Emailing Prospective Employers From your iPhone, Blackberry or Other Smart Phone

by Randi Lewis

Should you correspond with a prospective employer while on the go?   It depends.  

Consider this scenario:   You applied for a posted full time position.  The recruiter (named changed to Joan) contacted you and asked you to come in for an interview.  You waited almost a week to respond and then you wrote this in your car from your iPhone just before you went out for the day.  You were in a hurry and didn't read it over before you sent this email:

Subject: Checking in

Joan, im sorry for the delayed response. While i would love to jave the opportunity to work for your company i'm having a hard time with the commute that I would have to make. I need to try to work a few things out since I have two little ones. I was going that I could work from home two days a week would be an option bit it doesn't seem that way. Please let me know what you think.
Sincerely, [Name Withheld]

My response to the writer:  What were you thinking?  Why would you delay in responding in the first place?  Then when you responded, why didn't you wait until you were at your home computer?  And if, for some reason, you had to respond from your iPhone, why didn't you take the time to check your spelling and grammar?  And, this is much too informal and personal to send to a prospective employer.  Use this as a lesson learned.

My answer to the initial question:  If you are corresponding with a prospective employer and you must or should respond right away but the only means to respond is from your smart phone, then of course use the email on your phone.  But take as much time as you need to check spelling and grammar.  And make sure the email makes sense and is not too informal.  Most smart phones have spell checks on them and you should use the spell checks only AFTER you have checked the email yourself.  If it can wait, send it from your computer and check your work.

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Randi Lewis, Founder, Resume Boutique LLC

rlewis@resumeboutique.com | http://www.resumeboutique.com/

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