We pound the importance of lightning quick email and professional communication at Praxis.
It’s not just about speed, it’s also about tempo.
Early in your career, when you need others more than they need you, it’s especially important to not break the tempo set by your interlocutor. This applies to in person meetings, video interviews, phone calls, and emails. Especially if you’re in sales (and to some extent, we are all always in sales), keeping the tempo increases the odds of getting the result you want.
If you enter an interview and the other party asks a long, slowish question and pauses, they’ve set a slow tempo and you can and should be deliberate as well. If they hit you out of the gate with a quick, no BS, “Why do you want this job?” they’ve set a quick tempo. Follow suit.
For email this is under-appreciated and maybe more important. If someone takes a day or two to respond, though speed is always the side to err on, you can take a day or so if need be. You’re not breaking out of the tempo they set. But if they respond in ten minutes or one hour, they’ve created a tempo that you need to maintain! Get on it and respond now!
You’d be surprised how much this matters.