3 tips to be more accessible in your job search
You can have the best resume in the world as a job seeker or the best marketing presentation in the world as a small business but if you are inaccessible to the employer who wants to hire you or the customer who wants to buy your services, you can forget about success!
Don’t say I’m too Busy!
You may be very busy or have personal issues that make it hard for you to respond. Then send an e-mail or make a quick call and say just that. Respecting the time of the people who are trying to help you find a job or use your services is critical.
Don’t ignore calls because you’re not interested!
What if you are no longer interested in the job you applied for? Should you ignore phone calls from that employer? No, answer the phone call or return the call, answer your e-mail, respond to the LinkedIn inquiry and let them know politely that your circumstances have changed and you are no longer interested in the position. You need to have respect for the people who are trying to contact you.
Don’t avoid callers who waste your time!
What if you have a networking connection who just is a time waster and doesn’t meet your needs, should you ignore their e-mails or phone calls? No, if it is a legitimate request, you need to talk to or e-mail the person and let them know that you are sorry but you are unable to work with them. I am not talking about the spam that comes in our in boxes all the time or requests that are seen as generic that are broadcast but real customers who just don’t fit your customer profile.
The message you send to the potential employer or customer is that they are not worth your time. You have heard about not burning bridges, right? Well, when you fail to return calls or e-mails promptly, you are burning the bridge to a potential networking contact. When I saw this tweet from Dawn Bugni tweet yesterday and from an employer trying to contact one of my clients unsuccessfully, I was prompted this post.
If you see yourself in today’s post, you probably need to work on your “customer service” skills. You need to remember that even if you are in a job search, you are still in front line customer service. Return calls and e-mails promptly!
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Julie Walraven
Professional Resume Writer
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Great points for all to remember! It’s unfortunate that sometimes a job seeker (or as you say, service provider, or anyone, really) does not feel they need to respond to a request or an attempt to reach them. That lack of courtesy, however, will certainly be remembered and likely shared with others who may be potential employers, customers, etc. That is not the kind of reputation anyone would want to build, and is very hard to recover from!
Exactly! I know we are all busy and we all drop the ball sometimes… I am very busy lately but if someone tries to contact you by both phone and e-mail and you don’t respond for days, you have to believe that they don’t care.
Precisely why I am amid emailing assorted LinkedIn connections of mine to 1) keep the connection alive and 2) explore collaborations.
Good idea, Ari, many people never talk to their LI connections after they connect. Good to keep those opportunities alive.