Think you are responsive?  Let's take a quick quiz:

When you receive an email that requires an action (i.e., can you talk at 9 am tomorrow?), do you respond in:

a) 1 hour
b) 6 - 8 hours
c) the next morning (immediately prior to the proposed action time - in this example 9 am)
d) more than 24 hours later

Believe it or not, if you answered C or D you are NONRESPONSIVE.  Yup - that is how you are viewed. In today's world and technology, when you can tweet, post, upload a pic or chat in a heartbeat while drinking a latte and participating in a group meeting, if you don't respond within a workday (8 hours) or less, you are nonresponsive.

And. It. Drives. People. Crazy.

A senior professional just shared with me a story about how she was interviewing for a role.  The company's own, full time recruiter has been extremely nonresponsive.  In other words, the internal recruiter has not responded to emails in 24 hours.  In many cases, it has taken DAYS.  With no apology or reasoning and resulting in missed deadlines.

The senior professional's comment?  No wonder our internal recruiters get such bad feedback.  They don't answer emails.

Please, please, please.  Repeat this one very true fact: If you don't respond, you will be considered a slacker.  You will be viewed poorly.  You will be viewed like you don't value the relationship/internal client/person (choose your word).  You credibility and internal brand will sink like Bitcoin's stock and once a reputation sinks, it is hard to rebuild.

And here's the thing - maybe you don't have an answer to the email or question being posed.  Maybe you don't know if you can talk at 9 , set up a meeting at 10, or schedule a conference at noon.

Guess what?

DOES. NOT. MATTER.

Respond anyway!!!!

Respond that you don't know if it can happen and that you are in the process of tracking people down.  Answer that you received the email but aren't able to commit.  Answer and propose an alternate time.

But by all means - ANSWER THE EMAIL.

Want to get ahead?  Learn to be responsive.  Learn to respond.  Learn to communicate effectively.  That means:

1. Answer within a work day (less than 8 hours)
2. Acknowledge receipt of the first request/email/text
3. Be specific in our response - "yes, I can make it happen" or "No, I can't do that" or "how about another time after I am able to connect with x, y and z"

And then - ALWAYS - follow through.  Don't commit to showing up and not show up.  Might as well show yourself the door.