The Write Solution

I’ll admit it. I’ve become a Twitter addict. I’ll cover all the wonderfulness garnered from social media in another post. For today I want to share something I saw in my Twitter stream a while back: “If you get an email about a position respond to it.” Sounds like basic common sense, but believe me, common sense isn’t all that common.

How can something as simple as a response to an email help you in your job search? Let’s suppose ABC Company’s HR department sends out an email for an appointment or requests more information. You read the email, close it and think, “I’ll get to that later.” Or you grab your appointment calendar, enter the appointment date, time and location and go on with your life. On the sending end of that email is “Susie HR clerk”. She knows she sent the email, is pretty sure you got it, but …. maybe she better call. Then again, maybe she better wait a day or so and give you time to respond. She’s wondering and you’ve added a follow up her “To do” list.

Sure, lots of email programs have a confirm receipt attachment. Sometimes they work. Sometimes they don’t. Sometimes the recipient responds. Sometimes they click “no.” And yes, there are programs you can use to track things electronically, in the background, but wouldn’t it be easier if we all took a minute to communicate?

Do we really need technological intervention? Susie can ask for immediate confirmation in her email. You, as the recipient, can dash off a quick, “I’ll get you the info by noon tomorrow” or confirm the appointment with a brief, I look forward to seeing you on the 5^th at 2. Really. Something as simple as “got it” or even better, “thank-you” takes a lot of the wonder out of business communications. And think about how you’d feel getting an email that just said “thank-you.” Along with eliminating wonder about receipt, it spreads a little joy.

Lest you think I’ve gone all hearts and butterflies on you, consideration is a great selling technique. You’re out there marketing your skills to a potential employer. Every single bit of contact, at every level, should exhibit your ability to communicate professionally, participate as part of a team and attend to the details of the task at hand. If you make the HR clerk’s job easier, don’t you think there’s a chance she’ll say something good to her boss about you? You’ve got a cheerleader on the inside and all it took was a moment to make it “all about them”.

This may not guarantee a rise to the top of the pile, but if 10 appointments are made and you’re the only one considerate enough to complete the circle, I’d venture to guess, it will help. In addition, you’ve let potential employers (and clients for that matter) know you follow-through. You make a difference. You complete the circle. You make the effort to communicate. You’re considerate. You’re a professional. And think about it, you did all that with “Thank-you.” click.

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