This shouldn’t come as a surprise, but I recently read in website magazine that analysts are predicting that smart phones will go mainstream in the U.S. this year. Website magazine reported that market research firm Asymco predicts that 50% of the U.S. population will be using smart phones by the end of this year, an increase from 30% and 18% at the end of 2010 and 2009, respectively.
What does this mean for job seekers? It increases the odds that your job search correspondence, be it a cover, thank you, networking, or follow up letter, will be read on a smart phone screen. Why does that make a difference? A smart phone screen is a whole lot smaller than a computer screen. You have that much less space to capture your reader’s attention and get your point across before they click off — or worse yet — delete your email.
Here are three ways to make sure your letter is smart phone-savvy:
- Write tight and concise. There’s no better time or reason for short paragraphs comprised of short, to the point sentences. Use bullet formatting as appropriate as well. Visualize your letter appearing on the smart phone screen. Space is at a premium!
- Contact info at the end. Save any header information for your signature line – email, phone number, address, branding statement. Don’t waste valuable real estate in the first few lines of your email body to mimic the top of a cover letter because it only forces your reader to scroll down just to read your first paragraph.
- Maximize your subject line. Include detail, punch, and when appropriate, a call to action in the subject line of your email so that your recipient knows what the email is and what you expect of them. Equally critical is to lead with your strongest point so that it doesn’t get cut off on the screen if the full subject line isn’t visible.
Keep these suggestions in mind and your job search correspondence will have an advantage no matter where it’s read.
