The Internet is the way to look for a job and converse with hiring managers. To deal with employers, you need only send them an e-resume and converse with them through e-mail. Correct? Wrong! Don’t forget the phone.

The old-fashioned way of picking up the telephone and contacting employers directly can prove very effective. Not in every case, but in many cases.

Since most people are going to use the Internet or mail to communicate with employers or recruiters, you need to find ways to give yourself an advantage in marketing your skills.

In most situations, human resource managers and recruiters are going to tell you to send your resume to their e-mail address. That is for their benefit, not yours. They want to sit in their offices and review resume after resume, or have the computer do it for them, until they find a few they like. They aren’t, in most cases, hiring for themselves but for other departments and managers.

You want to get to the departments or managers that have available positions. One of the best ways to get to these people is to call them. But you need to know who to call.

Research is important in locating key people in a company or the employer who can use your skills. This is the time to get on the Internet and check out the employer’s website and find the right contact people. The local library has reference materials that have contact names and numbers as well. If these sources don’t provide what you need, get on the phone and call the companies and ask for the department manager’s name that most likely can use your qualifications.

Once you get the name, have a strategy and a set response ready for the call. Preparation is very important because you may only get one chance to make a good impression.

Now call. Introduce yourself and inquire whether or not there are any available positions now or in the future. Try and develop a dialogue that can be continued in the future. If there is interest, send your resume and cover letter. Now the supervisor will know who you are.

Find out what the company is looking for and emphasize those things in your resume and cover letter. If you are well received, call back in a week and inquire if your information was received. If nothing is available that meets your qualifications, ask if it OK if you call back in a few weeks.

In some cases you may not be able to reach the manager you want to talk with. In this situation try and develop a dialogue with an assistant. Assistants usually know what is available or what is becoming available in the future. Actually, this person may be more forthcoming about what is going on in the department. Try and develop a friendly conversation so you can call back.

Don’t forget to ask if there are other departments or divisions that may be able to use your skills. Other locations may be hiring in the same city, different states or regions.

Calling on the phone won’t work in every case. Some employers will be more receptive than others. Human resource department staff and recruiters may not be receptive at all because of the large numbers of people they must interact with daily.

But remember, you are not trying to please everyone. You are trying to find a job that fits your skills. A little bit of initiative can help you reach your goal of a great job.

M.B. Owens is a Nashville-based columnist and journalist with a decade of experience writing on employment topics and business. He can be reached at [email protected].