Communicate better - A Recruiter's Perpective

I am no expert in this field but am in a position to state some of my observations and learning in dealing with people. Having screened & interviewed hundreds of potential candidates and their resumes, the winners surely stand out:

1. A professional e-mail message or a resume needs to be crisp and precise. There are various writing styles but I'm a huge fan of brevity unless you are writing a novel. Don't go around in circles trying to convey something. Get to the point quickly. The reader will surely lose interest by the time you want to convey the actual message. If less words can convey a message, why use more? A warning here - Don't be abrupt.

2. Proof read - I'm surprised to see profiles & cover letters of many candidates with basic typos, inconsistency in fonts, grammatical errors, CAPITALIZED phrases / Bold fonts everywhere. Very small errors can be ignored but a pattern of such mistakes is a deal breaker. 

3. Phone skills - Voice modulation is important else the listener only gets to hear a monotonous tone & can lose interest quickly. Speak slowly yet clearly. The listener may not be able to grasp the speed at which your mind thinks. Pause often & make it interactive. Some people go on forever as if it was a "hold your breath" contest. 

4. Language & vocabulary - When it comes to professional communication, refrain from using very flowery or strong words. Remember your audience may be diverse in their background & may be offended by just a few words. It is difficult to undo such mistakes. Be culturally sensitive especially when you are dealing with a global audience. What may be acceptable or OK in one region may not work in the other.

5. Mobile conversations - When using smart phones or handheld devices to communicate, be extra cautious with auto-correct. There are some interesting  & embarrassing mistakes your phone can make for you. Double check before you hit send.

6. Presentation is key - When it comes to any written material, creative ideas can be applied to convey the message in a lively manner that sticks with the reader. Use pictures, graphs or charts wherever appropriate to make any boring topic interesting. Remember, in this day and age of information overload, everyone is trying to get a piece from your overall attention span & this strategy surely helps.

? Siddhartha Lamba Aug 2015

Disclaimer - All views expressed are my own.