Ames EDC

How Should Job Seekers Communicate with Employers?

Posted on December 18, 2019 at 9:00 AM by Guest Writer Guest Writer

By Katy McMahon, Owner of Ames Express Employment

In the past, the job search was simple. You would physically visit the company where you wanted to interview, grab a job application, fill it out, and wait for them to get in touch with you.

Nowadays, it's much different.

Express Employment Professionals surveyed clients to discover the methods companies prefer to communicate with candidates. We also asked candidates across the country if their preferences were in line with those of employers.

Leaders

  • 29% chose scheduled in-person interviews
  • 17% prefer email
  • 14% chose telephone
  • 5% liked in-person walk-ins

Job Seekers

  • 23% of job seekers preferred scheduled in-person interviews
  • 18% opted for email
  • 16% advocated for telephone
  • 13% were favorable toward in-person walk-ins

Across both leaders and job seekers, the results were generally the same, with one major exception: 13 percent of job seekers like to walk into a business and immediately interview, while only 5 percent of leaders prefer walk-ins. This suggests that job seekers should look for other ways to interact with companies.

Here are some of the best ways to contact companies in varying circumstances:

Email

Email is a great way to contact your interviewer prior to and after your interview. Interviewers are usually very busy and don’t have time for phone calls—using email sparingly can be a great way to get more information and show how professional you are.

However, if your interviewer calls you and leaves a message or requests a phone interview, you should not reply via email. Call them back.

Telephone

Leaders preferred telephone calls 14 percent of the time. Phone calls are perfect for phone interviews. However, most other conversations should be kept to email. Interviewers and company staff don’t have much time to speak with candidates on the phone, so job seekers are better off emailing.

Walk-Ins

Although 13 percent of job seekers prefer walk-in interviews, only 5 percent of leaders prefer them. This is due to the fact that many companies need to follow specific processes for how they hire individuals. There is nothing wrong with a job seeker walking into a business and leaving their resume. However, it is unrealistic to expect such a person to be granted an interview on the spot.

At the end of the day, the best method for contacting a company depends. Let the employer take the lead – but it’s usually safe to start with an email. Job seekers must remember to be professional in all of their interactions with a potential employer and to keep things short and succinct.

 About Express Employment Professionals
Express Employment Professionals puts people to work. It generated $3.56 billion in sales and employed a record of 566,000 people in 2018. Its long-term goal is to put a million people to work annually.

The Ames Express office is located at 1110 Buckeye Ave. Local businesses and applicants are encouraged to stop by, visit 515-233-5933

Categories: Developing Talent

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