Cold-Calls Lead to Hot Prospects

Health care writer Corrine Casanova spent several months looking for writing and editing jobs on the Web and e-mailing former colleagues to chat and ask for any employment leads.

It was a comfortable strategy, but few leads trickled in. After attending a Creative Job Search class, she decided to start calling potential employers outside her network.

A suburban Minneapolis hospital marketing staffer told Casanova the inquiry came at the right time and that some freelance assignments could be on the way. Another call to former competitor brought news of a position in Nevada that might become available soon.

“I thought I was pretty connected, but it wasn’t helpful using e-mail and the Web almost exclusively,” says Casanova. “In picking up the phone and calling people that I did not know I opened the door to freelancing and potential full-time opportunities.”