2025 – MAY BENCH JEWELER “NEWSLETTER”

• May brings us “Mother’s Day”. Did you know….
• Mother’s Day is celebrated every year on the second Sunday of May.
• Woodrow Wilson signed Mother’s Day into law in 1914.
• Reportedly there are approximately 122 million calls made on Mother’s
• Day worldwide. The busiest phone day of the year.
• Carnations have a special meaning on Mother’s Day. A red carnation
• means a mother is living, a white one means she has passed.
• After Christmas and Hanukkah, more people buy flowers and plants for
• their moms on Mother’s Day than any other Holiday. One-fourth of all
• flowers purchased throughout the year are bought for Mother’s Day.
• Mother’s Day is the busiest day of the year for restaurants. According
• to the National Restaurant Association, 48% of people make plans to go
• to a restaurant for Mother’s Day.
• As of 2023 there were 43.5 million moms in the U.S. between the ages
• of 15 and 50, and they have collectively mothered 95.8 million children.
• In 2023, over $35 billion was spent on Mother’s Day. On average,
• shoppers spend $274.00 on gifts for their mothers.
• 41% of Americans plan to buy their mom jewelry, spending
• approximately 6.8 billion dollars.
• The most popular gift for Mother’s Day is the greeting card. Every
• Mothers’ Day there are approximately 152 million greeting cards sent.

Things to Ponder….

• Iron your clothes. It may not sound like fun, but the sense of tidiness
  and achievement will filter through to your attitude.

• Think up an invention. What tool or app would you find useful in
  your day-to-day?

• Switch up your regular breakfast or add it to your day if you usually
  skip it. You could even have something not typically deemed “breakfast
  food”. See how it sets your day up differently.

May’s Topic….

How a post-interview note can make a
difference

By Robin Ryan

Yesterday I was finishing up an Interview Coaching session with a Baby Boomer client when she asked, “What should I do about a thank you note? Are they still a thing? How do I mail one or do I need to use email? “I was empathic that you must send a thank-you email right after the session ended. Before COVID, I would have insisted you mail a handwritten card (which is still better and recommended for the jewelry industry) but since most people are at home working remotely now, email is the only option. There have been so many decision-makers who said a thank you note had influenced them on who to hire, particularly if there were two very comparable candidates and only one took the extra step to say, “thank you.” A simple, vague email will not persuade anyone. A well-written email just might. What you say is key. You want to use the thank you message to reaffirm that the employer is making the right choice if he or she hires you. Since the note can tip the hand in your favor if the choice is between you and someone else, carefully craft it. Demonstrate you really want this job. The employer believes a person who strongly wants the position is more likely to perform better on the job.

Career Builder reported that 57% of job candidates never write a thank you note and yet decision-makers still expect them. Do not lose out on the job because you failed to do this key follow-up step. You want to standout. Here is the best formula to create a persuasive handwritten or email note.

STEP ONE – Personalize it

In today’s online interview world, step one is to be sure you get the email(s) and/or mailing address for the actual person or persons you interviewed with. Ideally, you do not want to have to send your note or email through the recruiter and hope he or she sends it on. Instead, when the recruiter sets up the meeting ask for the person’s name, email, mailing addresses and contact info in case the ZOOM or online session doesn’t start or has a technology glitch.

Make the note or email seem truly personal. If an email, start with this subject line: Thank You “person’s first name”. When you customize the email to me, I’m than likely to open it as it’s unlikely I’ll recognize your email address.

Next, begin the note or email using the person’s first name. Try this: It was great to talk with you about the job today Scott, thank you for meeting with me. OR say: Mary, I appreciated your time and all you told me about the job today, thank you.

What to Say Next

After the opening, where you thank the employer for the opportunity, reiterate two or three strengths you would bring as a “valuable contributor to their team.”

Think about what the employer seemed most interested in about your background. Maybe they asked numerous questions on managing others. That is a tip-off that you should address your ability to coach a team into a highly productive business unit. You want to stress one or two of your top-selling points on why they should hire you. For example, you might write something like, my extensive experience using the PeopleSoft database would allow me to quickly start contributing to your role.

Did the hiring manager seem to have any doubts because you lacked a skill or specific experience? Maybe you forgot to mention something relevant. If so, add it to your note or email. Keep the message brief but make the point clear saying, I did want you to know that at X company, I took on the responsibility of managing the budget for two years.

If it is something you do lack, stress what you do bring to the job and then mention how you have learned other processes and systems very quickly in former roles. The key is to reassure the decision-maker you will come up to speed quickly.

To Conclude

In ending the note or email, be sure to say something like this: “Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any more questions or want to arrange another interview. My contact info is EMAIL and PHONE. Be speedy Make sure the note or email is personalized, restates of couple key points about what you bring to the job, and lists your contact info. PROOF carefully and then mail or hit “send.” Notes must be mailed or emailed within twenty-four hours, preferably the same day as the interview if possible.

Be speedy

Make sure the note or email is personalized, restates of couple key points about what you bring to the job, and lists your contact info. PROOF carefully and then mail or hit “send.” Notes must be mailed or emailed within twenty-four hours, preferably the same day as the interview if possible.

Please visit our website, www.vicdavisjobs.com for current positions we are working
now. Jobs in AL, AZ, FL, LA, IL, ME, MI, MO, MS, NC, NE, NY, OH, TN, VA, and
WA, and they are ALL looking NOW to fill these positions! Don’t hesitate to contact us….we
love hearing from you!

We offer a generous referral fee if a friend of yours gets hired:

For any bench jewelry professional that you refer to our company and we
successfully place in a new position, upon receipt of our placement fee we will
send you an appreciation/reward check in the amount of $500.00.

This is our special “People Helping People” (PHP) referral program. People helping people, a good thing for all of us to remember to do.

Thanks, until next time…. Vic! Please stay safe and healthy!