Monday Musings: Applying For A Job

This isn't so much of a musing as a PSA. I receive many job inquiries each year and while I am so flattered that people would love to come and work for our team, I have to say that I spend most of my time wondering what information people are getting about applying for a job ... so I am going to use this post as a little soap box.

Job Application Rule 1:

Actually want the position that is being offered, or at least want to be apart of the company you're applying to.

This is important! Do RESEARCH about the position and the company. Know the company's culture and figure out how you would fit in. Being fake or not knowing anything about the history, the brand or what the company does isn't going to get you hired.

Job Application Rule 2:

READ the person you are contacting bio and use the appropriate salutation. "Dear Hiring Manager" is not acceptable.

I receive at least a handful of job applications every week that are addressed to "Dear Sir" "Dear Mr. Green" ... neither apply to me. My image and my name are on my website. Its fairly apparently that I am a female. If it doesn't have "Dear Mrs. Green" or something to that affect at the top, you can bet that I delete without reading.

Job Application Rule 3

BCC is not your friend. Do not mass mail a bunch of companies at once. Spending time to cultivate your resume and your cover letter and whatever else you are required to send in. Tailor everything in your communication to the SINGLE company you are applying to. Yes, its tedious work but seriously, sending a mass job application email is just plain wrong. And yes,I check the to / from field.

Job Application Rule 4

Your email address should be professional. Use your name in some form, keep it simple. A hiring manager probably isn't going to take you very seriously if your email syntax is "lovesbigpapa@gmail.com" {I've seen far more perverse ones}, I know I won't. Doesn't matter if you are a Harvard grad and would be perfect for my team.

Job Application Rule 5

Follow instructions for submitting an application. Following directions particularly in a detail oriented industry shows that you detail oriented. Not following instructions shows me that you don't read, care or particularly want the job.

Job Application Rule 6

Please don't send a video resume unless you are applying for some awesome cinema related job. Nothing further needs to be said about this.

Job Application Rule 7

Please proof read every thing before you send. Use SPELLCHECK. Again, this industry is about the d-e-t-a-i-l-s.

Job Application Rule 8

Objectives aren't necessary. Don't include some generic objective because some 15 year old resume book told you to. I know what your objective is: to get a job. It doesn't need to be stately since you are writing to me for employment.

These are just the basics, but all too often they get missed which is a shame because I am sure that applicants are very qualified for the job they are applying for but they cut themselves out of the running by not put in the time and effort to truly make their application awesome.

Keeping Ego's in Check

Somewhere along the path of planning your wedding, its inevitable that ego's will collide ... I've found in my experience that traditionally those with the largest ego's are the ones who are pretty set in their ways of how a wedding should proceed and are slightly resistant to change. Ok, I lied, they are probably very resistant to change. So what can you do as a bride and groom to work peacefully with the unchecked ego?

Firstly, kill them with kindness. Chances are you're going to get frustrated, upset and angry but the best course of action is to treat this dinosaur with kindness. Don't get short with them, or say snarky comments. Be the adult in this situation. And secondly, explain as rationally as possible that while you appreciate their expertise, you've always envisioned your wedding day as x,y and z and therefore are they willing to bend and be flexible? What you don't want to do is show weakness and let them trample you. You want them to come around the bend in a thoughtful manner ~ at the end of the day, this entire day wouldn't be happening if you weren't getting married here at this place with these vendors, so make sure that the ego-maniac is reminded of this.

And as I always say "good luck"!

Hiring a Wedding Planner {Part 4}

You've sent the inquiry and now you get to ... wait. This being a client service related industry - expect to hear back from a wedding planning firm within 24 hours. If you send an inquiry at 11:55pm on a Friday evening, chances are, you'll get a response on Monday morning.

The response email should provide three things: whether they are are available on your wedding date, here are the services they offer, and an offer to meet for a consultation.

If you don't like the tone of their email, the services they provide or decide they just aren't your cup of tea: SEND A RESPONSE ANYWAYS even if its to say no thank you. Deleting and moving on in your life doesn't mean the planner moves on with her life. We will keep emailing you to set up a consultation. Its called persistence and every business owner has it. So, if you don't want to work with them or meet with them, just let them know or be inundated with follow up emails. Besides: its just common courtesy to respond and say no thank you.

On the flip side: if the email response was everything you wanted and more: BOOK A CONSULTATION WITH THEM! Let them know your availability {and yes, evenings are fine, weekends can be tricky especially if its 'in-season' for your area}.

Next week: preparing for the consultation & what to expect

Check out Parts I, II and III here

Wedding Etiquette

While I actively agree with not following all the traditional aspects of weddings {I did not throw a bouquet at my own wedding}, there is one large tradition of weddings that I just can't do away with: traditional RSVP response cards.

My husband and I were recently invited to a wedding and when I opened the envelope it felt a bit lighter than usual, and then when I pulled out the invitation, not much followed ... which I thought was interesting. I read the main invitation and then moved along to see the rest of the suite and lo and behold ... there was a card with the reception time & address and then an email address for people to RSVP to! That was it, no response card fill in and return.

While I understand that the additional cost of postage and printing of cards and envelopes can be costly and make a dent in your overall budget, its one of those expenses that need to be incurred. The RSVP card helps set the overall tone of what is in store for the wedding day and also allows your guests to interact slightly in the whole wedding planning process. By eliminating the RSVP card and replacing it, you're sending a very different message to your guests. Also, what if some of your guests are not tech savvy and don't have an email address? How would you like them to respond? Would you provide instructions on the card for those guests?

There are so many ways to re-invent traditional wedding etiquette to make it more 'you' and more modern and up to date, but your guests RSVP just isn't the place to try something new.

Do you agree or disagree?