your job search and career.
Leaving a message on someone’s voicemail seems like a simple task but unlike a text or email you don’t have a chance to read over what you’ve said. This can cause problems because it is easy to forget important elements in your message and because of that it can be difficult for the listener of your message to follow up with you if they cannot hear your crucial information.
To help you remember the important elements of your message we’ve put together an infographic with 5 tips to remember when leaving a professional voicemail message.
5 Tips for Leaving a Professional Voicemail Message
Speak Clearly
The most important aspect of a voicemail message is that the listener must be able to understand your message. Don’t mumble your words and be sure to speak loudly and clearly. Speaking softly will make it difficult to understand you and may result in the listener not being able to call you back.
Include Your Contact Information
The listener needs to know who they’re talking to. Don’t forget to include your full name and phone number so that they can return your call.
Repeat Yourself
Just in case you fall victim to mumbling or speaking softly in your voicemail message be sure to repeat your contact information at the beginning AND end of your message so that the listener is more likely to be able to pick up on the information. This helps if you are speaking quietly or if the listener was not ready to record your information when you said it the first time. Repeating your information will save the listener time as they will not have to listen to your message again to get those details.
Leave Details
While it is important to leave your contact information it is also important to leave details as to why you are calling. People have conversations with many other people every day so it is important to leave all relevant details in your message in order to jog the listener’s memory and ensure they know exactly how to respond when they call you back.
Don’t Assume
Do not assume that the listener knows who you are or why you’re calling. As stated above, most people, especially in a business setting, speak with many people every day so you can not assume that they will recognize your voice and know who you are or what your phone number is right off of the top of their head. Make sure to follow the other steps above to remind the listener who you are and why you are calling so that they can promptly return your call.