One simple, basic skill (or maybe habit) essential for every student in the world of work.
This advice is for students, although it certainly could apply to everyone. It comes from years of hiring hundreds of people for various jobs and, more specifically, from my experience connecting students to paid project work over the past two months. The one simple skill/habit essential for every student in the world of work relates to a very basic communication skill, known practically as “following-up.” I’m not talking about some sophisticated version of interpersonal, public speaking, or small group communication skills. It’s as simple as responding and staying in touch and it turns out to be one of the biggest factors between getting paid project work and not making the short list.
My friend Jodi and I have been helping connect students to paid project work to help them out in the wake of Covid-19 eliminating campus work, internships, and many of the hospitality jobs frequently held by students. One thing that’s stood out in our efforts to vet and connect students is the difference between those who stay in touch and those who don’t. Having a particular skill set is nice, but simple communication skills around following up can move a student from a qualified pool of candidates to a more select list of desirable candidates.
Basic tips around communication that will set every student up for success:
1. Respond to emails/communication — Are you there? Did you get what was sent? A simple email response saying, “Thanks for the email. I’m looking forward to doing the work” confirms you got what you need. You can also confirm if this is the best way to communicate with you. Do you prefer email, text or phone (scratch that last one- I haven’t found a student who prefers to communicate by phone!) Now is the time to confirm the fastest, easiest way to communicate with you. If you only check your email once a week, that’s probably not the best way to get in touch with you.
2. Let people know how it’s going. Are you making progress? Are you on track? Depending on the length of the project, it’s good to check in every other day (for short projects) or every week (for longer projects.) A simple email saying, “I wanted to let you know I’m making progress and still on track to finish the project by the due date.” That’s it. It doesn’t have to be any more than that.
3. Do you have any questions? Don’t be afraid to ask questions if the project isn’t clear. Hiring managers would prefer to hear your questions and provide help, rather than have you try to figure it out and either not finish the project on time or not do it correctly. Yes, everyone appreciates self-directed problem solvers, but if you aren’t clear or have a question, it’s ALWAYS better to ask. And, believe it or not, hiring managers are often not very clear about project work, they make assumptions, and leave stuff out. If you have questions, it could be because the description of the work wasn’t clear. Finally, you shouldn’t be uncovering questions you have 2 hours before the project/work is due (this isn’t your Intro to Sociology course, after all.)
None of this is complicated. Each email or correspondence (email, text, phone) takes about 1–2 minutes.
Why is follow-up so important?
1. It shows you are engaged and committed. If you take on a project but don’t say anything until you finish, the hiring manager has no idea if everything is ok or on track and they start to wonder what’s happening with you and the work.
2. It reinforces the professional image you are trying to build. It shows you have initiative- something every employer is looking for regardless of whether you are hired for a short-term project or a part/full-time job.
3. It can be the difference between someone being satisfied with your work versus someone offering you a glowing recommendation and rehiring you for more project work down the road.
4. It distinguishes you from the other pool of students looking for work.
Effective, consistent follow-up is a skill/habit for life.
Let me end by sharing a quick personal story related to the habit of following up. When I was a marketing manager at a large company, I would ask the sales reps “what makes someone a great marketing manager?” The answer every time was “they return my calls and respond quickly.” I thought that was so strange. Isn’t that the bare minimum requirement for everyone? That seemed like a pretty low bar to me, but it turns out that type of basic follow-up and communication doesn’t happen consistently or with everyone. Get the in the habit of following up and staying in touch during project work of any type. It can make all the difference for anyone in the workforce, but especially students who need to prove they have initiative and are reliable.
