All the same, when I received a text message, I was a little suspicious. Was it because of the company name? Bad grammar, perhaps? Out of state area code? Well, no, although the out of state area code didn't help.
RED FLAG #1
The area code was not one I recognized. In my area, I've come to recognize three different area codes as common, and this wasn't one of them. When I searched the area code, it wasn't in the same state or even the same time zone.
RED FLAG #2
No introduction, no company name, nothing. The text merely said "Hello, (my first name) (my last name)". That's it. No information to identify the sender, which company they were with or their connection to the company. I searched the phone number and found it was connected to an adult entertainment company.
RED FLAG #3
When I responded (bad idea, I know) and stated that I didn't believe they had good intentions, the sender finally responded with a name and company. However, they didn't acknowledge what I said and tried to continue as if they were a robot. Perhaps they were.
I followed up and stated that sending a text message with no context, simply "Hi, John Smith" comes across as suspicious and borderline creepy.
If you insist upon texting potential employees, please follow some of the same etiquette you would by email or phone call. You don't need to put a whole letter in the message, but at the very least include the following:
- Your name
- The company you're representing
- Your connection to the company
- The job in question
People are more likely to respond professionally if you start by identifying yourself instead of simply assuming that the person you're contacting will know who you are without any context.
No comments:
Post a Comment