BACK TO SCHOOL
Ok, so those of you who read my blogs know I have a real problem with Christmas lights left up year round. There is another pet peeve of mine you may not know about which brings me to the subject of this post.
I run a pretty tight ship. I am a lean and mean business. I handle all Consultations and Redesigns. The occasional full service Stages; I get help from my hubby and a few friends I trust. I have no full time employees. I recently brought on a marketing partner on a commission basis, that's it.
On a regular basis, I get emails from job hunters. Individuals who are looking to either intern with my company or get hired on as full time employees. Nearly all these job seekers seem to have one common trait....They can't write proper English or put together a well constructed, properly spelled and non redundant paragraph. Yes, that's right....HORRIBLE GRAMMAR!
As Real Estate Professionals know, first impressions are everything in this business. The scene that hits a prospective buyer when they walk in a front door...the image you present to prospective clients on first meeting, your business cards and your ability to communicate professionally all determine where you will end up in this business.
Now I'm no snob, I don't mean everyone who wants to work for me has to speak or write perfect Queen's English. I don't. However, I do expect that any employee or representative of my business be able to communicate in a professional and coherent manner. I may not be hiring now, but I will be in the future. Any person who cannot communicate professionally will not be on my prospect list. I know I am not alone in this method of weeding through the chaff in today's job market.
The lack of professionalism in today's world of business communications is to me a sad reflection of what our public schools and universities are no longer teaching. Effective communication skills and professional etiqutte are no longer the linchpins of a good liberal arts education. I do digress as this would be a blog topic in itself!
So you want me to hire you...Go back to school.
AccentPositives provides effective and economical Home Staging consultations on sight and on line. We are located in Corona and service the Inland Empire Area of Southern California. Call 951 833 8529.
Ana Hitzel is the owner of AccentPositives Home Staging and the host of Your Place Your Space Home & Life Improvement Radio.
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AccentPositives provides effective and economical Home Staging Consultations and services on site and on line. Selected Best of Corona 2012 in the Interior Design category, we are located in Corona and serve the Inland Empire of Southern California, the Palm Springs area and North San Diego County. Call 951 833 8529. Email staging@accentpositives.com. Visit www.accentpositives.com.
Ana, I agree. It appears basic communication is a dying art in the time of emails, Facebook and Twitter. It seems people can put together a 140 character "tweet" but cannot carry on a conversation.
Real estate is a contact sport. That means we must talk to people. We cannot hide behind our computer all the time. We have to be with people in order to close deals. Agree?
Agreed, and a large reason why I steer clear of Twittering, though I have an account linked with AR. I'm a strong believer in a full sentence, proper spelling and clear and concise point to writing.
Well said!
I almost dragged out the boxes of christmas lights to put on our new house since the weather is nice but getting cold at night. I was at costco today and they had christmas stuff all over. Amazing, earlier every single year.
It's a shame how many seem to have trouble communicating. I plan to hire in the near future,but I need to have someone that can communicate with the public.
Ana, do you mean that it is not "creative" to see how many new ways you can spell the same word?:)
Hi Ron, dying art is right and very sad. I don't tweet yet, I opened an account a while back but haven't started. People tell me it is good for business but I don't get it yet I guess.
Harry, I totally agree. I sometimes get caught up in how easy it is to do everything by email and voicemail. They are great tools but nothing beats face to face communication. It's a great work out, keeps you in shape so to speak.
Ashley, me too. What kills me... the spelling errors in resumes and letters..who doesn't have spell check? It's not a substitute for general skill but there to use. Attention to detail. Sometimes I write like I talk, as here on AR. Resume and intro letters are not the place to do this.
Robert, GO FOR IT! Just remember to take them down when the season is over! You're right about earlier and earlier. I thought I saw the Easter Bunny the other day LOL
Charles G., good luck with that and enjoy a chuckle or two :)
Charles B., too funny. I proof all my hubby's business letters (he's an FSU grad hee hee). We have an on going joke about due vs do. He messes it up every time!
Great post. From the teacher side... I greatly agree with this. Problem is, in the area where I teach, the parents do not value education highly. They are playing the system of welfare and food stamps. They play hard ball and feel that society needs to take care of THEM. What does that show the kids? We are going to have a really big problem in about 10 to 15 years when these kids enter the workforce. Like you said "So you want me to hire you?" This could become a whole other blog for sure!
Ana-We have the same problem in this house with due and do and my hubby has his masters...maybe it is a guy thing???
Hi Lori, thanks for commenting. I don't think the problem will be in 10 to 15 years, I think it has been deteriorating steadlily since the early 90s. Very sad and very frustrating. No one has personal responsibility anymore.
Hi Cathy, too funny! And here I thought it was an FSU thing. Chop Chop LOL Thanks for stopping by!
LOL Anna!!
Oh my goodness Ana, I receive emails with a no greeting headline just the sender's resume. I must have been on the job hunt list. A little detective work to find out who you are writing to would be in good order.
Hi Cynthia, you are right on, it's something that takes no time at all and is well worth the return. Thanks for commenting :)
Hi Ana, As a former English teacher, now stager, I am glad you've generated this discussion. Yes, proper language does seem to be deteriorating. What I find so infuriating is that bad grammar is now considered proper or polite, for example: using myself instead of me as in, " If you have any questions please call Bob or myself." Would anyone say,"please call myself?" Or, "The car almost hit Jim and I." What is wrong with using the correct pronoun,me? I know everyone makes mistakes. This rant of mine is probably full of them, but they won't be considered proper by people who should know better. Thank you for sticking up for the English languate.
Oops! Now I am embarrased. I misspelled language!!!!!!
Hi Linda, it's ok to slip now and then LOL. What a career change for you! You are so right about it being accepted. Some of the things you hear kids say now days would have gotten me a quick pop if you know what I mean! It's all very commonplace and accepted today. I must confess that I enjoyed hearing George Carlin make jokes about the subject. Thanks for commenting.
I fully agree with the points made in this blog.
What about appearance? The way people dress now is appalling. It breaks my heart to see the older generation wearing ball caps and sweat pants out to eat or shop. I wish they would stick to their own values re: dressing appropriately when you leave your house.
I don't feel I am that old and when I was growing up I was not allowed to go downtown in shorts or jeans. Today, jeans can pass as we know how to dress them up. But teeny tiny tops and short shorts!
There is a professional way to communicate you are a professional before you even open your mouth and that is by dressing the part.
Ana - I run my business the same way and I, too, get phone calls or emails ALL THE TIME FROM people that want to work with me, see if they like the business, etc. Why would anyone think that I want to train my own competition????? That is one of my biggest pet peeves.
Hi Tori, in answer to your question IMO some think we are nice little housewives who are not serious about what we do and running a business for the fun of it, why not share! Seriously, I think it's just part of every small business, some people think starting a business is as easy as reading a book and watching a tv show, if they only knew! Thanks for commenting:)