Jobinablog

Before you send that email, just think for a second...

We all send them every day, but do you think about what you are doing before you press send? Believe it or not Seth Godin - who can only be described as one of todays thought marketing Guru's - has created a very interesting checklist of 34 (yes 34!) things you should consider once you have written the email AND before you send it. I guarantee this will get you thinking!! They are:

1. Really? They've written back? (if no, reconsider email).
2. If it is a cold-call email, and you're sure it's welcome, and you're sure it's not spam, then don't apologize. If you need to apologize, then yes, it's spam, and you'll get the brand-hurt you deserve.
3. Am I angry? (If so, save as draft and come back to the note in one hour).
4. Could I do this note better with a phone call?
5. Am I blind-ccing my boss? If so, what will happen if the recipient finds out?
6. Is there anything in this email I don't want the attorney general, the media or my boss seeing? (If so, hit delete).
7. Is any portion of the email in all caps? (If so, consider changing it.)
8. Is it in black type at a normal size?
9. Do I have my contact info at the bottom? (If not, consider adding it).
10. Have I included the line, "Please save the planet. Don't print this email"? (If so, please delete the line and consider a job as a forest ranger or flight attendant).
11. Could this email be shorter?
12. Is there anyone copied on this email who could be left off the list?
13. Have I attached any files that are very big? (If so, google something like 'send big files' and consider your options.)
14. Have I attached any files that would work better in PDF format?
15. Are there any :-) or other emoticons involved? (If so, reconsider).
16. Am I forwarding someone else's mail? (If so, will they be happy when they find out?)
17. Am I forwarding something about religion (mine or someone else's)? (If so, delete).
18. Am I forwarding something about a virus or worldwide charity effort or other potential hoax? (If so, visit snopes and check to see if it's 'actually true).
19. Did I hit 'reply all'? If so, am I glad I did? Does every person on the list need to see it?
20. Am I quoting back the original text in a helpful way? (Sending an email that says, in its entirety, "yes," is not helpful).
21. If this email is to someone like Seth, did I check to make sure I know the difference between its and it's? Just wondering.
22. If this is a press release, am I really sure that the recipient is going to be delighted to get it? Or am I taking advantage of the asymmetrical nature of email--free to send, expensive investment of time to read or delete?
23. Are there any little animated creatures in the footer of this email? Adorable kittens? Endangered species of any kind?
24. If I had to pay 42 cents to send this email, would I?

If you missed this advertising faux pas.......

If you haven't already seen this on my Sirona Says blog, then this video will certainly bring a smile to your face!!

It demonstrates that when designing an video add campaign, make sure you keep it vaguely legal (from an employment law point of view anyway!). Careerbuilder have got alot of press from this but they don't seem too bothered!! So enjoy this video and if you are a bit of a prude, look the other way!!

SME's and interviewing - it doesn't mix, does it?

Recruiting the right people for your business is crucial, but are SME's (particularly owner managers) equipped to locate the people they need for their business? This was a subject I was recently asked about for an interview with Making Money magazine. I thought I would share one of the answers published in this months magazine. Asked the question, 'Do owner/managers need to brush up on their interview technique?', my response was:

" I don't think they (owner/managers) understand what recruitment is. And to be honest, why should they? It is a complex process that contains many changing variables, and many companies struggle to get their head around it. It isn't simply a question of them getting it right first time, because I don't believe they look at the process in that much detail anyway. Many times they instruct a colleague to place an advert in a local paper and then interview the best looking CV's. Then when it doesn't work out they can't understand why?"

Does this sound familiar? I hope it doesn't, but from my experiences it is an all too common occurrence!!

(If this is happening in your company and you want to change it, you know where we are!)

Be creative to help your direct recruiting

Lets be straight about one thing, job seekers look at many job opportunities, and will consider many  different jobs. So why on earth would they look at on line adverts that are just boring job descriptions? Many companies still insist on just placing these boring items on their career sites and expect job seekers to be excited by them. That is just such a big mistake - job seekers want to 'be sold' an opportunity, and be told the benefits (ever heard of the feature and benefit sell?) to them. They also need to be able to say to themselves (or out loud should they feel the need!), "that looks a great job, I am going to apply today!". Get it now? You should be selling your jobs not telling people about them.  You only need to show them the full job description when you have the interest of the job seeker - by then they are an interested party and then they will want more information.

This makes a massive difference to the performance of adverts, whether on a career site or on an online job board. Generally speaking, if you write an add and it doesn't excite you as the writer, then you can sure that it won't excite the reader, so write it again.

The high sales cost of a new recruit

£HOW MUCH??

In a previous post we have seen how expensive it is to recruit new employees to the business, but there is a further cost to the business that is considerably higher. How much business does your company have to do, selling its product or services to then pay for the recruitment costs?

Don't do it!!

The most common mistake that companies make when trying to recruit staff, is to simply advertise the job description. Don't do it - job descriptions are not designed to sell you the job, they are there to explain the function of the job, instead write an appealing and enticing bespoke advert....every time!