How to get your foot in the door
Getting past the "rejectionist" (aka receptionist) requires audacity, resilience and organizational skills
Sep 30, 2011
Chicago Tribune
By Wendy Donahue
Sept 25, 2011
Desperate to get your kid educated, your appeal granted, your screenplay read? There are so many gatekeepers in life, so few open gates.
Among the barriers to entry is the receptionist. Despite that title, when you ask, you rarely receive, at least not what you want to hear. The question is: How do you get past the rejectionist, and get an answer, good or bad, from the boss?
"Say: 'Look over there!' And then when the receptionist is distracted, bolt through the door," jokes Kerry Patterson, co-author of "Change Anything" (Business Plus) and other leadership books.
Still, getting over the stone wall requires some bravado. "You have to be a little aggressive," said Ellen Lubin-Sherman, author of "The Essentials of Fabulous" (Launch). "It's a game. You have to play to win."
Degree of difficulty: Hard
Tools needed: Chutzpah, resilience, organization
Step 1: Call and ask politely to schedule a meeting with the principal/employer/supervisor. Briefly state your agenda, framed in a way that repels an easy rejection or referral to a website.
Read more
Sep 30, 2011
Chicago Tribune
By Wendy Donahue
Sept 25, 2011
Desperate to get your kid educated, your appeal granted, your screenplay read? There are so many gatekeepers in life, so few open gates.
Among the barriers to entry is the receptionist. Despite that title, when you ask, you rarely receive, at least not what you want to hear. The question is: How do you get past the rejectionist, and get an answer, good or bad, from the boss?
"Say: 'Look over there!' And then when the receptionist is distracted, bolt through the door," jokes Kerry Patterson, co-author of "Change Anything" (Business Plus) and other leadership books.
Still, getting over the stone wall requires some bravado. "You have to be a little aggressive," said Ellen Lubin-Sherman, author of "The Essentials of Fabulous" (Launch). "It's a game. You have to play to win."
Degree of difficulty: Hard
Tools needed: Chutzpah, resilience, organization
Step 1: Call and ask politely to schedule a meeting with the principal/employer/supervisor. Briefly state your agenda, framed in a way that repels an easy rejection or referral to a website.
Read more