Spam filters and your job search

Posted by David B. Wright

January 21, 2008

Face it, no one likes SPAM unless you’re either a spammer or an aficionado of the mysterious canned processed meat (which is surprisingly popular in Hawaii and Okinawa). But putting your shields up too high can sometimes hurt you, especially if you are in the midst of a job search and are expecting (or at least hoping) to be contacted by people you don’t already know.

I received an email from a friend, and he told me about a friend of his who is looking for a job. The email included her resume, so I took a few minutes to give her a few tips and some useful advice on how to make her resume much more high-impact.

So I sent this to her in an email, and I got an email back from her almost immediately - as it turns out, it was an automatic reply from her ISP that went like this:

<<<<<<
I apologize for this automatic reply to your email.

To control spam, I now allow incoming messages only from senders I have approved beforehand.

If you would like to be added to my list of approved senders, please fill out the short request form (see link below). Once I approve you, I will receive your original message in my inbox. You do not need to resend your message. I apologize for this one-time inconvenience.

Click the link below to fill out the request:
<<<<<<<

Obviously, I removed the link to protect the person’s privacy, but the point here is this:

If you are in the midst of a job search, do NOT make it hard for potential employers to contact you. This is so important that I’ll say it again with more emphasis: DO NOT MAKE IT HARD FOR POTENTIAL EMPLOYERS TO CONTACT YOU - if this means getting a little more spam than usual, so be it. But you are shooting yourself in the foot and potentially missing out on lots of opportunities because, frankly, most recruiters (both corporate recruiters and recruiting companies) will not bother taking the extra step to make sure you get their email. If you make it hard for them, they’re going to move on to the next candidate - they are very busy and if you don’t make yourself easy to contact, you’re doing yourself, your job search, your career, and your very lifestyle a huge disservice.

So if you have a spam filter set up through your email provider, as this person does, adjust the settings so that people don’t have to jump through hoops just to send you an email. Otherwise you might never hear about that dream job that you are perfect for, and that is perfect for you.

This also goes for ALWAYS answering your cell phone unless you’re in the middle of an interview. The person calling may not leave a message and might not call back if they don’t get you in person. Outside of a job search, you can manage your time far more effectively by letting voice mail handle the distractions, but when you’re looking for a job, you need to make yourself available.

To your success,

Dave

David B. Wright
Author, Get A Job! Your Guide to Making Successful Career Moves
http://www.TheGetAJobBook.com

Bookmark It