The Negative of Downsizing your HR Department
When a salesman calls, you have a perfect right to cut him off pretty quickly or not return the e-mail or voice mail. This is just part of the times. He gets it and no feelings are hurt. When a candidate calls a potential hiring company and gets no response or a curt response, there is a lost opportunity.
I totally understand that the corporate world, large and small, has been cutting all departments to the bone; HR has not been excluded. The department is overworked and understaffed. Pragmatically, answering unsolicited resumes has to be at the bottom of the to-do list.
There are two problems here. Firstly, today’s applicants are not your average letter writer. They are hurting; they are scared; and they are desperate. They are perfect vulnerable targets for good will. Secondly, as a good corporate citizen, all legitimate communications should be answered.
I propose that a company will earn more corporate good will by hiring a $40,000 person to answer letters than by spending $400,000 on a corporate communications plan.
Written by Tony Reynes - Visit Website
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March 5th, 2009 at 10:42 pm
I completely agree with your view on the importance of responding to all job applicants. Having spent the last 24 years in sales, sales leadership and now sales consulting and training, I do however have a different perspective on unanswered sales calls and e-mails. Like those in search of employment, just about every sales person I work with is also hurting, scared, and desperately trying to hold on to their jobs so they don’t join the crowded pool of ignored job applicants.
It is, in my view, equally unacceptable not respond to salespeople IF the salesperson is doing the following:
· Following up on a prospect’s inquiry or on previous conversations, IF that salesperson has or thinks they have a viable solution to the prospect’s objectives. Not responding to follow up calls like these is pretty much the same as not responding to resumes and cover letters in response to a job posting. This type of non-response happens with alarming frequency in sales and there are few things that I find are bigger breaches of business etiquette.
· If it’s clear that the salesperson has done some research on the possible issues and opportunities they can address prior to making unsolicited sales calls (this is similar to sending a resume and letter to a company that’s not advertising for a position). Just yesterday I sent out one such e-mail to a Senior VP of Sales at a Fortune 500 company, having researched his issues. Unlike the vast majority of contacts, he had the good manners to get back to me…within 10 minutes! It probably took him all of 30 seconds to write his reply but he left an indelible impression in my mind as someone I would want to work with.
Whether you are selling a product, service or yourself, as the case with job applicants, it is a very good thing not to have to wonder where things stand or if someone even recieved your information.Just my two-cents,Carol Reynes
March 6th, 2009 at 9:36 am
Carol,
I agree with you 100%. There was a time when I answered all my calls, salesman or not. Now I answer if there is either some perceived need satisfied or some potential relationship to be established. That certainly leaves room for a cold-calling salesman who has done some research. Certain salespeople, with whom I have a relationship, I do not call back. from experience, I know that they are just trying to upsell me.
Isn’t it ironic, the more channels of communication open to us, the less we are interested in being bothered.
April 15th, 2009 at 10:50 am
The style of writing is quite familiar to me. Did you write guest posts for other bloggers?