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E-mail guidelines and etiquette in your job search
(and on the job, and in life generally) |
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Below: What's
okay to send | How
to send it / e-mail business etiquette |
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WHAT'S OKAY TO SEND TO EMPLOYERS (and others)
VIA E-MAIL: |
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YOUR FIRST CONTACT TO AN EMPLOYER (and others)? |
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For a first contact, e-mail employers
only when an employer specifically invites or instructs you to do
so — with instructions on the employer's web site, a job ad,
a verbal conversation, other reliable advice, etc.
Otherwise, you may be safer sending a resume and cover letter via hard
copy. |
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Don't ever send an e-mail without doing your research online first. If you ask a question easily answered on the organization's web site, you'll create the impression that you are lazy or unintelligent, or both. (Sorry if that seems harsh. But it's the truth and we'd rather not see you make that mistake. And it's worse if you claim on your resume that your skills include "Internet research.")
See Are you an online knucklehead? |
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Don't send an e-mail randomly to someone saying "I'm not sure if you're the correct person, but I figured you could forward this...." Don't figure. If you write to the wrong person, s/he has no reason to respond or forward. Do your research, and say WHY you're writing to the person ("you were listed as the contact for the XYZ job fair"). |
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RESPONDING TO EMPLOYERS (and others): |
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If an employer e-mails you, you can probably
respond via e-mail. The key is to READ the e-mail sent by the employer
and follow instructions. For example, it might instruct you to do some follow-up on-line or with another person. |
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Be very careful about noting TO WHOM
and HOW you should respond. Morgan McKenzie of XYZ Inc., might send
the e-mail, but instruct you to MAIL your resume and a cover to
Chris Corrigan of XYZ. |
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E-mails that have been forwarded to
you (or to many) and/or have gone through lots of forwarding may
take more time for you to interpret. Read the details so you do
the right thing. It won't help you to send off a response to someone
who just happened to forward the e-mail but isn't the correct contact person. |
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When you reply to an e-mail, stick to the same subject and place your response at the top. Don't delete the content sent to you (unless there is something inappropropriate or unnecessary for your recipient to see). If you delete it, you force the person you write to dig up his/her prior e-mail to see what you're responding to. Don't waste people's time. |
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THANK YOU NOTES
AFTER INTERVIEWS? |
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This question comes up a lot with
students. An e-mail thank-you isn't wrong. Employers will appreciate
that you did at least send thanks. If you know that the person who
interviewed you is travelling a lot, s/he may see your e-mail before
getting back to the office to see hard copy mail. If the hiring
decision will happen very quickly following the interview, an e-mail
might be seen sooner than hard copy. Hard copy is still nice, and
can follow up an e-mail. |
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For more see After
your interviews / follow up / thank-you letters |
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JOB NEGOTIATIONS? IMPORTANT
Qs ABOUT OFFER TERMS? |
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Negotiations are better conducted
verbally than in writing. If you don't understand the benefits package
information provided with a job offer and have questions, a verbal
conversation might be best. However, if speed is of the essence
and you are only reaching voice mail by phone, you could alert the
employer via e-mail that you have some questions and are hoping
to speak directly. Suggest times when you might be available to
speak. |
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TAKE YOUR CUES FROM EACH EMPLOYER: |
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If an employer has been communicating with you,
take your cues from the employer. If s/he clearly prefers the phone
and there's no problem reaching each other, use the phone. If s/he
uses e-mail, follow suit. |
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CONSIDER WHEN YOU NEED A WRITTEN
RECORD: |
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If you do something important verbally
— like agree upon an interview date and time, or accept a job
offer — it's important to follow up in writing, and an e-mail
can serve that purpose. Usually an employer will confirm an interview
time in writing, and an employer should always follow up a verbal
employment offer with a written offer. But if the employer doesn't,
you can. Example: "Thank you so much for the offer of an interview
at your McLean, Virginia, office. I look forward to seeing you on
Tuesday, March 7 at 8:00 a.m." Putting information in writing
creates a record and can (if worded clearly) protect everyone from
confusion and misunderstanding. |
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HOW TO SEND IT / E-MAIL BUSINESS ETIQUETTE: |
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THINK LIKE THE PERSON TO WHOM
YOU'RE SENDING E-MAIL |
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Your e-mail alias, your subject line, and your
content all have to be clear and appear appropriate to your recipient.
