At WhyDoWork we get a lot of emails through our contact form. We receive account update requests, partnership ideas, and a lot of junk!
Many people demand we stop texting them (we don’t do that), others want a $49.99 credit card refund (we don’t bill credit cards). However the one email that frustrates me the most are the job inquiries.
Lets take a look at the most recent job request from our contact form:
Now we do actually hire people from time to time (Data Entry Contractor Needed at WhyDoWork.com). However this is not the correct way of landing that position, nor any other work at home job, nor work anywhere in the universe.
A few tips for the newbies trying to contact a potential employer:
- Use a Proper Greeting – Try ‘Good Day’, ‘Dear WhyDoWork’ or better yet try find out where the email is going and address the person directly. ‘Hello Joe’. The more personal the better your chance at a response.
- Use Proper Grammar – All your words must be spelled correctly, and your grammar better be tight if you want to be taken seriously. DO NOT USE ALL CAPITALS!!!!
- Get to The Point – Make sure you write enough to make the email make sense, however don’t run on. If a known position is available, explain what you are after and how you are qualified. If no actual position at the company exists, try and create one! Explain what value you might bring to that organization.
- Show Intelligence – People don’t have time to explain things to you. If a position interests you but you want more details, make those questions very specific. Do as much research about the position as you can before applying. As a potential employer if I see that you don’t understand the job description, I’m going to assume you won’t be able to do the job.
- Request Follow Up – Everyone wants to know that their email was read and acknowledged. It doesn’t hurt to ask for that in your email. ‘I look forward to hearing back from you’, ‘Let me know if any positions will be opening up at your company in the near future’, ‘Thanks for your time, I look forward to discussing this opportunity further’. These are just a few examples but I think you get the idea.
Seeking employment for those that are new to the game is intimidating and my post wasn’t meant to make fun, but to educate. I hope these tips help someone land a job.
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I agree with what you said on job searching.
Given the current unemployment rate, there must be a lot of competitions. The only way your resume can stand out is you don’t waste time yet gracefully get to the point and show some Intelligence.(As what is said in the article.) Good tips, thanks!
Jaymie
Pacific Timesheet
Your comment is really nice in this post with have a great thinking….
I bet that guy is a troll just trying to get a rise out of you. There’s no way somebody could be that stupid. I really laughed when under “Website” he put “YAHOO.”
I believe that if he really “needed a job straight away” he should have taken the time to write an honest description of everything..
Hahahahah! I need a job, right now! Sometimes the fallout from the texting generation reflects in the way that correspondence gets handled. Bare bones stuff with no social skills whatsoever. It is funny, although very unlikely to get hte result the author craves….
That’s like a hilarious way to not get a job. Are people like that serious? Muttering a few words and you’re supposed to hire them? Wow.
Yes… “NEED A JOB RIGHT AWAY NOW” is not very professional. I guess he was using the caps to emphasize his urgency, but really it’s just silly. Its almost as if the person is trying to scream the message. If he really “needed a job right away” he should have taken the time to write an honest description of everything.. not all of that.
Till then,
Jean
Yes, i did received similar type of email for home based business hiring, but when i reply to that email, they were actually asking me to pay sort of joining/registration fee before joining them…:( What the heck, i am looking for a job and i am expecting to get paid, but you are telling me that i have to pay before i work for that job!
Yes I sure hope that wasn’t someone seriously looking for a job. If it was legit, that guy has many years of welfare to look forward to. It is amazing how little common sense some people have. I’m surprised that schools don’t do a better job of preparing students for basic things like applying for work.
I agree that this can’t be a serious request. Even if you’re semi-stupid you would never go about trying to apply for a job like that. But it’s still funny
This was a prank or the stupidest job seeker ever to walk this earth. lol.
I can assure the folks who think the job request was a prank that it is almost certainly genuine.
