The expression "send it to my FAX, or via e-mail" has become commonplace for job seekers today. With the rapid growth of FAX transmittals and electronic submissions, it was inevitable that employment services and executive recruitment agencies would begin to FAX or e-mail resumes, cover letters and other employment-search correspondence to potential employers. What are some of the advantages in this type of submission?
SPEED. If an employer is especially desperate to hire and time is of the essence, speed can pay off.
CONVENIENCE. Even with employers who aren't desperate, the FAX machine or e-mail can make the recruiter's life much easier. Resumes faxed or e-mailed in response to a specific need, for example, reduce the recruiter's need to search through his files for appropriate candidates.
INGENUITY. As the trend toward faxing and e-mailing resumes catches on, those job seekers who first submit their resumes this way may be rewarded for their ingenuity with an interview. Of course, the strategy could also backfire: A company where faxed resumes aren't common might find it an intrusion rather than an innovation. In fact, there are several disadvantages to fax machines and e-mail submissions which must be weighed against their convenience:
APPEARANCE. Although technology continues to improve the appearance of transmissions, some faxes still look like the smeary vinegar-and-dry-ink variety of 30-year-old copiers. E-mail submissions are usually "choppy" in appearance and vital information can be left out.
INAPPROPRIATE USE. Unlike a letter (or even an express-mail package), a fax transmission is intrusive, literally spilling into the lap of the recipient. If used appropriately, faxes are wonderfully quick and intimate; if used inappropriately, they're annoying at best and insulting at worst. So what should the job seeker do who prefers this means because of its speed and convenience? Like most etiquette questions, the answer is simple: Use common sense and be polite.
1. Never send an unsolicited ("cold call") fax or e-mail submission. Contact organizations ahead of time and request appropriate FAX numbers and e-mail addresses along with contact names.
2. Make sure that the fax or e-mail submission will be seen by the right person. Always submit your material first with a cover letter if using a fax, or brief paragraph introducing the resume on an e-mail submission.
3. Always show proper etiquette. Like everything else in the employment- search process, politeness pays. Don't send reams of documents, or lengthy resumes (more than two pages), letters of recommendation, transcripts, writing samples, etc. Not only are you tying up the company's fax machine, or sending an e-mail that is entirely too long, you're also bordering on arrogance.
4. Important! Always follow-up any fax or e-mail submission of your resume with a hard copy of this material. This "fail-safe" system assures that your resume gets to the right person, and that the recipient has a clean, smear- free, and legible copy to pass around. Such follow-up not only reinforces your name with the recruiter, but offers the opportunity to send additional background materials.
--Kay LaRocca is Vice President Corporate Services for CareerSoar.com. Her email address is kay@careersoar.com.
