Soft Skills Mini Tip: Don’t Assume People Know Who You Are
The other day I received this message in my Inbox (with the name changed):
“I would be available on Sept. 7 around 1:30 p.m. for the interview. Let me know if this works for you. Thanks, John”
There was no signature line identifying John or his company so my first reaction was, “Who is he?” Then, I thought, “This must be spam.”
However, I had contacted another person about an interview so concluded John might be responding on her behalf. I decided to write back to verify who John was. It turned out that John was the husband of the intended interviewee and because it was a husband and wife business, he could fill in for her.
If the message had clearly indicated who John was and had there been a signature line that included the company name, there would have been no confusion on my part. It is best to not assume people will recognize your name if you haven’t met them. Instead, give them as much detail as you can so that their first impression will be positive and they won’t think your message is spam. Make it as easy as possible to respond to you.
Discussion Area - Leave a Comment