Dear J.T. & Dale: There is one recruiter who has a lot of the high-end jobs I qualify for, but for some reason she has yet to respond to me about any of those listings. Why hasn’t she contacted me? Is it rude to call her and ask if I have been considered? — Lynne

J.T.: Most recruiters are overwhelmed with applicants right now. So, just calling or e-mailing once isn’t good enough. I would contact her and ask what is the best way to get considered for the positions she has available. In particular, inquire as to whether there’s a process she likes new applicants to follow to make sure they get her everything she needs for them to be considered. Framing it this way is more pleasant and shows respect for her role in the hiring process.

Dale: This is another case where questions are the answer. In sales, it’s called permission marketing — you ask people how they want to be contacted and what you can do to help make their decision easier. If you can’t reach the recruiter on the phone (likely) and you end up asking those questions via e-mail or voicemail, maybe you still don’t get a response back, but you’ll have done a classy follow-up and increased your odds of getting noticed in the right way.

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Jeanine “J.T.” Tanner O’Donnell is a professional development specialist and founder of CAREEREALISM.com. Dale Dauten’s latest book is “(Great) Employees Only: How Gifted Bosses Hire and De-Hire Their Way to Success” (John Wiley & Sons). Please visit them at www.jtanddale.com, where you can send questions via e-mail, or write to them in care of King Features Syndicate, 300 W. 57th St, 15th Floor, New York, NY 10019.

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