WinterView Group

Conducting a Job Search in the Digital World

Thoughts & Tips accumulated from 10+ years of peer to peer job coaching for business & financial executives

Example:  

Your name is William A. Fleet living at 1105 Essex Street, My Town MA.01945

1 )Email address:

Your email address should correspond to your name with a domain that is not a distraction:

Good: WAFleet@gmail.com, FleetWA@yahoo.com

Not so good:  Bill@freewilly.com, Will@ilovewhales.com

 2) Signature at bottom of email:

Make sure the person you are writing to can find you.

At at the bottom of every email you send make sure you have your full contact information

Example:              Regards,

                              William Fleet
                              wafleet@gmail.com
                              978-123-4567 

3) Voice Mail.  If you cannot answer the call, make sure you have voice mail.  Voice mail is less prone to error than relying on family members to take a written message. Make sure that your message is clear and professional.  "You have reached Bill Fleet. I am unable to take your call at this time.  Please leave your name and phone#.  I will return your call as soon as possible."  Do not use a message that is not appropriate for an employer to hear.

 4) Naming the Resume file.  When you attach your resume to an email; name the file with your last name and first name.  Good: Fleet_William-resume.pdf.  Bad: "myresume.pdf";" billsresume.doc".

 5) Resume file format.  Unless a .doc/.docx file is requested, send your resume as a PDF file.  A PDF reduces the chance of a formatting change being made when the file is opened or printed. Have at least 2 people proofread your resume.

 6) Applying for positions via email.  When you apply for a position via email, your resume should be your only attachment.  The email message itself is the new cover letter.  Do not create a separate attachment for the cover letter or insert the cover letter text as a page within the resume document.

 7) Time of day to send your email.  Send your email for delivery between 8:00 AM-6:00 PM in the time zone of the receiver.  Today, most business people have email on mobile phones.  Your email is not an emergency.  You do not want your message pinging your target in the middle of the night.  Your message will be in the delete file before the person leaves the house.  

 8) Test your emails.  Send a test message formatted in the manner you use to apply for a job by sending it to 2-3 friends who use different email providers (gmail, yahoo,etc) to see how the message looks on the receiving end.  Today there are some formats that open differently depending on the mail provider and the device the person is reading the message on.

 9) LinkedIn is not Facebook. Only connect with people you actually know. There is no value in collecting a large number of contacts if you do not know them.  You want contacts who "know you back".

10) Facebook is part of your digital footprint. Do not have anything in your Faceback presence that you would be embarrassed to have an employer to see. Many employers are asking candidates to allow them access to their Facebook accounts prior to an offer being extended. Employment Law may be unclear on this, but candidates are being asked.