PodCast Episode 5 – Email Etiquette for the Job Search and Beyond
Click above to listen!
Much of what we do in life involves first impressions. For many of you during your internship and full time job search, your first correspondence with employers will be through email. For many, you may continue this correspondence for some time before you actually meet your perspective employer face to face. Once you do land an internship or position in your field of interest, proper use and formatting of your emails will be essential to keeping up your professional image. We have compiled a great list of ways to make sure that your emails are warmly and properly received and not deleted. Remember, the #1 skill that employers look for in new hires is excellent communication skills, written and verbal. Email is a part of that writing skill category!
While everyone has their own unique writing style, there are some simple rules that will promise to keep your emails proper and professional. First of all, remember that email is like any other business communication so you should absolutely watch your spelling and grammar. Do not use the instant messaging or text messaging abbreviations. Improper grammar, punctuation and spelling give a bad impression but they can also change the tone of your email and convey the wrong message. Also, most know that an email is all CAPS is the equivalent of screaming but it can’t hurt to reiterate that again. Recently, we had an employer forward us an email that a student had sent requesting an interview. There were so many spelling and capitalization errors that the employer was forced to pull them from candidacy for the position. Proofreading and spell check are definitely your friends!!
Email is a quick correspondence. It is general business practice to reply to emails within 24 hours of receipt and even better to do so within the same business day. Even if it is a matter you can not respond to yet, just email the sender to let them know that you have received their email and will be emailing them tomorrow, in a week, etc. Once you send an email, do not request a delivery and read receipt. This becomes burdensome to the receiver of your email. It is best to follow-up with a phone call or wait for a response.
An important point to consider, there are over 8 billion emails sent every single day in the
If you have any questions about the professionalism of an email you need to send to an employer, don’t forget that you can easily check with someone in the CSPD office before you send it!
Tags: email etiquette, first job, job search
Jena joined the CSPD as the Assistant Director of Recruitment and Professional Development with over 4 years career services experience including a background in corporate recruiting. She is excited to work collaboratively with the Fox School students regarding career search strategies and hopes students gain some additional insight into the job search through “Opportunity Knocks”.
Kel is an undergrad majoring in Management Information Systems, graduating in 2010. He is very involved and hopes to share some of his experiences with other students. His goal is to motivate others to do their best. He believes that with a little inspiration you can get where you want to be. Through this blog, he wants to show you that opportunities are out there.