Didn’t your mother ever tell you?
Probably not, since your mother likely didn’t have the same job search strategies and tactics that are quickly becoming the staple for any job seeker. (I mean, typewriters?? come on!)
But what I’m referring to in particular is e-mail. There are all sorts of uses for the e-mail when seeking a job, or maintaining professional relationships and networking connections. But there’s also varied opinions about how to most effectively use this relatively new communication tool.
Jeffrey Gitomer is a nationally-reknowned sales guru, and author of “The Sales Bible” and “The Little Red Book of Selling”. You might say, “why is a sales guy’s input relevant to my job search or career development?”
Answer: Your job search is the marketing and sales of you.
Gitomer’s suggestions for using e-mail are simple: it should be used in conjunction with other forms of communication — in person, over the phone, hand written; it should add value to the recipient; it should not be instantaneous, but it should be short.
This applies to a job search in a very straight-forward way: think about who you’re writing to, for what reason, and whether you would read it if you were in their shoes. Do they know who you are? Are they expecting some form of communication from you? Are you adding value with interesting industry facts, ways you can help their business, and not just something you “thought was funny”?
I am guilty of writing wordy e-mails because I like to write in general. But they don’t need an introductory paragraph, or a closer. This is precisely what causes e-mail tone and etiquette to get confused, because the other end of the spectrum is that they are so short they become impolite. This isn’t a good way to err either. They should be very concise. If you don’t know the person, more explanation is necessary. But don’t go overboard.
E-mail shouldn’t be instantaneous because that’s when mistakes can happen. If you don’t stop and think, and reread and edit your e-mail, you could send to the wrong person, or with typos, that could significantly alter the reader’s perception of the sender: YOU.
It’s always great to discuss the etiquette involved in a business setting, but sometimes you wonder who to ask, and what if their perspective isn’t quite the same as yours? CM Access offers this kind of support, we’ll work through it with you, to assess the situation when thanking an interviewer, when making first contact, etc. We can be that buffer, that perspective, that editer, for you.
I find Gitomer’s information on this and other sales-related topics increasingly relevant and motivating. Give it a shot! Let me know if your e-mail tactics change and get you some more results!
Technorati Tags: sales tips, job search strategy, e-mail etiquette, Jeffrey Gitomer
May 11th, 2007 at 1:34 pm
email is widely used in all corporations and the problem with it is that people get wrong impressions and enemies are made.