Dear Gen Z,

We know you didn’t grow up with email, but us Millennials/GenX/Boomers use it daily for work, so for better or for worse, when you submit your resume, that’s likely how we’ll reach out to you to schedule an interview.  We’re sorry we can’t slide into your DMs with interview requests...we haven’t gotten there yet.

While it may not be intuitive to you, we use email to reach out to you when you submit your resume.  And when it takes you more than 24 hours to respond...we’ve moved on...and you’ve just lost that shot at a job or internship.

See, we’re headed into a recession (or are already there, depending on who you speak with) and for every job opening, we’re getting hundreds of applicants within hours.

If your resume makes it to the “worth a phone interview” list, you’re not alone.  We’re reaching out to many others as there are so many people looking for jobs.

What can you do?

1. CHECK YOUR EMAIL MANY TIMES A DAY - if this isn’t something you’re doing already, you want to make this part of your daily habits.  
2. Remember that companies are evaluating you based on numerous touchpoints.  How you respond to emails is one of those touchpoints.  Lack of professionalism, lack of responsiveness
   
   

Turns out, email etiquette is way more important than any of us thought. As a soon-to-be college graduate, I sat down with a recruiter to better understand how to up my chances at landing a job.

Nancy Soni, CEO and founder of PathMatch, has worked in recruiting for over 20 years, and has developed founding teams such as Dollar Shave Club, Bonobos, and Snap. She says that one of the best ways to keep yourself at the top of a list of contenders is to respond to recruiters right away.

“Lots of students I’ve come into contact with over the years either open emails and don’t respond right away, or will just not check their emails for a week.” How does she know? “Like most recruiters, I have a setting installed where I can see who opens emails I send and what actions they take,” says Soni.

When students don’t check emails or decide not to respond because they’re at a TikTok themed birthday party, they significantly lower their chances of getting hired.

Here’s an example for you..

Let’s say you go on spring break for a week, log onto your email after getting home, and you have 5 new interview requests. Those have now been sitting in your inbox, unopened for 3-7 days. Now a recruiter is going to a) prioritize applicants who DID respond over you, and/or b) conclude that this job probably isn’t a priority for you, and therefore he/she shouldn’t hire you anyway.

The way that you conduct yourself in an interview process indicates a few things to employers. 1) your level of interest and 2) how you’ll be as an employee. If you don’t respond to emails, how do you think that makes you look?

Tips:

1. Check your email.
2. Respond to recruiters/business contacts right away.
3. If you’re not in the right place to open AND respond to an email, don’t open it.
4. Don’t be lazy when it comes to your job search!

Want all this help to fit in your pocket for on-the-go resources that don't require you to check an email? Download our PathMatch app today!