Alison Doyle

Check Before You Send

Remember those old words of wisdom that it's not so much what you say, but how you say it that is important? Well, how you say it, is as important when communicating via email as it when have a conversation in-person.

Check Before You Send (Excerpt from Chapter 2, Alison Doyle's Job Search Guidebook)

Spell check and proofread your email just like all your other correspondence. One client I worked with had the wrong phone number in her email signature and on the resume she had sent out in response to many job postings. She corrected it, but she might have already lost out on good opportunities because the employer wasn't able to reach her. She was also embarrassed because it was an employer who informed her by email that the phone number wasn't correct.

Think before you hit the Send button, especially if what you are about to send isn't positive. For example, a hiring manager contacted me after she had, very politely, notified a candidate that she wasn't going to be hired for an open position. The candidate hit Reply and sent a two-word response: "your loss."

This was particularly unfortunate because the hiring manager was considering the candidate for another position. She just hadn't mentioned it yet because she wasn't sure when it would become available. The candidate, because of her hasty and rude response, ensured that the employer wouldn't be considering her for any job opening.

Buy Alison's Books

Job Search Guidebook
My Job Search Guidebook provides you with all the information you need to make the right connections, take the right steps, and make yourself stand out from the job search crowd in this fast paced, every changing job market. 

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Internet Your Way to a New Job
Internet Your Way to a New Job includes all the latest job search sites, tools, trends, including how to use Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to job search, job search apps for your phone and iPad, video interviews, career networking, and the best sites for job seekers and career changers.

• Internet Your Way to a New Job from the publisher (save 15%)
• Internet Your Way to a New Job from Amazon
• Kindle Edition

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• About.com Job Searching
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• Twitter @AboutJobSearch | @AlisonDoyle

Helping Your Colleague - Or Not?

A new survey from Monster asked about helping colleagues if they weren't performing at work: "A colleague you are friends with has been seriously underperforming – would you report him or her?"

Would You Report Your Colleague Survey Results

• Yes, if it will help me get ahead: 4%
• Yes, if the team’s success is on the line: 27%
• No, if possible, I’d help my friend with work: 58%
• No, if the boss doesn’t notice, it’s not my concern: 11%

The results when broken out are interesting.  US respondents are the most likely globally to report their friend to the boss and the least likely to to help. Over one in three (37%) would tell the boss if the team’s success was being jeopardised by their friend’s performance, while over 5% are ambitious enough to do so to get ahead.

This compares to one in four in Europe (25%) and Asia (24%) that would tell the boss if it was affecting the team, with under four percent of respondents in both regions doing so to get ahead in the company. In fact, in Europe or Asia, 70% would either help the friend or just leave it to the boss to notice.

Smart Job Searching

Sometimes, I'm surprised at how many people don't job seach the smart way.  In some cases, they don't think little things matters. In other cases, they don't know what can make a difference. In still others, it's hurry up and get your resume out without paying attention to the details.

Job Search Email

Using email addresses like hotbabe or risquegirly (I've really gotten email messages from accounts like that from job seekers)  isn't going to impress anyone. 

Sending email messages without Subject lines will probably get your message to one of two places - the Junk folder or the Trash folder.   Writing messages that are barely readable because they are written like a text message or are riddled with typos isn't going to help you find a job either.

Resumes and Cover Letters

The same holds true for resumes.  Your resume needs to be clear, concise, readable, and needs to provide an accurate summary of your work history. Both of those are important, really.  Trying to fudge dates cost one young man I spoke to a job at a top Wall Street firm.  He tried to backpedal and say he made a mistake, but it didn't work.

Cover letters count, too.  Each cover letter you write should show the reader why, at first glance, you're worth interviewing.

Use Your Connections

One of the smartest things you can do when you're job searching is to tap your connections. Who do you know who can help you find a job at the companies you are interested in? 

Those contacts can help you get a foot in the door and provide you with inside information about the company and the hiring process.

More: Resume and Cover Letter Writing | Job Search Email Etiquette | Using Your Connections

 

Brand Loyalty and Customer Service

I could be a poster person for brand loyalty.  I fly United here and Continental for international flights, I like my Marriott Elite status and my Hertz #1 Club Gold.  One of the reasons is I don't like standing in line. I like upgrades and I like being greeted by name and getting special welcomes. 

The main reason I'm loyal to my brands is customer service.  I've come to expect it. For my brands though, that might not necessarily always be a good thing, because bad customer service sticks out like a sore thumb.

A cranky United ticket agent (granted it was early in the morning and an hour earlier than normal because of daylight savings time, but it was way too early for everyone involved) who questioned my premier status, questioned why I wanted him to reprint my boarding pass, and argued with me about how many bags we were checking, made me jump to fill out United's customer service survey.  He was, plainly and simply, rude.

What irked me even more was that I tried to get him not be cranky, by being as nice as I could. That didn't work, so I got a bit cranky myself.

It was a lesson, for me, in how much customer service does matter - people might not remember good customer service, especially when it becomes the norm, but they do remember the bad. 

Peter Shankman's book Customer Service: New Rules for a Social Media World explains how important that customer service is - it's about how companies use social media effectively to engage customers, to provide terrific customer service, and to build an online presence and a brand that works. 

It addition to being a good read for companies, small and large, it also is a good tool for those who are working on building a personal brand - and that should be anyone who is job searching or growing their careers.

How to Prepare for a Job Interview

Do you have a job interview coming up?  Take the time to get ready - in advance - so you're not scrambling at the last minute to print extra copies of your resume or to find something to wear.

Here's how to get ready for a job interview, including researching the company, practice interviewing, what to wear and what to bring to the interview, how to impress during the interview, and how to follow up.

Related: What to Wear to a Job Interview | Video: How to Prepare for an Interview

Saying Thank You

Do you need to say thank you to a vendor or a client or a consultant or to someone who has helped your business grow or has helped your company succeed?  How about thank you to someone who helped you job search?

Review business thank you letter example for a variety of business and employment related scenarios, including thank you letters for employees, employers, colleagues, clients, and networking contacts.

Also review general thank you note samples, personalized thank you note samples, and thank you notes, you can use to reiterate your interest, show your appreciation, and to affirm your connection with your contacts.

On a related note, congratulation letters are appreciated just as much as thank you letters.  Here are a variety of congratulation note examples to use say congratulations for a promotion, a new job, and other employment related accomplishments.

More Thank You Letters

• Employee Thank You Letters
• Interview Thank You Letters
• Appreciation Letters
• Thank You Note Samples