A question for managers/employers

[florida-again]

....would whether an applicant had applied by letter or by email, make any difference to you?

Now that I'm applying for what will be my career, I'm wondering if applying in the mail gives a better impression than just an email with a cv attached.

Thoughts?

 

[inaminute]

I thought you already had a great job making...what was it? Oh, yes. The equivalent of $100,000 a year? Why would you be looking for something else?

If it's because this is a temporary job, I would follow the preferences of your current employer. That would be a much better place to garner the information you seek.

 

[florida-again]

I thought you already had a great job making...what was it? Oh, yes. The equivalent of $100,000 a year? Why would you be looking for something else?

If it's because this is a temporary job, I would follow the preferences of your current employer. That would be a much better place to garner the information you seek.

I'm toying between two things, the well-paid secretarial job, and the idea of working in the events industry (which is what I'm applying for too). I will check with my career advisor on Monday about emails vs mail, I just wondered what people here thought.

 

[hiwaygal]

If the advertisement had an email address in it, then replying by email is apparently acceptable by the manager.

If there is no email address, and you just happened to find it on a website, then sending a letter is the preferred way to apply for a position.

Personally, I would rather see the letter/resume. It shows a little more "interest" because it takes a little more effort than an email.

 

[ducklite]

In my current job I have to place employment ads and prescreen potential employees. I prefer e-mails as it makes it easier for me to sort through them and keep them in appropriate folders I create in my e-mail system. It also shows me that someone has a clue on how to use a computer--you'd be surprised how many applicants we get for management level jobs who have no computer skills.

Anne

 

[Alicnwondrln]

we i have had people give me there references by email
a letter from a person from their email account
if they were away or something like that
we didnt care

 

[Lisa F]

I sent my resume by email in the form of a PDF (along with a cover letter, also in a PDF with the text of the letter in the body of the email). I got the first job I applied for and I shot high when I asked for salary and got it so I guess it worked.

 

[Galahad]

Can you make the "equivalent of $100,000" a year in the "events industry"?

 

[florida-again]

Can you make the "equivalent of $100,000" a year in the "events industry"?

Heck no! But I worked for a long time in the industry part-time and I LOVED it!
At the moment I'm still trying to figure out what I can do, what I want to do and whether I'd rather have job satisfaction or money.

It's a bit of a confusing time at the moment, they seem such big decisions to be making!

 

[Crazoo]

Personally, I would rather see the letter/resume. It shows a little more "interest" because it takes a little more effort than an email.

I never thought about that, but I don't see how it makes a difference.

An email is more convenient for the HR guys to pass around and sending it to the manager you will be working under before they decide wether or not to interview you.

 

[ducklite]

Can you make the "equivalent of $100,000" a year in the "events industry"?

In rare circumstances, yes, but general salaries seem to range from $15,000-$80,000/year, depending on title, experience, and location.

Anne

 

[ducklite]

I never thought about that, but I don't see how it makes a difference.

An email is more convenient for the HR guys to pass around and sending it to the manager you will be working under before they decide wether or not to interview you.

Absolutely! The ones I get in I review and "file" on my computer into four buckets... and I'll let you figure out what my "initials" stand for LOL!

ML (not at all interested)
TBNT (Good candidate but not what we're looking for at this moment. These resumes I go back to now and then if something else comes up that they are a match for to see if they might have interest)
B-List (the ones that are my second choice candidates if none of the first choice work out.)
Winners (The title is obvious)

The "Winners" get forwarded to the hiring manager for further review and to set up interviews. If there are only a couple "Winners" I'll sometimes send along a couple B-Lister's as well.

By law we have to keep resumes on file for a certain amount of time.

Anne

 

[hiwaygal]

I never thought about that, but I don't see how it makes a difference.

An email is more convenient for the HR guys to pass around and sending it to the manager you will be working under before they decide wether or not to interview you.

I think it very much depends on the industry and/or what the hiring manager or HR folks prefer.

I also think there's a little bit more of a chance that an email could get lost, especially with spam filters and depending on how many emails the manger/HR gets...but that doesn't mean a paper letter couldn't get lost either.

I do see your point about the convenience...but that was never an issue before email was around.

 

[cdrn1]

I don't favor one over the other; just make sure that you use a professional demeanor. I am pretty quick to dismiss an email that contains poor punctuation and spelling. I don't toss it, but it doesn't make the top of my list, either.

 

[ducklite]

I don't favor one over the other; just make sure that you use a professional demeanor. I am pretty quick to dismiss an email that contains poor punctuation and spelling. I don't toss it, but it doesn't make the top of my list, either.

Good point! And if the ad requires you repond to a particular person, make triple sure you spell their name right! I once ran an ad for a position that required some data entry--very detail oriented work. It said to send the resume to my attention. Anyone who spelled my name "Ann" rather than "Anne" was immediately in the ML pile.

Anne

 

[DVC-Don]

Either way for us is fine. But, unsolicited resumes are deleted/shredded.

 

[florida-again]

Either way for us is fine. But, unsolicited resumes are deleted/shredded.

What do you mean by unsolicited?

 

[Jynohn]

I work for a recruiting agency and at least 99% of the resumes we receive are submitted via email. We scan all of our resumes into our database electronically so the few that we receive by snail mail usually get tossed aside unless they are major standouts. In that case we will call the candidate and ask them to email us instead. I agree with whoever said it is much easier to forward emails to our hiring managers then to fax or mail them.

 

[Bob Slydell]

What do you mean by unsolicited?

Sending a resume in to a company that hasn't posted a job.

 

[Planogirl]

During my current hunt , I've noticed that many company websites have forms to fill out. It's usually a simple matter of fill in the blanks and cut & paste the resume.

I can see why it would be easier for the Hiring Manager to sort through the zillions of resumes if they are received on line. However it also makes anonymity of the Hiring Agent almost complete. It's really hard to figure out who to contact when following up!