It’s a skill you can use to get a job.

And as with other cold calling techniques, you will vastly improve your chances of success if you research the prospect (future employer, in this case) before you make the call. My most notable success in that area netted me a great job–and a great wife, too!

I wanted a programming job near the small town in Southern California where I lived. I looked in programming magazines for vendors in that area, found a few, and narrowed down the list to vendors of products that interested me.

Research turns a cold call into a hot prospect

This meant that when I made my first cold call, I had tremendous confidence. And some things can’t be faked (or shouldn’t, at any rate). When I talked to the VP in charge of hiring, he liked me instantly because I could talk knowledgeably about products like his (I didn’t pretend to know his product in particular). He was also intrigued in my approach, because what I didn’t know was that he’d put out a job listing that I never encountered. So to him my call was kismet. Along with resumes of 100 people who had no interest in his product came 1 call from someone who understood it well. Guess who got the gig?

Oh, and the wife. It’s true, I met her there. She was chatting at the water cooler with a coworker when I came in for the interview. I saw a flash of a smile and was gobsmacked. I was attached at the time, but for whatever reason my girlfriend broke up with me that night. Less than 9 months later we were married in Las Vegas at the drivethrough wedding chapel. And it worked!