One of the most effective, and mainly unused, job search tools for the ex-offender is cold calling. This is a simple method where you find the telephone number of a prospective employer and call to inquire of any job openings either current or in the near future.

• Not enough time to list the vacancy
• The vacancy is too new
• The vacancy is not yet happened

When making cold calls while job seeking, an ex-offender must remember to use proper etiquette and use the following rules:

• Always be friendly to the person on the other end of the phone
• Always be polite and respectful
• Inquire about possible job openings
• If no job openings exist, ask permission to send a resume and cover letter in case of future openings

If you are told there are job openings, ask if you could be sent a listing of the openings or where you can apply. Most often the company will refer you to one of following:

Since cold call job searching takes time, ex-offenders can make the most use of their time by listing the categories they want to investigate and then use the list to search and call through one category per day. In this way you can cover the most ground with the least amount of work.

More often than not, cold call job seeking for the ex-offender will result in less closed doors and rejections of your resume.