Email Bloopers to Avoid When Job Hunting

Have you ever experienced a heart-stopping episode where after typing a critical email message, you click on “send” and suddenly get stricken with the realization that you just sent it to the wrong person?

With billions of emails sent daily all over the world, email bloopers are bound to happen. I’ve had my share of mishaps and have spent sleepless nights over some of them. It happens to most of us and all you can really do after the head-banging is to forgive yourself, learn from the mistake and get better at it.

As an HR practitioner, I receive hundreds of emails from job applicants every month. Although I appreciate the interest in my company, I am dismayed with the fact that majority of job applicants commit email blunders that become huge barriers in their job hunting endeavors.

See, the first step in the Job Application Process is sending out your resume. As we all know, email is the easiest way to do this. But if you do not do this properly, you may never get to the next point.

So let me share with you a few email do’s and don’ts that I hope will help you increase your chances of getting that much-awaited call-in for an interview.

Focus Your Search
Some applicants email blast their resume to hundreds of companies all at once. You might think that this will save you time but it actually is a waste of time. As an HR practitioner, I immediately delete an emailed resume that has several other companies’ email addresses in the “To” or “Cc” fields because I know that the applicant is not really interested in my company and does not know proper email etiquette---a critical skill that we look for in our employees. So instead of a machine gun approach to job hunting, it is better to focus your time and effort in applying to select companies that you are really interested in or are suitable for. Be sure that only one email address appears in the recipient box.

Write an Email Message
Out of every hundred applicant emails that I receive, only five have a message or application letter. Most applicants simply attach their resume without even a message or any indication of what position they are applying for. This is very confusing for HR practitioners who have several job vacancies to fill. If you want to stand out from the rest of the applicants, take the time to write a simple and grammatically-correct application letter. If you feel you are not good in writing, find someone who can help you.

Polish Your Resume
A resume is a document that shows your education, skills and experience. It is “YOU” on paper, so prepare it well. For me, the number 1 crime in resume-writing is grammatical errors. Since this is a critical document that can make or break the starting point of your career, I believe that you should invest the time and effort to write your resume well. If you are not good with grammar, find someone who can help you write or check your resume. The second crime is terrible photos. Some applicants attach mug shot photos of themselves wearing sloppy-looking T-shirts. When job hunting, you want to impress recruitment officers not scare them away. So invest in a good quality photo of yourself.

Send the Correct File Format
Attaching a file copy of your resume is acceptable for most HR practitioners. However, it becomes problematic when the applicant uses a software program that is unfamiliar, inaccessible or incompatible to the company’s computer system. For example, if you have Windows Vista and use a higher version of Microsoft word, the file format that you will most likely send out is .docx or .xlsx. Majority of office computers have not upgraded to Vista, so save your document using a lower but more widely used version such as files with a .doc format. If your resume can’t be opened, it won’t be read by the recruitment officer.

Add a Special Touch
The best and most memorable online application that I have ever received in my lifetime was from a third year IT student named Jana. She sent me a well-written email informing me that her school has a practicum program and she would like to apply as an OJT for a period of 3 months in my company. Since she was from the province, she emailed me her resume and a letter of authorization from her school and arranged for a scheduled interview. On top of that, she sent me a link to her simple but decent online resume website and that impressed the heck out of me. Now you might say, “Oh but she has an IT background that’s why she was able to do that”. I beg to differ. You don’t need to be an IT expert to create your own website as there are a lot of free sites that can help you with that. What made her great as a job seeker is not her skill in IT, rather, it is the time and effort that she spent in representing herself well. I hired her on the spot and she didn’t disappoint.

Email Etiquette
A lot of job seekers think that the main reason why they have difficulty in finding work is because they do not have connections, they lack experience or they are not a four-year degree college graduate. Valid though these reasons may be, I think the problem is more basic than that. Many job seekers have a difficult time finding a job simply because they bungle up the first step in the process. This can easily be remedied with the basic email etiquette know-how that I shared above. Be polite, be presentable and be accessible. It only takes a little extra effort to increase your chances of getting your dream job, so invest in it and don’t let these excuses hold you back. Good luck with your job hunt!

Jhoanna O. Gan-So is president of Businessmaker Academy and the managing director for HR Club Philippines. They conduct seminars on HR Management, Job Evaluation, Labor Law and Trainers Training. Together with her team, she has recently launched the INSTANT HR TOOLKIT, a service that provides HR practitioners with over 100 ready-to-use downloadable, customizable and printable HR manuals, contract, letters forms and templates. To know more about the HR seminars they offer, you may visit www.businessmaker-academy.com or call (632)6874645. To know more about the Instant HR Toolkit, you may visit www.hrclubphilippines.com. You may email your comments and questions to: mbworklife@gmail.com