In today’s connected society, one can easily believe that it should always be easy to get in touch with others when we work. There are many different channels to choose from. But the truth is that despite the opportunities for communication via telephone, email, sms and social media, many individuals in the Swedish labor market are still perceived as inaccessible. Make sure that you are not one of them.
Tip!
In addition to physical meetings, telephone, sms, email, many Swedes also build our professional network via the LinkedIn platform. If you are not yet a member, it can be a good idea to also make yourself available there. On LinkedIn you can find job advertisements, recruiters are looking for profiles for employment and individual assignments with employers. Making yourself available to others is an honor in business behavior. How else will you be able to build new working relationships?
Example 1
You get an e-mail with a question about whether you can work this weekend. You are already booked for something else and will therefore not be able to say yes. But, make sure you always respond anyway. If you do not answer, because it does not fit, you risk not getting the question again.
Example 2
You will receive a personally addressed email from a person with whom you do not previously have a work relationship. The content is of no interest to you. But note, it is still important that you answer the person who emails. Answer nicely, although very briefly, that it is not relevant that you go further in the contact.
Answering, even though you do not consider the matter to be a priority, has several advantages. One of them is that the person looking for you does not have to wonder why you do not answer and spend time continuing trying to reach you. Also keep in mind that the times you do not have an answer to a question, it is still important that you confirm that you have received the question. Inform that you plan to get back, and also make sure you do!
Responding to the environment’s attempts to reach you sends positive signals, not only about yourself but also the business that you represent. Your employer should not have to be considered as a player with a disrespectful attitude. The important thing to be aware of is that another time it may be you or one of your colleagues trying to reach out.
Another thing about accessibility that can facilitate is that you, if possible, identify and also announce when you prefer to be available, and perhaps both at work and at home. This contributes to control and make it easier for your colleagues and customers to know when it may be a good time to reach you. At the same time, it may be wise to also inform if it is via email, sms or by phone that you prefer to keep in touch.
Is it not clear how your job contacts handle their availability? Ask them! That you ask shows that you care and that you want to do your best to make your communication work as well as possible.
Tip!
Do you feel stressed and receive many emails? Write down some ready-made sentences that you can easily cut into a reply email. For example, you can write like this: “What you offer is at the moment not of interest for us but thank you and good luck going forward. Kind regards….”
It takes you a maximum of 10 seconds to perform the action above. At the same time, it gives you a continued upside for a possible future job contact.
Speaking of availability, I would advise you to avoid answering calls and when you are in a meeting as much as possible.
Reflection questions
- Which channel (s) do you prefer to use when communicating about your job?
- Have you told your surroundings about this preference?
- How fast are you at responding to email, sms and messages on LinkedIn?
- What do you think is an appropriate response time for the different options?
