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An e-mail is NOT a text follow this blog post

posted by on Aug. 5, 2009

Have we forgotten how to write a sentence?

When a candidate has an interview with a client, I send a confirmation e-mail.  This is in addition to the conversation we have on the phone.  I feel that is better to be safe than sorry and items get "lost in translation" over the phone.  I include:  the time, the interviewer, the location, an on-site phone number in case of getting lost, a link to a map for directions and ask for CONFIRMATION that they receive this e-mail.  Pretty simple, straight forward and my own personal way of ensuring someone heard what I said.   

 

This is an e-mail that I received in return:

 

i recd ur email. thnk u very much. i will call u when interview is over, and if u have anything else pliz let me know.........

Have I lost my mind?  Would you EVER send this to a perspective employer or someone that is going to represent you to a company?  I came VERY close to calling this candidate and cancelling the interview.  Granted the position is in a warehouse environment, but really?  Have we changed our acceptance of what is a sentence and respect? 

 

I think texting is a great way to communicate when you briefly need to get something to someone.  I think e-mail is a wonderful way to communicate efficiently.  However, is something else getting lost in translation?

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14 comments

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  • 1 point 3 months ago

    If I were texting an interviewer I would still not use any of those misspellings and abbreviations.  The "u" thing particularly bugs me.  It's bad enough when people write like that in informal online settings/emails, but when employment is concerned it's astonishing.  I have a very close friend who's fought his own battle with dyslexia for as long as I've known him, and despite this challenge he's able to form coherent sentences.  "Pliz"?  Really?

  • 1 point 3 months ago

    Thanks for all the comments.  There are great points for all of us to remember. 

    A little follow-up:

    I sent three candidates - all qualified by skills and background.  I did not "coach" the candidate or cancel the interview.  However, the feedback on this candidate was: "It was tough to communicate with him compared to the other candidates".

    Still interesting perspective and thoughts.

     

    Tiffany thanks for the laugh.

    Tom thanks for teaching your daughter the difference.  I still have my sons send hand-written thank you notes. 

     

  • 1 point 3 months ago

    If this candidate is from the Wash DC Metro Area, most likely these things were occuring:

    He/she was texting while driving and sipping on an iced coffee from 7-11 all the while driving with their left knee steering the wheel.

    Needless to say, the email should have been more professional.  For those of us that can answer email and text via the same medium (i.e., iPhone, blackberry, instinct, etc.) it can be easy to get lost in translation, but it needs to be a conscious effort to fix those "professional" texts/emails up so that your desire to get hired shines through as well.  Good topic!!

  • 1 point 3 months ago

    Last year, I got a few messages from people replying on their Blackberries and I would see double letters and the lowercase personal pronoun "I" and I wondered what was wrong with these people. And then I got a phone with a teeny little keyboard that routinely drops the "p" and doubles up letters. I have to proofread every email I send from my phone and do sometimes miss a mistake. So now I have a little understanding.

    For the message you received, I would make a phone call to explain the inappropriate use of txt msg spk while looking for a job! People don't know what they don't know no matter how much sense it makes to us.

  • 1 point 3 months ago

    Lisa, You are so right on to be upset. That is completely inappropriate!  However, as much as you might be tempted to, I would not toss the train off the tracks. If the candidate is qualified, and is in the process, I would just pick up the phone and give him/her a serious lecture about communications etiquette.

    A scheduled interview between a qualified candidate and client is not as easy to get as it was three years ago.  I would not throw it away, as much as I might feel like doing so.

    Good Luck!

    Jim

  • 1 point 3 months ago

     I would cancel the interview because the candidate showed such poor judgement.  This person could say just about anything to the hiring manager and think it's okay.

    And, imagine what type of thank you note they would write.

  • 1 point 3 months ago

    If he's loading, or picking orders, or something like that, you may consider that message to be fairly literate!  If he's going to be managing the inventory system, I'd expect more professionalism. 

  • 1 point 3 months ago

    I agree with Joann Robinson -- it depends on the position.

    If level of responsibility for this position is low -- then I would consider inproper grammar acceptable.

    But if the position requires attention to details and/or interaction with customers -- then such poor writing attitude is a bad sign.

     

  • 1 point 3 months ago

    I dont think it is appropriate at all, even if they are emailing from a phone. .  I could be way off base on this but dont cell phone data packages come with the ablity to send full length messages and isnt that the purpose of having it?  The messages they recieve come through in their entirety, right?  They even have the ability to send, recieve and view attachments

    I may not cancel the interview but I dont think I would be able to refrain form addressing that issue with the candidate.

  • 1 point 3 months ago

    Many people are emailing from their phones. Still doesn't make it right, though.

  • 1 point 3 months ago

    I think you may be right.

    My daughter is a freshman in college, and we got her a Blackberry and linked her college email to it.  We talked about this, and she now sends text messages that are complete sentences with punctuation, because she could easily forget which medium she was using.  She gets comments from her friends about it, but I would bet she won't have the opposite problem.

  • 1 point 3 months ago

    My sense is that this practice, though very common the last few years (along with the occasional swear-word in an email to a prospective employer), seems to be coming full circle, and people are learning not to do it. I'd be interested in hearing what others are finding.

  • 1 point 3 months ago

    Wow Todd!!! Foul language...Really?

    I am surprised to hear that as I never had before.

  • 1 point 3 months ago

    Yes, I've definitely seen that.