How appropriate is your message?

When you are looking for a new job, it is essential to present a professional appearance.  To many individuals, this means the clothing that you wear, how many accessories you add to your outfits, or whether you stand up straight or slouch in your seat while waiting to speak with your interviewer.  But let’s discuss a few of the items that are just as important but often overlooked to which you need to pay attention.

Phone messages – if your cell phone number is your primary contact, you may want to eliminate the phrase – “you know what to do” if it is included in your outgoing message.  Leave a professional message in a clear speaking voice.  Try to record your message in a quiet room to eliminate any background noises. Remove any background music.  Simple is always best – perhaps a message such as – You have reached (insert your first and last name here).  I am unavailable to take your call.  Please leave your name and contact phone number and I will return your call.  Then return the call as soon as you are in a quiet place so that you can concentrate on the phone conversation.  Interviewers will often do an initial screening through impromptu phone interviews.

If you are using your home phone number as your primary contact there are a couple of issues you should address.

1. If you live alone, leave a professional message in a clear speaking voice.  If you have the ability to check your messages remotely, do so often and return any calls promptly.
2. If you live with others, inform everyone in the household that you are anticipating phone calls related to your job search.  Try to leave a professional message on your family voice mail. Ask others, should they answer the phone, to record names and phone numbers for you so that you may return the phone calls promptly.

When you leave a message related to a job posting, make sure that you speak slowly and clearly.  Spell your name if there is an issue with pronunciation.  When leaving your phone number, it is best to say it early in the message and then repeat your name and phone number a second time for clarification.  Don’t make the employer work too hard to contact you or you may automatically get yourself eliminated from consideration.

Ringtones – while you may have your favorite rock group playing as the ringer when people call you, it might sound more professional if a basic ringer sound plays when someone is waiting for you to answer their call.

Email address – when you first established your email address, your primary objective may not have been to use it in a job search.  You may have been employed, a student, or a fan or enthusiast and created your email address because you were following a sports team, have a hobby, liked shopping or just wanted something “different”.  If your email address is anything other than your name represented with initials or full names i.e. jsmith or johnsmith or jsmith1, you may want to reconsider and create a new email address.  There are many sites that allow you to have a free email address like gmail, yahoo, hotmail and many others. Try not to include any numbers that would give away your age or too much personal information.

Social media – you have a twitter account and/or a Facebook account.  You post things in your stream or on your wall.  Would you want your grandmother to see what you are posting? Would you want a potential employer to see what you are posting?  Here are some things to avoid posting in your Facebook or twitter accounts:
That you:

• were drunk at work, late because you’re hung over, failed your drug test, or did drugs at work;
• slept with your boss;
• hate your job;
• called in sick when you weren’t;
• stole from your employer, napped while working, or played on the internet at work;
• lied to your boss to get time off or tricked them into giving you a raise;
• are quitting without notice or lied on your application or resume;
• just got fired or why you were fired.

Your updates and posts are visible through searches even if you protect your accounts.  Even if you delete your account, your information will still appear when someone enters a search term.  Remember, if you wouldn’t be proud to have your grandmother read it, don’t write it.

Forty-five percent of employers who responded to a CareerBuilder survey indicated that they use social media sites to research job candidates.  They tend to disregard candidates who have inappropriate photographs or information, content about drinking or using drugs, bad-mouth previous employers, show poor communication skills, lied about qualifications or shared confidential information from a previous employer.  What they look for is to get a feel for your personality, professional qualifications, if you present solid communication skills, are well-rounded, or receive awards and accolades.  In other words, your grandma would be proud.

How we can help – KCDEE offers many resources to help you gain a new position on your way to a career.  The Employment and Training Representatives at Kane County Department of Employment and Education can help you find all the information you need to make your resume get noticed.