Loyal readers have heard me say this before – you simply cannot underestimate the power of perception in your online activities! Online, those you e-mail do not have eye contact, your firm handshake, your body language to determine your sincerity and professionalism.
They only have how you communicate, the words you use or how you approach them to determine if you are someone they want to communicate with – or possibly hire. With the economy a bit sluggish and many seeking new opportunities, here are a couple considerations for your online employment communications.
Above and beyond the issues covered in my Business E-mail Etiquette Basics Article; all of which will contribute to a positive perception, how you approach prospective employers online can go a long way to getting that all important follow up.
If you are going to use technology to job hunt, you have to make sure you reflect the skill set to do so impressively or you could end up be excluded right out of the gate.
- Take the time to review the prospective employer’s requirements in regard to submitting your resume or CV for consideration. Not doing so gives the impression of lack of attention to detail, not to mention the inability to follow instructions.
- Never send unsolicited e-mail resumes! Most sites will offer an available opportunities area on their site and if they don’t pick up the phone and find out — before you send without notice. I receive on average 3-5 unasked for resumes each day through my WordPress Consulting site. What type of impression do you think that makes? A courtesy e-mail asking if there are any opportunities and requesting permission to send your resume first is highly recommended in lieu of blindly sending it along.
- Send your resume to the specified address given or provided on an employer’s site for resume submissions. Do not send to any e-mail address you find or worse yet sending multiple copies to multiple addresses. Take the time to review the employer’s site to determine the appropriate address to use.
- Send your resume in plain text, .rtf format (Rich Text Format) or PDF format to ensure cross platform viewability. By doing so, regardless of the word processing software used by the employer or recruiter, your information can be viewed as you intended. Keep your resume limited to a brief cover letter stating your interest in that specific position and resume of no more than two pages that highlight and tailors your previous job experience as it relates to the position you are applying for. You can note additional information will be provided upon request.
- Refrain from formatting with colors or adding photos or graphics to spruce your resume up.
- Do not use Return Receipt to track when/if your resume was received or opened. This can be viewed as intrusive and will most likely be declined anyway.
- Have a friend or associate review your cover letter and resume to catch any misspellings or grammatical mistakes that you may have missed. You wouldn’t believe what I’ve seen on resumes sent to me!
Just e-mailing your resume willy-nilly certainly isn’t a professional or effective approach. By taking your time, using common sense and doing your due diligence you’ll rise above other applicants that disregard the importance of paying attention to detail! Good Luck!
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What an informative and well written blog. I am a blue collar worker looking to move up and I was clueless how to approach this topic.
I am grateful you have shared your knowledge and techniques.
Hey, Rob:
Welcome and thanks for stopping by! The fact you are seeking out this type of information tells me you will have no problem “moving up!” It is the smarties like you who pay attention to just these type of details who have the best chance for success and in business, ROI.
Good luck in your efforts!
At your service,
Judith
Hi Judith,
Is it ok to contact a hiring manager after discovering who it is from an aquaintance that you have met once?
I think not, but my wife thinks I should.
The acquaintance has offered to let the hiring manager know I want to contact them.
However, I am not a salesman, and I am not sure what the value of contacting the hiring manager is if there is a standard web site for submitting applications and resumes.
I know when I was a supervisor, I did not appreciate getting email from complete strangers when the whole purpose of a hiring process is to unburden the hiring manager of additional work that someone in HR was hired to do.
Your thoughts?
Thank you for your help with this.
Joe Soto
Hey, Joe:
I understand your concern and agree with you — go with your gut. Go through the standard and customary channels. If the HR Manager was made aware of you through your acquaintance, they will recognize and appreciate that you submitted your information as anyone else would do.
In today’s competitive environment I can see why your wife would want you to take advantage of any edge you can get over other candidates. “Acquaintance” however, to me does not indicate a good friend that knows you well and can highly recommend you. Nor do you know this acquaintance’s reputation within the company or relationship with the HR Manager. If you do not know this person very well, their help may inadvertently be a hindrance.
If you are unsure about any of these concerns, go through the normal procedures and let your qualifications speak for themselves. Here’s to your success!
The thing I learned about e-mailing customers is that you have to try harder to be respectful. The wrong word or punctuation could send the wrong message. Voice inflection is important to connecting with customers and they can’t hear it over e-mail. I still believe that face to face or even over the phone is much better.
.-= George´s last blog … Converting Your Cell Phone To A Pay As You Go Phone =-.
Hey, George:
So true — especially the part about face to face or picking up the phone being a good idea. There seems to be a growing tendency to keep e-mailing when clearly having a meeting or making a phone call can in fact be a far better business strategy to help to nurture new and ongoing business relationships.
Thanks for the comments!
Hi Judith,
Excellent information provided here in your blog. This is so effective for both Employers as well as Employee. I appreciate your time spending behind this blog. This gives new look for my future.
Thank you so much for your help.
Joseph Reed
Hey, Joseph:
Glad to be of service and nice to have visitors take the time to send their kinds words every so often. It does in fact keep me plugging away at this keyboard! thanks and hope to hear more from you!
I’ve attained a job by reaching out to employers via email. I’ve found the most success (received the most responses) when I started with an email that basically stated how I could help their company – not generic though, very specific to their business or industry. This seems to peak their interest – the hardest part seems to be finding the “decision maker” at the company however using LinkedIn and Facebook have made this a little easier.
Great Stuff, Loren! Most of which applies to the off-line job seeking process as well. What you are doing is not sending a “me too” templates form letter. By customizing your approach you are taking the initiative and going the extra mile — both of which are traits that employers desire!