OK - you want to put yourself in a good mood in the morning? - - call Richard Newsom - VP of Recruitment Operations at Fifth Third Bank (Wait! - Don't really call him! - - he will kill me! )

As with all of us, he is busy, has tight deadlines, and deals with the normal day-to-day challenges we all face professionally, as well as personally - - but when I call him, he has such a positive, pleasant greeting that not only does he make it inviting to want to talk to him, he gets me excited about his organization and having a great day.

So what does he say that is so powerful?

"It is a fantastic day here at Fifth Third; this is Richard Newsom - how may I help you?"

Now you have to know Richard. His background is in process improvement (he's a Six Sigma Black Belt I believe) and he is in charge of operations in his role in Fifth Third's recruitment organization (think metrics, process, etc.) - he is not a 'recruiter'.

His delivery does not come across as "salesy" and/or over the top. His delivery is positive, straightforward and sincere, and therefore - - - very impactful.

All recruiters (including myself) need to be mindful of the big impact your greeting has on the productivity of your conversation with candidates, hiring managers, etc.

In our role, we want to create an 'environment' that is friendly, open, positive and conducive to recruiting top talent, gathering information, getting people to provide referrals, engaging hiring managers, etc. Your greeting plays a HUGE part in setting the tone.

Of course it goes without saying that the same principle applies to your voice mail greeting.

Is your voice mail greeting up-to-date?

Are you upbeat and positive?

Is it "inviting"? Would you call yourself back?

Is it short and to the point?

Friday is a great time to reflect on this simple, small, yet very powerful part of our communication 'routine' with our customers!

I want to thank Richard for allowing me to embarrass him publicly !

I hope everyone has a fantastic Friday!