$19.95

So you're at work and your phone rings. You pick up and immediately regret it. It's a headhunter though they claim their title includes the words "talent" or organizational and "executive" or some other horsebleep.

Though you've NEVER talked to this person in this life or any of your previous lives, they have an earth-shattering opportunity and they thought how perfect it was for you. I mean, how lucky are you? Not only does this person know how to operate a telephone, they can read minds. I just described 99% of all cold recruiting calls in the advanced year of 2013. Resources like LinkedIn now allows recruiters to more intelligently target candidates but recruiters still choose- or are ordered- to use sales-laden language better suited for a guy in a plaid jacket with a stogie dangling from his piehole.

The phone is an amazing tool- still the best one in the business of doing business. There are times where I learn or read something and I need to speak to a person RIGHT NOW. This person doesn't know me from The Tooth Fairy but I don't care because I KNOW I have something that they need. And in that rare occasion my information is wrong, I'll know quickly. And because I treat the call and the person with great care, the call ends amicably. MY POINT IS the phone still can be the best tool BUT DON'T CALL STRANGERS ALL DAY and pretend to know their needs.

Don't do it for the same reason you wouldn't try to teach a pig to sing.

The numbers game element isn't going away but GET BETTER NUMBERS. And stop sounding like a scripted infomercial. But wait....THERE'S MORE!! ($19.95)