Resume Tips – Contact Info Ready
Once you have the CONTACT INFO section format update, it is time to review your email address and voice mail message. Why? Well, if you happen to still be using an email address you created years ago, it may be inappropriate and can turn off recruiters. Here’s an example of one such inappropriate email address: hotbloodedsugarmama@example.com. While that may be proper representation of your personal life, it can fall short in the professional arena. Since email accounts are free and plentiful, create a new one just for your job search such as: janedoe2022@example.com. (My team and I have had quite a few laughs at some crazy email addresses over the years that belonged no where near a job search journey.) Once you know your email address is “job search safe” and you start applying for positions, you will need to make sure you check your email every single day.
You also need to do a voice mail review – just call yourself and listen to your Voice Mail Message to make sure that it is also appropriate for someone who is conducting a job search. Wait, what? You don’t have your VM set up??? Well, now you will. Even if you never listen to your VMs, and just call the number on your missed call feed, you NEED to have your VM set up for your job search and it needs to sound professional. Recruiters and employers absolutely HATE it when they call a new candidate, the person doesn’t answer (because, really, who answers an incoming call from a number they don’t recognize? Not us…) and then we get the auto message saying “This person does not have their voice mail set up.” or “This person’s voice mail box is full.” At that point, we can’t leave a voice message saying who we are, the name of our company and why we are calling. We have tons of resumes and most often, we move on to the next one. (Time is money!) We also roll our eyes when a candidate sees a missed call, doesn’t recognize the number so they call back and say, “Someone from this number just called me but I don’t know who it was.” We ask if the caller left a VM, and you know what we hear way too often? “I didn’t listen to it.” We have to ask them to hang up, listen to the message and call us back. Want to know what the recruiters are saying at this point? Yep, “strike one for that candidate!”
To recap, if you are serious about starting your job search, make sure you get ready before you begin. These two simple things can help you move forward once your resume is the hands of a recruiter: Have a professional email address, and check it daily; and have your voice mail set up with a professional message on it, and listen to all your voice mails before calling any missed calls back. That is, IF you want to make a good impression, and IF you don’t want recruiters to toss your resume in the BAD pile. 🙂