The Puzzle: Blog

When conducting a job search, I think it’s always important to keep in mind that things other than your resume, references, transcripts, and interviews can affect how successful you are—specifically, certain things can affect the first impression you make with a potential employer. In an age of digital media characterized by multiple devices and methods of contact, it’s really important to make sure the impression you’re giving is always a professional one.

From the get-go, the first way schools (or any employer) will most likely reach out to you is over email or by phone. You may ask yourself “how harmful can an email or voicemail be?” When you’re making a first impression, it’s incredibly important. I’ve seen email addresses of all types, and it can make a difference in what the school sees. Depending on the format of your personal email address, chances are it is probably fine to use during your professional job search. It’s best to keep it succinct and simple; really, sticking to just your name is ideal. Addresses such as is john.doe@email.com, or johndoe@email.com, jdoe@email.com, or jdoe15@email.com, are the best to use; they demonstrate a professional tone. If your personal email is more playful or informal, I would encourage you to create a different one specifically for your job search. The nice part about creating a separate account that you only use for a job search is that you have a very easy way to organize all your job search emails (just make sure to check it regularly so you don’t miss an email from a potential employer).

Your email address and interactions are often the first way to show schools that you are a professional who takes your job search and their time seriously. Along with the address itself, it’s important to make sure your email formats are professional as well. Simple fonts such as Calibri and Times New Roman are always best, and adjusting your font size to 10-12 is ideal. Other fonts, as well as the use of too-large or too-small sizes, can cause a school to think you’re too informal and perhaps not taking your search seriously. Signatures, too, are important to keep an eye on. Quotes can sometimes be misinterpreted, so if you like using them as a way to sign off, make sure you include one that you’re comfortable showing to any potential employer. If that’s not the case, then I would suggest removing it. Simple signatures that display your name, email address, and the best number to reach you can be a great way to further enforce to schools that you take your search seriously and conduct yourself in a professional manner.

Also, while we all love George Costanza’s voicemail on Seinfeld, it’s always safer to leave a succinct, professional message. Your message may be the first time a prospective employers hears you talk, so keeping the voicemail simple is usually best. Make sure to sound friendly, positive, and upbeat, and try to keep it to about 10-15 seconds if possible. Also, make sure you have your voicemail inbox set up–if a school isn’t able to leave a message with you when they try to get in touch, that can be a lost opportunity. Something as simple as “Hi, you’ve reached Jane Doe. I can’t take your call at this time, so if you can please leave me your name, number, and a brief message, I will get back to you as soon as I can. Have a great day,” is a good guideline.

The last point to keep in mind is that we live in an age where we can easily be “Googled,” and that schools can find you on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc. Employers absolutely go on the Internet to look at candidates, so it’s important to make sure that you’re careful and aware of this, and make sure what you’re displaying is something you’re comfortable with schools seeing. Privacy blocks are a great way of doing this on social media, so that only your friends, family, and approved viewers can see that information. That said, if you have a professional online presence, don’t be afraid to display it proudly. Many employers happily look for candidates’ professional activity on Twitter, LinkedIn, and school or personal blogs related to their subject matter. If you maintain an air of professionalism in all aspects of your digital presence, you’ll be just fine in your search.

Back to Blog

0 Comments

There are no comments on this blog entry.