The job market has become more difficult to crack in recent years, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic. To combat shifting labor needs and the flux between in-office and work-from-home employment, many folks are offering some of their best tips for job-seekers online.
One woman has shared a tip that she says has gotten her multiple jobs: telling the manager that she received a voicemail from another manager and that they were trying to schedule an interview with her.
In a video posted to TikTok by motivational speaker and content creator JessKa (@theoriginaljesska), she says she would employ this tactic rather than ask to check on the status of her application—and usually end up with an interview.
“I remember when I used to apply for jobs in my teens and my 20s, right,” she says. “I applied, and you know how you be waiting on [them] to call you back? I used to be like, f*ck that. You know how people be like, ‘You supposed to call and check the status of your application?’ I took that sh*t a step further. I would call back like, hey, I got a voicemail from a manager that was calling to schedule an interview. That right there is how I got the interview.”
JessKa says she thinks that the trick worked because many establishments she had applied to would typically have multiple managers trying to hire employees.
“You calling to check the status of your application?” she says in the video. “Baby no, you called me for an interview. Mhmm, you remember that? So when can we reschedule? Because you know they’ve got a couple of managers that be calling people, so they be like, ‘That must have been such and such, somebody else from the other day.’ It worked like a charm, especially for fast food places or those little bitty retail stores. It works. I miss applying to jobs in person because I’m finna woo you out yo—you know?”
The Daily Dot has reached out to JessKa via TikTok direct message regarding the video.
@theoriginaljesska ♬ original sound – JessKa
Several viewers shared that they and people they know have employed similar methods to wriggle their way into a job interview, with varying levels of success.
“My husband does this till this day!” one commenter wrote. “And he makes more money than me with a high school diploma and I have a MBA. The finesse is so real.”
“I tried that once and the lady said I’m the only manager here and I don’t remember calling this number,” another said.
“This is how I got my first job in healthcare, I would call the recruiters saying this same thing!” a third claimed.