I get many emails exactly as silly myself. When I worked in my last ‘dirt based’ job I often had to screen resume’s and cover letters for my boss. It was absolutely amazing how so many people wouldn’t even get the name of the company right, or would seem to go out of their way to sound disconnected with the real world. Also, we request the applicant’s email and told them all transactons would be done online. Applicants would use emails like ’sweet hor girl 69′ or ‘better lover than you husband’ and such .. occasionally they were even pornographic.
You mean that for a job, which they claim they desperately wanted, they couldn’t even be bothered to register a free alternative email that was just their real name, or something else businesslike?
Accepting resume’s or job inquiries in today’s world is a real hoot … no wonder some of these folks are looking rather than working.
Should we just say some people lack etiquette? Well, I think you did the best thing to show them how this is doe
All the points are correct. I strongly agree that the more it is personal the more it can be accepted. All employers seekers must know those things.
Great post
I would have gave a less polite reply. But I guess we have to appear professional regardless.
Yes… “NEED A JOB RIGHT AWAY NOW” is not very professional. I guess he was using the caps to emphasize his urgency, but really it’s just silly.
I totally agree with your views. Job seekers need to be more polite, honest and professional, while making their job request. But this is really funny”NEED A JOB RIGHT AWAY”
Now I know why still don’t have job in this site maybe I can fix my mistake
Thank you
Great Article!
Had to be someone messing with you. No one is that stupid.
It seems that people who don’t speak english as their native tongue, doesn’t quite understand the subtleties of good language use. There is definitely a market in providing some basic english skills services….
these are definitely the pre-requisites of applying any kind of job… the request or the email in this case reflects the person… many studies went on this though… and i agree with all of them… that our way of writing the email reflects our personality…. people must look after the proper method stated in the post to strike the right chord
its fun reading this post
I remembered this post and sent it to my HR manager a while ago. We had such a good laugh about it.
I’d like to say that those emails are a joke, but I get lots of similar emails from people who want a hand with work at home stuff.
It’s like people think that just because you’re not face to face that common decency can go out the window.
I hope people who actually need a job heed the advice in this post.
Have fun!
Sean
keep it up this nice sharing with have a great sharing……
I’ve always found that writing an informative cover letter is important. I’ve heard of HR recruiters either skipping the cover letter (or cover letter email) altogether and going straight for the resume, or simply reading the cover letter to gauge the persons’ grammar or background information. So why not write a cover letter to cover both bases?
That is the most stupid way to contact an employer. If you really need a job you wouldn’t do that. May be that attitude has cost them their previous job to start with.
But that is definitely not how you try to get in touch with an employer and make your first impression.
This post was really interesting – thanks so much for sharing!
Interesting post.Some people have no idea how to apply for a job and think that being anonymous online is the way to go.However, in this case I think it was a troll
Hi WhyDoWork,
I am really surprised with kinda suggestions you need to make to make. I believe that as professional from field, you would make relevant tips. But we both know that they are very basic & common sense.
That was a disgusting inquiry. You have a great post. This is the best guidelines to those who seek employment. In seeking any kind of job, professionalism and etiquette are important.
I don’t know I have seen some pretty ridiculous CVs and job requests in the past. Don’t discount them being serious.
Sorry I meant don’t discount them as being a joke, they probably are serious. Scarily enough.
good tips and a great reminder.
Joe, you are right in your points. There are many cases where candidates get frustrated applying for jobs everyday. I know this as i have many friends that are applying and i know many employers who are just advertising because of the federal requirement but in reality have no such openings. I know the candidates are seekers so they have to keep their patience and learn the best method to apply for a job.
It is really a great sharing with have a nice info.keep it up this nice sharing…..
Just make sure you write enough to make the email make sense.
“I NEED A JOB RIGHT NOW” wow what kind knowledge you are? you act not a professional job seeker
Joe, I have gotten similar inquiries since the Atlanta Journal Constitution job blog posted an interview of virtual assistants.. and I was mentioned. I can definitely believe that you have gotten unprofessional applications at times.
I imagine it must work from time to time or why do people send those out. And I can imagine more people doing it with the job rate at its current status. But I do agree a more professional approach is in order.