Unprofessional emails can derail even the most qualified candidates
When recruiting for a new position with my own firm a few months ago, I had the opportunity to step into the shoes of a hiring manager. Because I usually don’t get to “play” on the other side of the table,
I didn’t know what to expect when I posted my job opening online.
I expected to receive fantastic resumes along with well-written communications, prompt and professional follow-up, and a sincere attention to the requirements set forth in the job posting. After all, didn’t the candidates know they were applying to work for a personal-branding firm? I was really disappointed in what I actually experienced in my role as hiring manager. Hiring managers often get a bad rap I hear candidates complain about the lack of response they receive when applying for positions. After the lack of effort I saw from some candidates during my own recruitment process, it’s no wonder that some hiring managers don’t feel like spending their time and effort replying to someone who showed them very little effort.
From unprofessional and textlike emails and a complete disregard for the instructions in the job posting to overly personal email addresses and incomplete and nonexistent contact information, I felt like I saw it all. However, I’m sure I just scratched the surface of what many hiring managers see and deal with on a daily basis.
Now I’m about to embark on the process of hiring my next team member — and as a soon-to-be hiring manager again, I have to say that am not looking forward to going through the talent-acquisition process.
To make sure my readers don’t conduct themselves the way these recent applicants did, let’s review some basic email etiquette for job seekers. You want to gain the attention of the hiring manager — but in a good way!
Set up a professional email address.
Don’t use a “family” account, or an account that has overly cute words in the address or numbers that appear to be a year of significance such as a birth or graduation year.
Use the subject line.
Don’t leave this blank! Frame the content of your email with the subject line. You can create a new thread for communications that start to get overly long, or if you change subject along the way.
Check your email properties.
All too often I see email addresses with unprofessional “properties” — inappropriate signatures and graphics — such as that the sender had obviously forgotten that he or she has set up when creating the email account.
Treat every email as an opportunity to reinforce your professionalism.
Do not treat an email like a text. No matter how informal the hiring manager may be, you should always set the tone as if writing a professional piece of business communication — because you are! When possible, email your resume directly to the hiring manager.
Rather than submitting your resume online, if possible, send a more polished, formatted PDF version of your resume. This will better appeal to a human being versus an applicant tracking system (ATS).
Never forget who you’re talking to.
When you send an email to a prospective employer you have an opportunity to make an impression. Make sure you don’t create the wrong impression by treating the opportunity too informally. The hiring manager will judge more than just your resume.
Take it from me, a personal-branding strategist AND a hiring manager — not having proper job-search etiquette creates a lasting impression that can often overcome even the strongest resume. — Samantha Nolan is a certified professional resume writer and the owner of Nolan Branding, a full-service resumewriting firm. Email resume or job-search questions to dearsam@nolanbranding.com. To find out more about Nolan and her services, visit www.nolanbranding.com, or call 614-570-3442.