If you’re looking for employment at the moment, you will know all too well that you have to make a good first impression with employers to stand a chance out there. Surprisingly, one of the ways many job-seekers fail in making that critical impression is from lacklustre communication skills or etiquette.
It’s paramount that the modern job-seeker can communicate effectively with a potential employer; otherwise it can come across as being unprofessional or even careless. When it comes to face-to-face, telephone, and email etiquette, there are social expectations, some obvious, some less obvious.
Below we’ll take a look at these 3 main forms of communication and how you can make sure you are creating the best first impression you possibly can to potential employers.
Email could be considered the easiest form of communication of the three as you have plenty of time to compose a good message.
Professional emails are just that – professional – that means no emoticons, slang, jokes or the like. Keep your message informative, polite and don’t write more than you have to.
Stick to a common and well-structured format so your email appears neat and well-spaced, making it easier to read, you can see an example below:
Telephone
When we talk about telephone communication, it’s mostly in regards to leaving a message as many don’t expect to have to leave a message; they then have to record one on the spot without much time for thought.
By knowing exactly how to tackle leaving a voicemail message, you won’t be struggling for words when you find yourself in that position.
Remember to keep your message as short as possible and to make sure the person listening to the voicemail knows exactly who you are, and how to contact you. It is often good etiquette to repeat your contact number twice so that someone doesn’t have to re-listen to the message if they didn’t get your whole number the first time.
Below is an example of an effective voicemail message:
“Hi there, this is Joe Bloggs, I was hoping to speak to Ms Jane Doe. If she could call me back at 0141 123 456 that’d be great. That’s 0141 123 456, thank you.”
Face-to-Face
Talking face-to-face is much more complex than leaving a message, thus the more you practice, the better you will get at communicating effectively verbally.
There are some general pointers that you should always keep in mind when meeting and conversing with a potential employer, these are to:
- Always greet with a handshake and a “hello”.
- Smile to show that you are friendly and enthusiastic
- Avoid using slang or inappropriate language
- Take pauses to think about what your response will be if you need to
- Listen more than you speak
- End the conversation with a handshake
These are just some basic guidelines for face-to-face contact with an employer; naturally things will vary depending on the nature of the employer.
Remember to get in touch with HR Recruitment today to learn more about how to communicate effectively with employers, it is guaranteed to boost your chances of finding gainful employment.