Failure to do this can get your e-mail ignored and/or deleted as
junk or spam. |
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YOUR E-MAIL ALIAS: |
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Make it your full name with"@vt.edu"
as in MadisonMorgan@vt.edu. That's what the recipient will see in her/his in-box; better than gotter2467@whatever.net |
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Using the "edu" extension lets the recipient
know you are affiliated with an educational institution — and
being a student is your main job now. |
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Your recipient also might recognize the "vt"
part. Not a bad thing. |
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"Hotdogdude@hotmail" or "Sillyefgrl75849"
are not appropriate. True story: employer received e-mail from "sexygirl." That is an excellent way never to be taken seriously or viewed as professional — or end up in a junk/spam filter. |
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YOUR SUBJECT LINE: |
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Clear and meaningful to the recipient, as in:
"Application for graphic designer position listing 84G11"
"Follow-up to our meeting of February 21 at Virginia Tech job
fair" |
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A blank subject line is unacceptable. You've given the
recipient a good reason to ignore or delete your e-mail. |
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"Read this" and "information"
and "for your consideration" and the like are meaningless.
(Aren't all e-mails supposed to be read, and contain information,
etc.?) |
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DEAR WHO? AND WHAT IF YOU DON'T HAVE A PERSON'S NAME? |
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Don't ever misspell a person's name if you have it. Have you ever gotten mail with your name misspelled? If so, you know the impression it makes. |
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If you know you're writing to Jack Carretta, use "Dear Mr. Caretta:" (Not "Dear Mr. Jack Caretta:" Use only last name after Mr./Ms./Dr.) |
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If you know you're writing to Allyson Abernathy, you'll use "Dear Ms. Abernathy:" |
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It is never appropriate to assume a woman's marital status, and her marital status is irrelevant to business communication. Therefore, don't use "Mrs." or "Miss" in business communication. Use "Ms." for women; it's the feminine equivalent to the masculine "Mr." Only exception to this is is when a person uses those salutations for herself. (However, note that it is not protocol to use Mr., Mrs., or Miss to refer to oneself in business!! Obviously salutations are used in some settings, like school settings in which students are expected to address adults as Mr., Ms., Miss, Mrs., or Dr.) |
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For individuals with Ph.D.s, Ed.D.s and medical degrees that confer the use of "Dr." then use "Dear Dr. [lastname]:" regardless of gender. There is nothing about the salutation "Dr." that implies anything about gender. |
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What if the person does not use "Dr." and the person's name leaves you uncertain about gender? Your best bet is to do some research. Get on the organization's web site and see if you can learn anything. If not, call the organization and be honest: Say, "I'm writing a letter to Pat Watford. I apologize, but I have not met Pat Watford and I want to properly address Pat Watford as 'Ms.' or 'Mr.' Can you advise me?" |
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What if there is no name supplied? Good question. "Dear Sir or Madam:" is always appropriate. If you don't know who will see and read your letter, using just "Dear Sir" or "Dear Madam" is inappropriate and suggests gender bias on your part. (An exception might be if you're writing to a single-gender institution, and you are absolutely without question certain that every possible person who might receive your letter is of one gender.) |
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Another approach when you have no name, but you do know the department to which you must send your letter is to do something like, "Dear Human Resources Department staff:" or "Dear Hiring Manager at XYZ Inc.:" Be very careful if you do this. You don't want your letter to look like a form letter you sent to 30 employers (unless you want it ignored). |
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YOUR CONTENT: |
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Business-like writing style. |
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Attention to grammar, spelling, punctuation
(same rules as for hard copy correspondence) |
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Clear, concise, to the point. Respect the employer's
time. Don't expect him/her to work to figure out why you're writing.
Unclear e-mails risk being ignored. |
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Start by saying why you're writing. "I'm applying
for the accounting internship position your firm advertised through
the Virginia Tech Accounting Department." |
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Brief information about yourself. "This May
I will graduate from Virginia Tech with a bachelor's degree in human
services. My experience includes two internships in community mental
health agencies." |
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DON'T write like the script of a phone call as
in "Hi, I'm such-and-such. How are you today?...." |
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The same rules of hard copy correspondence apply
to business e-mail.
