Knowing how to send a well-written email is incredibly important. If you’re just starting to apply for jobs, sending a well constructed email could put you ahead of the competition. Even if you’re well into your career; it’s never too late to make sure the way you communicate (through email) is concise and effective. Employers and employees are always looking for professionalism. Emails are a part of business. According to Inc., “email marketing is vital for business of all sizes.” There you have it, emails are necessary; and they aren’t going anywhere. So, here are 10 rules for sending a well- written email:
Don’t forget to proofread. I can’t stress this enough; make sure you read over your email before you send it. Sending an email with spelling and grammatical errors, is never a good look. Regardless of who the email is going to, make sure you read it over. No one wants to read an email riddled with errors!
Know your audience. Your friend may love when you send an email with emojis, but a future employer may not. There are some bosses who send emails with “lol” or “:)”; those bosses sound amazing! Unfortunately, not everyone is like that. Abbreviations, casual language, and emojis aren’t a good idea when emailing someone for the first time. Make sure you know your audience before you get too comfortable with the way you talk to them!
Don’t be too verbose. Cut straight to the point. Your subject needs to tell the person exactly what your email is about. Make sure you get to the purpose of your email as soon as possible. People have short attention spans, so the more useless information you include, the less likely your recipient will read the email.
Make sure you use an appropriate salutation. Avoid ending your email with “cheers” and “love” (especially when you don’t know the person). My favorite way to end an email is with “best” and then my first and last name. Don’t forget to include your name at the end of the email! I recommend already having an automatic signature at the end of your email; that will make you look even more professional.
Don’t send multiple emails, when you can send one. Before you send an email, make sure you’ve included everything. Once again, don’t say too much! But, make sure you’ve said what you needed to say. No one wants to be flooded with multiple emails, just like no one wants to be flooded with back to back texts.
Watch out for “reply all.” Too many times have I accidentally replied to everyone in an email. It’s easy to do, especially when someone sends an email and cc’s a bunch of people. Double check that you’re only replying to your intended person. You should also make sure you’re emailing the right person, in general. Accidentally emailing your boss, when you want to email your best friend can be embarrassing.
Don’t go crazy with the punctuation. Like I mentioned, knowing your audience is very important! There are some people who might appreciate a good exclamation mark. After all, it shows your excitement!!!!! But, too many exclamation marks may not make you seem like the most professional person in the world. Be careful with ellipses, dash’s, all caps, commas, and semi colons.
A good email shows that you’re professional, and able to communicate through different mediums. Make sure you don’t disappoint!
