I take a four-mile walk each morning through Waveny Park, a beautiful spot just a few minutes from my house. Yesterday, right there in the middle of the path, I came upon an unusual sight:
Four vines were laid out neatly in a two-foot square frame on the ground. But, that’s not all. Right there in the middle, all by itself, was a single car key.
Wow, I thought, that’s both thoughtful and brilliant. So much so that I took a picture! There’s no way somebody could miss this.
It was so cool I kept thinking about it all day. Finally, it occurred to me that in many ways this is the exact opposite of how many professionals develop their web sites and other communications: There is no simple and obvious way for others to contact them!
That’s a problem, of course. If you want to get hired, you need to make it easy to get in touch. Here are some suggestions:
- Include your phone number in your email signature. When someone wants to contact you this is probably the first place they’ll look. Make it easy to find.
- Use scheduling software. If you meet with a lot of people, use a scheduling tool like Acuity on your website to let people put themselves on your calendar. You’ll still have complete control over when you’re available and for how long, but it takes the back and forth emailing to schedule meetings out of your work day.
- Include your physical address and phone number on the Contact page of your website. Or even better, at the bottom of every page.
- Include a recent, professional head shot on your website and LinkedIn profile. When people meet you for the first time in a public place, this will make it easier for them to spot you!
These four suggestions are simple to do and very powerful. If you’ve been hiding in plain sight, now is the time to stand out and be noticed!