You may not think that good manners matter in the modern – Fast paced – Ruthless – Survival of the fittest, world of business. Good manners in business is an indication that this is a professional organisation which treats both staff and customers with respect.
“Good manners will open doors that the best education cannot.” Clarence Thomas
Unemployment figures are down. We have more people at work and unemployment fell to 5.4% (lowest in 10 years) in March 2019. Despite this we have many sectors where it is still challenging to secure employment. I regularly hear about, and meet many prospective applicants who send out numerous CV’s and Applications forms for advertised jobs. I also hear that many of these employers do not reply to the many applications received.
Job seekers spend many hours preparing material for advertised job vacancies. Organisation research involves interaction with current or previous employees, checking out the organisation on LinkedIn, looking up their website to find the latest news and researching the specific industry or career sector.
Creating a CV or completing an application form will require a forensic approach, comparing your experience, qualifications, skills and abilities with the job specification criteria. Ticking all the relevant boxes and supplying the required information within the space allowed, is not always easy. People who excel in their own field of work do not always find the application process easy, but they persevere and carry on, in order to achieve their goal – An invitation to Interview.
So what happens when you do not get an invitation to interview, but rather you get a Letter of Regret. Surprise – Surprise – Job seekers tell me that if they were lucky enough to get a letter of regret, that would be a miracle. Most employers do not send a letter of regret. Candidates are left wondering if the job is still open, if the recruitment process is still ongoing or if the company has changed their mind and decided not to recruit after all. (Last one is very common)
At Career Coaching Matters, we advise all our clients to follow up after sending in an application. However, it is not always easy to get the information you require, despite leaving voicemails and sending emails. Even the smallest organisations have email nowadays. It doesn’t take long to set up an email facility to send a generic message to multiple email addresses without disclosing those email addresses. It is very easy to send a regret letter stating that the recruitment campaign is over, or that you have not been shortlisted for interview, or that you have decided not to recruit at this time. This would fall under the heading of good manners, and a little bit of respect to all the applicants who spent many hours preparing an application for the advertised job in your organisation.
Message to Employers – Recruiters – HR Departments.
Please think about the people who apply for jobs in your organisation, who read your website and research your company. Someday, you might want them to work in your organisation. Make sure that their initial experience with your company is positive, even if they don’t get the first job they apply for. You can ensure that they keep you on their ‘Good Organisation to Work For‘ list, by sending a simple courteous email with a word of thanks.
Message to Job Seekers – Candidates.
Follow up after you submit your CV or application form. Wait a week or two, unless otherwise informed, and contact the HR department or Hiring Manager. Telephone or send an email. If they do not respond to your email, then you have to question if this is about resources or policy. When you get a response, either positive or negative, remember to say thank you. If you are invited to interview, please send a note of thanks within 24 hours, regardless of outcome. You may wish to apply again for a different role at a later stage.
It’s not rocket science, it’s just good manners.
If you have any questions regarding Job Application, CV Creation, Interview Tips for both Interviewee and Interviewer, please contact Angela at @careercoachingmatters
Email: angela@careercoachingmatters.ie
Facebook: @CareerCoachingMatters