Non-Convenience, Inconvenience, and Convenience

When did it start? Was it with the drive-in movie? Maybe the carhop? We definitely should have seen it coming with the first bank drive-through. When you add wireless computers to food drive-ups and mobile telephony, getting out of the car becomes increasingly unnecessary. Yes, Americans love convenience — and our physical health and career health show it.

For example …

I’ll let you know right now that I tell anyone wanting to give me a paper resume to keep it. Having paper is very inconvenient for me. If I want to keep it, I’ll need to scan it into my computer — which is a lot of wasted time in my opinion — and that’s annoying. It’s much better if I receive it electronically. I simply store it in my hard drive file for resumes and scan the file when I need to find someone. I appreciate the convenience.

But that said, while sending an email thank you note for an interview is convenient for the interviewee and me, a handwritten thank you note carries a special appeal. In fact, it is the non-convenience that impresses me. The candidate took the time, resources, and effort to show that s/he cared.

The career lesson? Convenience and non-convenience impress, but inconvenience is never welcome.