For more info on content, see
Guidelines
for correspondence in your job search
Cover
letter types and samples |
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FONT STYLE AND SIZE / UPPER AND LOWER CASE: |
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Avoid fonts that are so stylized that they are difficult to read. |
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Don't use all capitals. It's the
e-mail equivalent of SHOUTING and people don't like it. |
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Very large fonts can also seem like shouting. |
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By the same token, don't use all lower
case letters. (Your purpose in business correspondence is not to
attempt to pass for e.e.cummings.) |
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Be judicious about color and bolding. For job search correspondence, don't use it. For correspondence letting people know about an event, it can be used very judiciously. |
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YOUR SIGNATURE BLOCK: |
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The terminology "signature block" evolved from hard copy correspondence on which a handwritten signature is a must. Of course, in e-mail, there is no handwritten signature; the term just refers to the block of information that closes your e-mail. |
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Include one in business correspondence outside your own office or department. It should give your full name and
full contact information, including mailing address, e-mail address
and phone number(s). After your name, you can include something
that identifies you (as a job title would), like "Junior Biology major
at Virginia Tech." |
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You might think you don't need to include your e-mail address because your recipient can hit "reply" to e-mail you. However, if your recipient forwards your e-mail to someone else who might like to reply to you, that person might not be able to see or access your e-mail address. By including your e-mail address in your signature block, you make life easier for others (this will contribute to your success in the job search and on the job), and help people reach you. |
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Attaching a signature file is not a substitute for having a signature block. DON'T assume that your reader will open attachments
to get basic information that should appear in the content of your e-mail, like
your name and how to reach you. |
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Be careful about including quotations
and sayings in your signature block. Obviously don't include anything
that has potential to be offensive or misunderstood. Think about
the impression your message sends to someone who doesn't know you,
and be judicious. |
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GRAPHICS / BACKGROUNDS: |
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Be judicious about graphics. Large graphics (and moving graphics are worse) clog up memory in people's in-boxes. Don't do it. Same applies to backgrounds. Better safe than sorry. |
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SENDING & NAMING ATTACHMENTS: |
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If you're e-mailing an employer because the employer
instructed applicants to do so, again check any instructions
the employer has given. If the employer said to attach
a resume, do it. If an employer said to attach a cover letter, do
it (and in your e-mail give a short explanation of what's attached,
why, and who it's from). Use the format the employer requests. |
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Name your attachment(s) logically —
for the recipient, not yourself, that is. "EmilyAlderResume.doc"
works fine. "Myresume4jf206" might work for you, but won't
mean anything or be helpful to the employer. |
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When attaching an MS Word document, include the
appropriate extension ".doc" or "docx" so the employer (and the employer's computer)
knows it's a Microsoft Word document. |
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Don't send a pdf file to an employer unless you
are instructed to do so by the employer, or unless that's the absolute stated standard in your industry and field. (Ask 10 people if they like receiving pdf files; most groan, and, even in 2008, some people's computers can't/won't open them.) |
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Don't send a content-empty e-mail that forces the recipient to open an attachment to now why you're writing. Include a brief, clear summary in your e-mail telling why you're writing and what the attachments are. |
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See more on e-mailing
resumes. |
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FINAL CAUTIONS & CONSIDERATIONS: |
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Be aware that e-mail is a form of written communication
and it creates a written record. |
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Retain copies of the e-mail you send and receive. |
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Don't let the speed and ease of sending e-mail
blind you to the fact that you will be judged on what you say and
how you say it. |
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E-mail, like other written correspondence, doesn't
reveal your tone of voice. Choose your words carefully. |
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A well-written e-mail can quickly impress an employer
(and the reverse is true). |
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When people take time to respond to you and give you information, respond with thanks. Don't treat people like servants. Failing to say thanks makes you look lazy, unintelligent, self-centered, or immature (or some combination). |
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| Also see: |
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Guidelines
for correspondence in your job search |
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E-mailing resumes |
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| Additional excellent E-mail business etiquette resources |
| (These links leave Career Services' web
site and open a new browser window) |
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The Top Twelve E-Mail Mistakes That Can Sabotage Your Career |
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Netiquette by Virginia Shea, "Miss Manners of the Internet." |
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NetManners.com:
Business E-mail Basics (and other good stuff) |
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EmailReplies.com: e-mail rules |
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Writing Effective E-Mail: Top 10 Tips |
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Are you an online knucklehead? |
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- Do you email Web sites about topics they don't cover because you didn't take the time to find out what they are about?
- Or, do you email sites asking for information they do in fact have online for your convenience simply because you don't want to take the time to read?
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An e-mail vacation... (NPR.org)
...with stories of e-mail goofs on the job: the embarrassing e-mail page of shame (good warnings, good laugh). |
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Want more?!
Google "effective e-mail" or "e-mail etiquette."
You'll get a wealth of advice and you'll see patterns. |
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P.S. Some old advice says to put your reply below the original message. That never really took hold. Current advice and usual business practice is to put your response above the previous e-mail when you reply. And don't delete the original message to which you're responding. The person to whom you're replying has lots of other e-mail besides yours (imagine that!). |
