More job search advice for non-native English speakers

One issue that often comes up with international students and professionals who are in the midst of a job search is leaving a voice mail. How do you leave a voice mail that really gets your message across? What should you say when you leave a voice mail? The truth is, as long as you are polite, brief, and professional, you should be fine. For non-native English speakers, it is highly recommended that you practice leaving your voice mail before you actually do it! In fact, if you can leave a voice mail on a friend’s machine (preferably a native English-speaking friend) and ask him to evaluate it, even better. Or, why don’t you ask someone within your career services office to evaluate your voice mail? (Remember — they are here to help you!)

This may seem like a lot of extra work over nothing, but for international students who are not always comfortable speaking over the phone, leaving a bad voice mail after a good email is so very unfortunate. In doing so, you’ve wasted all that precious time and effort you’ve put into gathering names and sending out emails. Take the time to leave a professional voice mail, I beg of you!

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