Cold contacting is when you contact a workplace to see if there are any jobs available. This can be in the form of an email, a call or in-person to a shop front or cafe. 

Contacting organisations yourself means you might be able to snap up a job before it’s advertised, and it can be impressive to employees because it makes you seem proactive and interested. 

It is not that simple though! It can be pretty nerve-wracking, so we’ve put together some tips to help you through.

Tips for a killer cold contact:

Email

Consider this email like a mini cover letter, it won’t be the same length, but the purpose is similar. You want to impress them. 

Subject line: 

Keep your subject line to the point: “Inquiry: Position Title, Your Name” or “Inquiry for Position Title: Your name.”   

Greeting: 

It is best to address your email to the person hiring directly, if you can find that out online, use their name in the greeting. If you cannot locate this information go with something simple and professional: “To Whom It May Concern” or “Dear [Department] Hiring Team.” 

Introduction: 

Try to introduce yourself straight away, this includes a sentence or two about yourself and your education level. As well as why you would like to your for this company, what about it jumps out to you as a good fit?

Body paragraph or cover letter:

If you are including a cover letter in the attachment of the email you might be able to skip this step. If you are just sending an email, you can turn your cover letter into the body of the email. You can include any experience you have (as a volunteer or paid work). You also want to mention how personal attributes or skill sets you have will complement the company, workplace, or job itself. 

Signing off:

It is always important to thank the reader for their time and consideration. Make sure that you sign off with your contact details, including your full name, email address and phone number. You can also let them know your availability if it’s relevant. 

Don’t forget to attach your resume and a cover letter if you wish, and to proofread your email! 

Here is a helpful video with some examples to get you sounding professional!

In-person or calling

Prepare before you contact

To avoid too many umms and ahhs and to seem prepared, do some research before you contact. Check out the website, and sections that describe what the organisation aims for. It’s best to go into the conversation with an idea of the kind of goals the company has set, and then to work those into your phone call.

Also, try and find out the name of their human resources manager or hiring manager, so you can ask for them or contact them directly.

If you are going in person to an establishment, take a printout of your resume with you. This will make it easier for them to remember you and to have all of your details to contact you if they have a position available. 

2. Write a script

Another umm-and-ahh preventer is to have a script ready. If you’re not sending an email, you’ll probably have to improvise at some point throughout the conversation (you’re not psychic so the questions they ask might not be exactly what you’ve prepared for!), having the first few lines ready means that you can make a good and professional first impression.

When entering a store, cafe, or restaurant make sure you make your purpose clear, try saying something like: 

“Hi my name is [your name] and I’m here in regard to a possible job opportunity at [company/store name]. Who can I speak to about this?”

When they introduce you to the manager, state your name again, and what qualities you feel that you have to contribute:

“Hi [Manager’s name], my name is [your name] and I’m here to see if there are any jobs available at [company/store name]. I would like to work for your company because I am interested in [what the company does[. I am [explain your skills, such as outgoing or enthusiastic] and think I would be a valuable addition to the team. Are there any positions available?”

• Practice!
  Have a couple of run-through’s with family or friends, or in front of a mirror. While the script is important, it’s good to know it well enough so that you can sound natural when you’re there, not like you’re just saying something rehearsed. 
• Remember names and be polite
  Whenever anyone gives you their name, try to remember it so you can use it later. It sounds professional and polite to refer to someone by their name, and it shows attention to detail. When the interaction is over say something like “Thanks for your time, [their name]. Have a good day.”
• Get contact details
  If the person who manages jobs isn’t available, ask for a phone number and email address to contact them directly. The person you are speaking to might take down your name and details but sometimes this doesn’t filter through to the right people, so it’s best to have their details so you can re-contact.
• Smile while you talk
  It sounds strange, but smiling not only makes you look happier, it makes you sound happier too! This tends to make whoever you’re talking to smile and then they want to help you more since you’ve brightened their day. It also makes it easier to talk to someone – they’ll be happy and relaxed which will make the call much easier to get through!
• Follow up
  After the conversation, follow up on any requests that they might have made quickly. If you leave your CV with them and you haven’t heard from them, send it through again in an email. They might get a lot of applicants and this gesture will make you stand out. 

They might say no – that’s ok!
Sometimes there just aren’t any jobs available, or they might not think you’re suitable. Don’t worry! No harm done. It’s better that you gave it a go rather than just sitting around and waiting for a job to land in your lap. Also, the more places you contact the more confident you’ll become, and the more likely you will be successful!

More advice:
Want to know more? Check out Youth Central’s page on cold contacting for more tips.