Photo by Randen Peterson
Photo by Randen Peterson
E-mail… Check √
Cell Phone … Check √
LinkedIn… Check √
Twitter… Check √
Facebook… Check √
In business or in a job search, you should be easy to communicate with, to access, to leave messages and know that there will be a prompt response.
How easy is always up for discussion.
I’m pretty accessible. My cell phone is not hidden. You can find my e-mail address on my website fairly easily. I’m on LinkedIn and you can send me a message which will also go to my e-mail. I check my e-mail perhaps too much but I rarely miss real messages despite high volume. You can use the Inbox on Facebook. You can send me a tweet. I work from home so I am almost always near my messages. Oh – and now you can Skype me too. Or comment here on my blog.
I know people who would rather be more private.
That’s great, but… if you give off that message in either business or a job search that you are not accessible, what does that say?
Not only are there many ways to communicate with me, people have often remarked at how quickly I get back to them. When I leave you a message or send you an e-mail and you don’t answer for days or weeks, I get the feeling you really have better things to do. I know people who are very busy but they respond and respond quickly. Are they successful, yes… why… ?
I don’t think you need to have every means to communicate working for you.
There are many more channels I am not using yet. My sons text more. I can text, but I don’t. I haven’t checked out Google Wave or Google Buzz yet… there’s other applications that just don’t catch my eye.
But the important thing is — if you really need me, you can find me.
If someone wants to do business with you or offer you a job, will their request to speak with you be easily answered?
Hi Julie
I was having a discussion just this morning along these lines as I closed my facebook a few months ago and was wondering if I should revisit it in a more structured way.
However, trying to properly maintain every single channel going can have the opposite effect if we can’t get round to monitoring communications on each one.
You’re right – the priority is to communicate well and this includes knowing that you can respond in a timely way in all the channels you’ve opened up for yourself.
.-= Reeta Luthra | Stress and Health´s last blog ..Ask A Therapist =-.
[...] Walraven wrote a post last month about the importance of accessibility and how not being easy to reach could hurt your job search. It reflects badly on you if a [...]
I don’t think the woman in the photo is migrating to the US anytime soon.
[...] of you who know me well know that I am generally very accessible. You could say that I am plugged in. And you can reach me so many different ways. I like it that way. [...]
You are right there, Reeta and I use my channels differently. With e-mail, if it is from a client or contact, when I am not booked, I will respond instantaneously. With my phone, I will probably answer unless I am working with a client. Most of the time then you get my voice mail. But I customize my voice mail every day so that people have an idea of available appointments and what is going on in my life.
Twitter is and in and out thing. No one can get anything done if they sit on it all day. But if you RT or reply to me, I will respond.
LinkedIn resulted in a probable new client yesterday and if I had not had the e-mail coming in from there, I might have missed an opportunity.
My biggest concern is when I can’t reach a client and I am waiting on a response. Or when I don’t know if calling is welcome. With my clients, if I can’t reach them, then will they later miss job opportunities?