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The short answer is,
I'm available after 12:00 p.m. Eastern (3:00 p.m. Pacific).
The long answer is, on most weekdays
I can be interviewed after 12:00 p.m. Eastern Time.
If you call earlier than 12:00 p.m. EST, I may not be able
to answer the call. In my experience, most project
managers / software test leads
are able to set up a specific time after 12:00
p.m. Eastern Time.
We need to set up a SPECIFIC time. For example: 1:00 p.m.
Eastern (4:00 p.m. Pacific).
I need to know, in advance, the exact time of the
client's call because
I want to be ready, at my best, want to
prevent scheduling
conflicts, and want to ensure the client's call is answered.
Please don't forget to TELL ME when a prospective client will call.
I need to know, in advance, the exact time of the client's
call. I need to know this in order A) to prevent
scheduling conflicts, and B) to prevent calls that are not received.
Please don't be like the recruiter who set up a telephone interview
for yesterday morning, but could NOT tell me the TIME of
the client's call.
Did he expect me to sit by the
telephone for two full hours when I had to go back to work
AND had a long list of things to do after 12:00 p.m.?
To set up a specific time, you need to SELL the manager on the
time of the
appointment you want. For example, you need to ask the manager,
"How about 12:00 noon, or would 12:30 be better for you?"
For clients, my best number can be found here.
For recruiters, my best number is the SAME number you can find here.
I must have an INTERVIEW as part of the initial
contact with the client. If the client won't talk with me,
and won't do a phone interview as part of the process, then
I'm not interested in that position.
Why should we have a client interview as part of the process?
Because client interviews are very useful. They reduce the risk
of accepting
new positions. Minor misunderstandings can be prevented. That's
why I say I must have a client INTERVIEW as part of the process.
I do all interviews outside the workplace.
Please don't be like a recruiter who wanted me
to do a client phone interview at WORK, at the expense of my
most recent client.
Why? Because it wouldn't be fair to my most recent client to A)
use their hours for my personal gain, or B) cut back on my lunch
hour, and decrease
my effectiveness for the rest of the day. After all, they
don't pay me to discuss non-company business on company time. That
would be unethical. My main concern is unplanned telephone
conversations
that go on, and on, for what seems like forever, at the expense of
my most recent client.
I do monitor my incoming calls during the day, EVERY DAY,
between 8:00 a.m. and 8 p.m. Eastern Time.
During the day, I also
have unscheduled meetings, visitors dropping in without
an appointment, distractions, and little, or no privacy. Despite
all these distractions, I do answer my calls most of the time.
When I'm presented to a client, I don't talk about rate (if
this is a contract, and if this is one of your concerns), but
I do give you feedback, usually the same day. Similarly, I
expect notification from you, as to the outcome of
the presentation, after a phone interview.
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