Forrester Media's Atlanta Video Production Blog

The value of old e-mail addresses

Yesterday we sent out our first holiday e-card. We e-mailed it to over 400 people - including our clients and vendors in the past few years. We've received some compliments on the Flash card and even better, heard from a couple of clients we had not worked with this year asking about possible new projects, which started me thinking about e-mail.

We have, in years past, mailed traditional cards to the same list, but seldom hear back from inactive clients. But this time - in a matter of hours - we heard from several. Most simply replied with their own holiday wishes, but two basically said 'good to hear from you...let's talk about a new project.'  A simple e-mail opened the door to new work from our existing client base.

Great story, you say, but is there more? Well, yes there is.

The real purpose of this post is to tell another story; the value of keeping your old e-mail addresses. When we sent out all those e-mails yesterday, about 10% kicked back as undeliverable. It appears that most are due to the person no longer working at the company.

Imagine - an employee spends several months or years at your company, then departs for some reason. You delete their e-mail address from your server. 'Done with them!' you think. You certainly are. All the contacts they made, all the relationships they developed have departed with them.

Which is why I don't delete old e-mail addresses. I simply forward them to a separate folder so I can monitor inbound e-mails from people who don't know they departed. That way I never miss an opportunity to connect with someone who wants to communicate with us - whether it comes in the form of holiday greetings or an inquiry for new work. Happy holidays!

Who am I and what am I doing here?

This is a continuing series of posts written from an employer’s perspective intended to give potential employees and freelancers insight into what I – and employers in general – look for in their next hire.

Last time I wrote about getting ready to make contact with a potential employer. This time, it’s time to make that contact. Often it’s quite easy to just send out a bunch of resumes and see if you get lucky and you manage to get a call back. That won’t work on most small business owners for one simple reason: it makes me think you are lazy.

If you don’t have time to send an ever-so-slightly personalized resume, don’t expect me to respond to your spam equivalent, especially when it is an employer's market.

Take a few minutes and learn a bit about the company you want to work for. Are they a good match for you? Do you see an opportunity to work on projects that you will find fulfilling and rewarding? If so, shouldn’t you want to know who these people are? Who would you be working for? If it’s a small business, the answer is nearly always easily found on their website. So go ahead and address your e-mail and/or cover letter to that person. Let them know you know something about them and why you are a great choice as their next employee or freelancer.

You also need to send a resume that is concise and allows your potential employer to know what you want to do. You would be amazed at the number of resumes I receive that, after a 5-second glance, I can’t tell you what it is the person wants to do. It’s a heap of job listings, references and contacts, but little about who the person is and what they want to do.

Remember, a resume is intended to get you an interview, not the job. The resumes I like best are one page and simple to read. Don’t over-complicate it. Give me your name and contact information, your area of expertise, what makes you qualified and some related experience. After reading your resume, I should want to call you.

You have about 5 seconds to impress me. If your resume doesn’t achieve that goal, you won’t get a call from me.

My advice is to par down the information to one page, list your top skills, qualifications and experience, then let someone else review it.  Get input from others to help you create a resume that gets results. Then send it my way!

Looking for work during an economic downturn - Part One

This is the first in a series of posts I'm writing to offer suggestions and tips to help freelancers - and really anyone - looking for work. It can sometimes be difficult to get your foot in the door during a good economy, but when things are not good, you really need to stand out in a positive way from others seeking the same job.

Over the years, I've talked with associates, competitors, freelancers and my employees to come up with what I believe to be some basic principles that will help you get or retain a job, gig or new career. I'll offer these suggestions and tips, all of which will be in the 'Employment' category.

Let's start with some basic tips, which I see ignored on a regular basis.

Before you even think about sending out a resume, you need to have accomplished a few things. Yes, it takes work on your end. If you don't want to put time into this, don't expect someone else to either. I can tell the difference and I quickly bypass those applicants that obviously don't care what I think about them - they only want a paycheck. How can I tell who they are?

They have e-mail addresses that might amuse a few friends, but not an employer. Same thing with their voicemail. I really don't care what 'chicks dig' or wish to find out 'what's up' when I see your return e-mail address or hear your voicemail. Show me you are somewhat professional. Same thing on your social network sites. Don't post items that you wouldn't want your grandmother to see or read.

Yes, sometimes we all have to behave like responsible adults.

Now most of you don't make the juvenile mistakes I mentioned above, but you would be surprised how many times I do see such basic errors in judgment from what I would consider more seasoned professionals.

A few months ago, I removed the hyperlink from the employment page on the company website as an experiment. I was tired of getting bulk e-mails from job hunters (which I immediately delete). The e-mail address was still on the page, but you simply had to cut and paste it into your e-mail if you wanted to send me your resume.

The result? E-mails to our resume mailbox dropped 60%. Sixty percent! People didn't want to take the time to cut and paste an e-mail address that could result in them receiving work! My conclusion: I probably didn't want you working on one of my productions anyway.

I have to provide outstanding service to my clients - they expect and pay for it. We'll adapt, change and do just about anything to keep our clients happy. Why would I expect anything less from my staff?

Take a step back and look at finding a job as, well, a job. It takes time, energy and involvement. Notice the details and make sure you project a professional image to your prospective employers.

Next time: Who am I and what am I doing here?