Voice mail is very often overlooked as a useful tool.  We have all experienced situations where you call somebody and there is a disorganized or unintelligible voice prompt, or kids screaming in the background, or dogs barking on the voicemail. This leaves a negative impression on a potential employer.

Ensure that your voicemail is clear, brief, and conveys the image that you want to have the potential employer receive:

“Thank you for calling, I am out at the moment, or away from the phone. I will be checking my voice mails shortly, please leave your name, telephone number, and the reason you called, and I will return your call at the earliest opportunity.”

You can include a specific time that you will be checking your messages, this indicates to the caller the general time frame that they might expect a return call from you. The key is to be clear and professional, and to eliminate background noise distractions, which only detract from the image that you want to project.