The other day, I received a hand written thank you note from a woman who interviewed for a Peppercom job
a few days before. The content within the letter was well written, offering up any number of reasons why this candidate believed she could provide value to Peppercom. It also graciously thanked me for taking 45 minutes to sit with her and explain what our company is all about and where we are heading.
I thought it was a great thank you letter. But, I have to admit that “she had me at hello” (in this case, hello being the point where I opened up the envelope to see a handwritten note). There’s just something so personalized that comes with this old fashioned correspondence. It tells the recipient that he/she is important enough to the sender that the extra time taken to write and mail this letter (versus a standard email) is well worth it.
This got me thinking about a larger subject related to job interviewing and how people start new jobs. Specifically, I started to reflect on some of the good and bad protocols that people follow (or disregard) when either coming into a company for the first time, or leaving it for another employer. Here are some random opinions I have based on my experiences as both an employee and employer.
Coming into a company
• Always show you are enthusiastic about the job… even if you’re playing other options – This seems like common sense. But, because there are times when all firms in our industry are hunting for a specific type of expertise, some candidates are highly sought after and they end up having multiple job opportunities to choose from (or at least interview with). I’ve watched a few train wrecks occur where these individuals didn’t know how to handle this great demand for their services. Because of this, they came across as either arrogant, or simply indifferent to us when the offers were about to be extended. No employer wants to ever feel like a candidate isn’t completely enthusiastic about the position he/she is interviewing for and, in these cases, we were absolutely turned off when it happened. The irony is that when we rescinded our offers, the candidates were shocked, profusely apologized and, only then, demonstrated real passion for the jobs. Both were too little, too late.
• When someone offers help, take it – When a new employees starts, it’s commonplace for other employees to offer help in answering any questions, pointing out systems or ways of operating and just navigating through the company. Sometimes, these gestures of good will are just that. But, the bottom line is that we all know how scary it can be to jump right into a new environment and be expected to understand the culture, rules of the game and how bosses, teams and co-workers operate.
Many new employees ask for help over the first couple of weeks, but then I find that slows down (or comes to a real halt) after that person reaches a comfort zone. I always found that to be quite interesting because I think that asking for advice, real help or simply having conversations with other employees (especially higher-ups) is critical for an employee’s growth and ability to do his/her job well. When I was an employee (yes, I still remember those days), I would routinely plan to spend a few hours per week meeting with my boss, other senior people from different areas throughout the company and even the CEO (when possible). During these sessions, I’d ask a ton of questions about everything that I could to learn about the company I was employed by, my profession and a variety of other topics. I can’t even measure how valuable that was in making me a lot smarter to push my career forward.
Leaving a company
• Your notice period means “still working hard” – How come most employees don’t understand this? Actually, I think they do. But, instead of caring about the fact that their employers expect them to keep producing during those two or three weeks before they leave, a bizarre near -sighted behavior takes over. Many start coasting after a few days (after they resign) and don’t follow through on assignments or projects because their mind is clouded with visions of nirvana that they believe their new firm will bring (which we all know is never reality). The result is that these soon to be leaving employees really anger their teammates, bosses and just about everyone at the agency they are leaving. It’s really very simple. First of all, the employees are still being paid a salary, so they should work as diligently as they did before resigning. Secondly (and more importantly), their earlier near-sightedness really impacts their reputation. And, that will follow them throughout their career (which I’ll discuss in the next point).
• A long career and a small industry – The reality is that most employees these days will have more than seven or eight different jobs over their career. If one believes in the theory that you’re only as good as your reputation allows you to be, then employees who are leaving a company need to understand that those relationships created in that job are vital to future job opportunities, potential new business and, of course, even the next place they will hang their hat. From a positive standpoint, keep in touch with those former peers from a networking standpoint. Believe me, it is important. And, on the other end, be careful about burning bridges because at some point in time, they will come back to haunt you.
I thought it was a great thank you letter. But, I have to admit that “she had me at hello” (in this case, hello being the point where I opened up the envelope to see a handwritten note). There’s just something so personalized that comes with this old fashioned correspondence. It tells the recipient that he/she is important enough to the sender that the extra time taken to write and mail this letter (versus a standard email) is well worth it.
This got me thinking about a larger subject related to job interviewing and how people start new jobs. Specifically, I started to reflect on some of the good and bad protocols that people follow (or disregard) when either coming into a company for the first time, or leaving it for another employer. Here are some random opinions I have based on my experiences as both an employee and employer.
Coming into a company
• Always show you are enthusiastic about the job… even if you’re playing other options – This seems like common sense. But, because there are times when all firms in our industry are hunting for a specific type of expertise, some candidates are highly sought after and they end up having multiple job opportunities to choose from (or at least interview with). I’ve watched a few train wrecks occur where these individuals didn’t know how to handle this great demand for their services. Because of this, they came across as either arrogant, or simply indifferent to us when the offers were about to be extended. No employer wants to ever feel like a candidate isn’t completely enthusiastic about the position he/she is interviewing for and, in these cases, we were absolutely turned off when it happened. The irony is that when we rescinded our offers, the candidates were shocked, profusely apologized and, only then, demonstrated real passion for the jobs. Both were too little, too late.
• When someone offers help, take it – When a new employees starts, it’s commonplace for other employees to offer help in answering any questions, pointing out systems or ways of operating and just navigating through the company. Sometimes, these gestures of good will are just that. But, the bottom line is that we all know how scary it can be to jump right into a new environment and be expected to understand the culture, rules of the game and how bosses, teams and co-workers operate.
Many new employees ask for help over the first couple of weeks, but then I find that slows down (or comes to a real halt) after that person reaches a comfort zone. I always found that to be quite interesting because I think that asking for advice, real help or simply having conversations with other employees (especially higher-ups) is critical for an employee’s growth and ability to do his/her job well. When I was an employee (yes, I still remember those days), I would routinely plan to spend a few hours per week meeting with my boss, other senior people from different areas throughout the company and even the CEO (when possible). During these sessions, I’d ask a ton of questions about everything that I could to learn about the company I was employed by, my profession and a variety of other topics. I can’t even measure how valuable that was in making me a lot smarter to push my career forward.
Leaving a company
• Your notice period means “still working hard” – How come most employees don’t understand this? Actually, I think they do. But, instead of caring about the fact that their employers expect them to keep producing during those two or three weeks before they leave, a bizarre near -sighted behavior takes over. Many start coasting after a few days (after they resign) and don’t follow through on assignments or projects because their mind is clouded with visions of nirvana that they believe their new firm will bring (which we all know is never reality). The result is that these soon to be leaving employees really anger their teammates, bosses and just about everyone at the agency they are leaving. It’s really very simple. First of all, the employees are still being paid a salary, so they should work as diligently as they did before resigning. Secondly (and more importantly), their earlier near-sightedness really impacts their reputation. And, that will follow them throughout their career (which I’ll discuss in the next point).
• A long career and a small industry – The reality is that most employees these days will have more than seven or eight different jobs over their career. If one believes in the theory that you’re only as good as your reputation allows you to be, then employees who are leaving a company need to understand that those relationships created in that job are vital to future job opportunities, potential new business and, of course, even the next place they will hang their hat. From a positive standpoint, keep in touch with those former peers from a networking standpoint. Believe me, it is important. And, on the other end, be careful about burning bridges because at some point in time, they will come back to haunt you.
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