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Online Etiquette While Sending Resumes

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Emma and Julia applied for the same job over the internet. Emma emailed her resume to the HR head five times over a period of three weeks. Julia sent her resume once. When the HR did not respond, she sent a reminder note after a month. Julia got the job. Why? Emma and Julia were equally qualified for the job. The only difference between Emma’s application and Julia’s job application was online etiquette or ‘netiquette’.

Today, many organization post job ads online and people respond to these ads by emailing their cover letters, resumes, and other documents. Here there is no face to face communication and intentions can always be misinterpreted. Certain words could be misinterpreted. Therefore, it is imperative that you pay careful attention to online etiquette while emailing your resumes.

Style matters
When you are posting a response to a job ad, make sure you do not respond in all capital letters. Using ALL CAPS is rude and not polite. It makes it appear that you are shouting. Your resume could easily be ignored because you haven’t adhered to the etiquette guidelines.

Honor the hiring agent’s request
If you have been requested to send a resume in text only or ASCII only format, make sure you do just that. If your current resume is not in the prescribed format, then find out how to do so. HR agents always to want to view your resume in a format that is easily compatible with the database they are using. It’s important to honor the HR’s request. They want your resume copy-pasted in an email then do that. They want your resume in a Word document. Make sure you send only a Word document and nothing else. This is no place to get creative.

Multiple copies are a NO-NO
You may have sent in your resume before the deadline and now you are impatient for a response from the HR. Yes sure, the deadline has gone past but the hiring agents need time to sort through the resumes. Give them time to respond. Sending one copy of your resume is sufficient. In case, you have made some updates to your resume, make the changes and send across the final updated resume with a small note. Do not email multiple copies of the same resume. This is considered impolite. Most importantly, it could anger the hiring agent if you end up spamming their inbox.

Run a Virus Scan
John had everything going for him. His credentials were superb and he was perfect for the job. However, a virus in his email attachment to the HR personnel damaged his chances completely. He should have run a virus scan before sending out his resume.

Respond to the right person
You have been asked to send across the resume to XYZ of the company. Don’t make the mistake of sending your resume to ABC. ABC will not forward your resume to XYZ but will simply discard it.

Follow instructions
Remember to follow instructions as mentioned on the company’s website or the job advertisement. Don’t try to do your own thing here.

Be precise
When you are sending an online resume you have to be specific about your objective and goals. Hiring agents look out for specific tailor-made resumes and they do not have the time to go through generic resumes. All they will do is scan, look out for the key points, and sort your resume. Grab the HR agent’s attention quickly. That will increase your chances of getting the job.

Cover letter – only if needed
Sometimes organizations specifically request for a cover letter to accompany your resume. Only then you should send across a cover letter that is short and precise. Sell yourself but don’t oversell. Cover letters usually carry additional information missing from the resume. Do not send a cover letter if it has not been asked for.

If you don’t like it then no one will
If a particular habit annoys you then make sure you don’t do the same thing. If spam upsets you then do not spam the company’s inbox. Keep etiquette in mind when you want to make a good impression. The first impression here is your e-resume. So this impression has to be perfect. Do not annoy the HR person who is the first point of contact at your prospective company.

Online etiquette has truly become important in this era of faceless interactions. Actions could be misinterpreted and relationships broken because of improper etiquette. Keep these tips handy the next time you email that resume.

Article written and published by Sun Maag. Visit ResumeEdge.com for cv writing service, tips and more.

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TaskRabbit – Coming To Your Neighborhood Soon?

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I started following the story of TaskRabbit a couple months ago and briefly mentioned it on the work at home jobs page. I decided this innovative and growing company definitely deserves a full write up as it could be a nice source of extra income for many of you – if not now, then soon (you’ll see why I say that as you read through the post).

I want to mention ahead of time, that while most of the feedback I’ve read about the company has been positive, there are concerns that people have expressed that warrant looking into further. I cover those at the end of the article. If there are other questions or concerns you have after reading the article, please post them in the comments section and I’ll try to get the answers for you.

