E-mail/Telephone Consultations advice, tips & FAQs
If you would like a telephone consultation that is not a problem, and we can arrange this.
At the same time, to help you make the most of your telephone consultation we have provided some tips and FAQs below which you may find you to read beforehand.
Telephone Consultations FAQs
Q. Do you offer telephone consultations?
A. Yes we do
Q. Do you always gather requirements via telephone?
A. Sometimes we do, whereas at other times it is by e-mail, or a mixture of both.
Q. What do most people do?
A. Most of our clients prefer e-mail consultations.
Q. Why?
A. Apart from being more accurate and reliable (see below), most of our clients are very busy professionals, with very little spare time as it is. As such, most clients very much appreciate the fact that we can save them an hour or so by using their existing documents and our own experience and initiative during the requirement gathering process.
Q. How do I ask for a telephone consultation?
A. Just let us know at the time of ordering.
Q. How long do telephone consultations take?
A. Different amounts of time depending on the client and circumstances, and 30-45 minutes is fairly typical, although it can be shorter or longer.
Q. Why do telephone consultations take so long?
A. Sometimes clients have things to tell us that they consider important that are not included on their CV, whereas other clients feel the need to tell us about things that are already on their CV and job specification. It all adds up, and usually ends up taking quite a while.
Q. Are there advantages of gathering information by e-mail instead of telephone?
A. When clients send us information by e-mail there are several advantages to this, and for both the client and the consultant. Some of these things are summarised below;
– It’s a lot quicker and more convenient for both parties than a 45 minute telephone call. This is especially so since the main things we need, initially at least, are things that most people already have; namely their original CV, and a copy of a job specification that is representative of their target job. We can get a lot of information from this. Some people just repeat this information on the telephone, and that’s up to them, but just repeating what is already in the CV and job specification isn’t really necessary.
– With telephone consultations the consultant is on the spot, and needs to listen to, write down, digest and respond to information that often comes in at the speed of a normal conversation. It’s a lot to take in (and for consultant and client alike). With e-mail, on the other hand, both parties can take their time, examine and digest things at their own pace; engendering responses in a more considered manner.
– With telephone calls things can get missed or misinterpreted. It’s not as reliable or accurate. With email your consultant has everything there in black and white to refer to when it comes to the all-important writing process.
Q. Are there advantages of gathering information by telephone instead of e-mail?
A. Sometimes it can be advantageous to chat on the telephone or Skype about points of interest or instructions that you feel you are important that are not already mentioned on your CV or in the job specification.
Q. Can I do a mixture of telephone and e-mail?
A. Yes, indeed vast majority of people who ask for a telephone consultation do a mixture of both; usually sending any documentation and notes that they have initially (such as CV, job specification and specific points) for their consultant to examine and digest before the consultation. If you do this is usually saves both you and the consultant time.
Tips
If you want to speak your consultant before he/she writes your CV, you may find the following tips helpful;
- Jot down points that you want to raise before the conversation, and go through each point in turn during the conversation.
- Remember that if you have already sent your CV to your consultant there is no need to repeat things that are already on your CV.
- Remember that if you have also sent a job specification to your consultant there is no need to just repeat things that are on the job specification. On the other hand, if you have additional information that is pertinent, then that’s the information you should tell your consultant about.
- Remember that your consultant may be writing notes down as you speak. It sometimes helps to speak more slowly when going over particularly important points.
- After the conversation please also send your consultant your original notes by e-mail.