If there's any small solace when starting a job search in this recession, it's the proliferation of digital technology to help you re-enter the working world. Web sites like Indeed.com and LinkedIn.com have multiplied the number of job openings you can track and the professional contacts you can make. E-mail and smart phones make it easier to pitch yourself and set up appointments.
Here are eight technology etiquette tips to help job seekers.
Avoid email blasts
Resist the temptation to respond to each online job listing in your field, and focus on those that fit the best. Only about 6 percent of jobs are filled by candidates recruited through advertisements, said Wendleton, whose firm also conducts career research. If you can use personal contacts to learn about an opening that's not widely publicized, your chances of landing the job increase because you've got fewer rivals.
Instead of blast e-mailing, use the Web to research potential employers and put yourself in position to recite key facts about that company should you land an interview.
"Too many people are sitting there all day hitting that send button on their computer, answering ads, answering ads," Wendleton said.
Embrace snail mail
In your first contact with a prospective employer, you're unlikely to stand out if you join the legions of job seekers sending 'hire me' pitches via e-mail with resumes attached. E-mails also are too easy for a hiring manager to delete. With snail mail, you control the appearance of your carefully crafted cover letter and resume.
With e-mail, the user's machine can control settings for fonts and spacing. And managers can be wary of opening attached resumes for fear of unleashing a computer virus.
Avoid follow-up foibles
If you land an interview, pay close attention if the hiring manager specifies how to make any follow-up contacts. Email can be a good option because of its speed; if you send a follow-up note via snail mail, it may arrive too late in the hiring process to make a difference.
If the hiring manager is OK with email, send a message that addresses any unanswered questions from the interview and state that you're also mailing a hardcopy. In the snail mail message, do refer that you have also sent an email.
Whatever you do, don't follow up on an interview with an email sent via a handheld gadget - there's too great a chance you'll thumb-type a typo-ridden message. Only use handhelds to send brief, timely emails confirming an appointment or advising you're running late for a meeting. Don't type without regard to grammar and capitalization, and resist including smiley faces or other emoticons in electronic messages. "There is no circumstance where that is appropriate," Wendleton said.
Source : infotech.indiatimes.
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