When job posts say "No phone calls, please," does no really mean no?

I've worked in 5 different shops and connections played a big role in 4 of those jobs.

The job that was my big break -- taking me from market 120+ into a top 20 market, damn near doubling my salary in the span of a few months -- was the one job where I knew no one and just replied to a listing on an old TV jobs phone bank. The EP liked my work but mostly liked the fact that I had gone from being a photographer to a producer -- just like she had.

You never know... but connections are nice if you got 'em.

 

The fact you're already dealing with time-wasting calls is one reason you don't want to be on the phone.

Why is "no calls" a problem? I want to see your clips, I don't want to hear your sales pitch.

 

I got one where an old boss of his called me and explained why he would be the best fit for the newspaper. The old guy wouldn't shut up so I discarded the other guy's resume. Then, there was one, where a leader in the community tried to put pressure on us to hire a family friend of his who applied for the job. Needless to say, that didn't work either.

 

Glad there are some actual hiring managers on here to clarify this. I think we've all heard stories of people who have been hired because they've actually taken the initiative to call.

I've found e-mailing hiring managers to be more effective. You can get your eagerness across without being as intrusive.

As for whether hiring managers have an obligation to contact every applicant, what I've learned is that managers aren't going to have the time or inclination to respond to every single person who sent a resume. If you haven't heard from them in a few weeks, figure you haven't made the cut and move on.

However, I do believe that if an applicant comes in for an interview, he deserves to eventually be told what his status is. That's common courtesy, IMO, and is reflective of the professionalism of your organization.

 

This is a great point, MJS.

Over the years, there have probably been at least a dozen times when I interviewed -- usually in-person -- for a job, was told I would hear from them "either way," but never heard from them. Or in recent years, couldn't even get an e-mail reply.

I can understand not replying (or not wanting phone calls) from hundreds who might send in a resume, but it only takes a minute or two to call the handful of people who interview and say, "Sorry, we went with someone else. Good luck in the future."

In fact, I think there's just been one potential employer over the years who had the decency to call me when I didn't get the job. It was the copy desk chief at the Dubuque Telegraph Herald, and he was class through the whole process. And they put out a damn fine paper, too.

 

not contacting an applicant who you actually interviewed is pure bull shit.

but the "no calls" notice still should mean what it says. for those here who disagree, go ahead and disagree in theory but considering the number of people here who agree that no means no, i'd say your chances surely diminish if you ignore the request.

 

If someone doesn't call you after you interviewed for a gig, there's a damn good chance they did you a favor. You don't want to work for a rude s.o.b.

 

There's plenty of people who aren't in any position to worry about what kind of manners their potential boss might have.

 

That's a given Ace.

 

IMO your cover letter, resume and clips are your sales pitch.

If you sell yourself well enough through those, the interested party will check around and then contact you.

 

For me, calling when the ad said "no calls” could go either way.
I never had an automatic “DQ” for a candidate. I was involved in hiring at newspapers for more than 20 years, about 15 in sports, and I thought I was pretty good at it, though far from infallible.
I looked at the process sort of like a scout looking at top prospects.
For your top candidates (and since you are only hiring one person, you should only spend time on the top tier), you need to learn as much as you can about how they will function in your environment.
It’s important they be able to follow directions. A few people willfully don’t follow directions. Most people who don’t follow directions have problems processing new information. So the first thing I would want to know from this candidate who called: Did you notice the line about “no calls”?
If they say, yes, but they thought they’d take a chance, they score points for aggressiveness. Sure, for other professions that might be death, but a reporter or even a copy editor sometimes must call people at times and under circumstances that clearly violate the dictates of decent society.
I will try to learn whether this person took a calculated risk because they wanted the job (a plus) or because they just break rules anytime they feel like it (a real minus).
If they say they didn’t notice the ad said “no calls,” that shows they don’t read carefully or comprehend well, obviously a big negative.
Still if I see this candidate has the potential to become the next S.L. Price or Jackie MacMullan, well, maybe we will try to explain things more clearly when they get here.

 

WE HAVE A WINNER!!!!!