What TaskRabbit Does – It’s Much More Than Just “Helping People Run Errands”

Many articles about TaskRabbit mistakenly state that the company “helps people run errands”. That was my first impression as well. However, as I learned more about the company, watched its videos, read through its success stories, I realized it is MUCH more than that.

In fact, the TaskRabbit stated mission is:

“Our mission is to connect busy people with entrepreneurs who can help them get things done. In the process, we’re bringing back that old time neighborhood spirit.”

Once you get to know more about the company, you’ll quickly see it’s not just about “helping people run errands”. I’ve looked through their member stories and have seen a successful task matchups of all kinds including:

  • Getting paid to plant trees.
  • Getting paid to get bikes ready for road travel.
  • Dog walking
  • Scanning Receipts
  • Grocery Shopping
  • Organizing Family Photos
  • Organizing QuickBooks

So, no matter what your background, skills, or experience, there’s likely to be some sort of task that you’re qualified to do.

Questions And Answers About TaskRabbit – Interview With Founder Leah Brusque

The following video is a brief overview of TaskRabbit. I’ve included the video time segments that correspond to each question and answer section:

  • What is TaskRabbit? (1″ – 28″)
  • How Does TaskRabbit ensure safety for its users? (29″ – 49″)
  • How did you come up with the concept of Task Rabbit? (50″ – 1’24”)
  • What is TaskRabbit’s vision? (1’25” – 2’34”)
  • How much growth is TaskRabbit Experiencing? (2’35” – 3’03”)
  • Where is TaskRabbit Based & What Is Your Expansion Strategy? (3’04” – 3’51”)
  • Who are the TaskRabbits and TaskPosters? (3’52” – 4’28”)
  • How do people use TaskRabbit? (4’29” – 6’07”)
  • What’s the most innovative task you’ve seen on TaskRabbit? (

Why TaskRabbit May Be Coming To Your Area Soon

As of this article, TaskRabbit is available in certain metropolitan areas of the following states:

  • California
  • Illinois
  • Massachusetts
  • New York
  • Oregon
  • Texas
  • Washington

You can keep track of their expansion on their TaskRabbit Directory here.

So why do I say they may be coming to your area soon?

Because they have stated their plans to enter many U.S. cities. They’ve also indicated their plan to start expanding to London and Vancouver. because they are getting the funding to help them carry out their vision:

Not only have they been successful in raising money for their venture, but in Januaray 2012 TaskRabbit acquired SkillSlate – a similar company with “a focus on skill-based and artistic tasks – including personal training, tutoring, DJing and even fire dancing.”

Concerns About TaskRabbit

While feedback about the company seems to be mainly positive, here are some concerns some people have expressed about TaskRabbit (note: I do not know if any of these concerns are valid at this point):

  • Concern that because of the auction process some TaskRabbits end up getting paid very poorly.
  • Claims of excessive markups by the TaskRabbit company.
  • Concerns about lack of financial transparency
  • Concerns about screening of the TaskPosters

TaskRabbit founder, Leigh Busque addressed most of those concerns in her reply here to this article about a somewhat unhappy TaskRabbit. Personally, I found the article quite bizarre – and while it did raise possible concerns, most of the article consisted of the unhappy TaskRabbit contradicting themself several times and clearly not understanding how the TaskPoster review process operates.

Are There Questions Or Concerns You Have About TaskRabbit?

This is a young company and I only recently started paying attention to it. I like the concept, but I would like to look into some of the concerns that I’ve run across – especially about the transparency of the markup amounts. If you have any other questions or concerns, please post them in the comments section and I’ll try to find out what I can either through research or through contacting the company directly.

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Find Mystery Shopping Jobs At MSPA

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This is a quick video I made showing how to find mystery shopping jobs at the Mystery Shopping Providers Association. I didn’t have time to put commentary to it right now, but wanted to get it out to you:

http://mysteryshop.org/ is the direct link to the site. I recommend you watch the video first.

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