If You Get Called From a Potential Employer or Contact at a Bad Time, Stay Calm

At times, we often get really busy with what we are doing and don't always have time to take a phone call from someone. The only problem is what if that phone call is from a potential employer or contact? Even if you can't stop what you are doing, if you stay calm and are polite, you will still be able to keep your foot in that door that just opened up. Just because you can't take the call doesn't mean that that opportunity will be lost.

Getting a call at an inconvenient time is never easy but there are ways you can tell the person on the other end that you can't take the call without offending him or her. If you are in this situation, consider the tips below:

1) Stay Calm- If you raise your voice, sound irritated, or rushed, you might offend the person on the other end or scare him or her off. Take a deep breath before taking the call and remember to talk to the person in a calm manner.

2) Be Polite- I know this sounds obvious but by being calm and minding your manners, you will still be able to call this person later on or the following day if you answer and speak to this person in a polite manner. If you get snotty or make rude comments, the person might get offended and will cross you off the list of people to call.

3) Let the Person Know You Cannot Take the Call and Offer to Call Back- Chances are, the person on the other end will understand if you are in the middle of something and cannot take the call. A few different approaches to handling this can be done in the following ways:

"Thank you for taking the time to call me. I would like to talk with you but cannot do so at this moment. When can I give you a call back later on today or tomorrow?" (TAKE DOWN THEIR CONTACT INFORMATION)

"I appreciate you reaching out to me but am not available to talk at the moment. Is there a time today or tomorrow in which I can give you a call back?"

"I'm afraid I'm a bit tied up at the moment but would like to talk to you. Is there a time in which I can give you a call back today or tomorrow?"

"Thank you for giving me a call. I would like to talk to you about the opportunity but cannot do so at this time. Would it be okay if I called you back today or tomorrow morning?

By staying calm, being polite and offering to call back, you won't offend the person, leave the door open for another conversation and be able to get that opportunity.