12 Feb Email Etiquette
NETTIQUETTE (or email etiquette to others!)
Haaaaaalllllllllllllllllllllll
(well im just checking if you’ll got my cv that I sent to you’ll) .
This news letter is all about email etiquette, “Netiquette” and I have started the email off in obviously some of the most unprofessional ways ever.
Thanks to email, information moves with the speed of light. Because it is easy to use, many people dash off, rambling messages that fall somewhere between a friendly chat and carefully chosen words using perfectly correct grammar.
More and more people have internet access on their cell phones and send off emails directly from them. The temptation with this is that a lot of people send an email in “sms text”, and the recipient receives a very unprofessional email, unaware of where it was sent from.
Email and the Internet have changed the way we read. Eighty percent of email and Internet users scan for meaning. Here are a few tips to consider before you push “SEND” on how to impress your future boss, client, employment consultant etc.
· Change the font! Courier new is old fashioned and hard on the eye, Arial, Verdana or Tahoma are a lot easier to read and feel more personal.
· Write a subject line that will impact the reader! Make me want to open your email because I can get up to 100 emails a day!
· Be concise. Write short, important sentences. Write the way you speak but always be polite.
· Try to keep the message to just one screen so that we don’t have to scroll down the page.
· When emailing, all you see is a computer screen – no facial expressions, no voice on the phone. So always check your message for the tone and possible misinterpretations
· Email is a permanent record. Don’t send anything with potential legal implications or risk of copyright or licensing infringement.
· Always edit and proof for correctness. Respect your reader’s time: missing caps and punctuations, misspellings and mistakes in grammar and word usage distract your reader. The written word represents you and your organization.
· If asking questions, itemize your inquiries with numbers or letters. This will make it easier for the recipient to provide itemized responses.
· Before sending an angry message, go have a cup of coffee and reconsider.
· Don’t use email shorthand. Not everyone knows what ROTFL means i.e.: rolling on the floor laughing!
· And lastly, there is no need for pretty back grounds, coloured fonts, sparkling letters- remember you are trying to impress!
In particular, when applying for position via email, always remember to write what position you are applying for. Most HR departments and employment agencies deal with several positions at one time, as well as get general CV’s forwarded to them. Make sure that covering letters are short and to the point. Ensure that attachments are not too big, and saved in a format that the average internet user can open. And finally, as useful as the internet and email is, sometimes a phone call to follow up can go a long way!
