Never Underestimate The Importance of a First Impression

  • Published on:
    March 14, 2018
  • Reading time by:
    3 minutes

Email Etiquette – The Do’s and Dont’s of Professional & Networking Emails

Never underestimate the importance of a first impression – because it lasts! Despite the numerous channels available to people to connect, email remains one of the most commonly used professional communication tools.

Whether you’re interacting with hiring managers, current employers, or colleagues, you’ll want to be as polished as possible in your messages.

Below are some Do’s and Don’ts on how to put your best virtual foot forward every time you hit “send”:

Do

  • Spell check. Spell checking should be obvious, but you would be shocked by how many people send emails with spelling errors.  Additionally, use a program (such as Grammarly, which is easily installed on your computer, iPhone, etc.) to make sure that you are not making grammatical errors. To avoid inadvertently sending an unfinished email, add your recipient’s email address after you compose and edit your message.
  • Keep it simple and organized. To present your thoughts efficiently, organize your email into an introduction, body, and closing.  This allows recipients to scan your email and determine the main purpose, which busy professionals will appreciate.  Limiting yourself to just one main question or point per email will also make the email easier to understand and more manageable for the recipient to process and respond to.
  • Follow up. Especially if you’re applying for jobs, following up will set you apart from the dozens who don’t.
  • Have a mutual contact introduce you if you can. Cold emailing is hard. If you share a mutual contact with the person you want to email, see if they could contact the recipient to make an introduction.

Don’t

  • Be informal. People are often turned off by informal emails because it implies a lack of effort on the sender’s part. Accordingly, there are some emails you likely want to write from your computer rather than your phone.
  • Delay your response. Reply promptly to serious messages. If you need more than 24 hours to collect information or make a decision, send a brief response explaining the delay.
  • Email on the weekend. Even if you are working over the weekend, depending on your work circumstances, it is better to save a draft of the email and send it during the week.  Doing so will lessen the chance that your email will get buried come Monday morning. It may also inconvenience the recipient to receive an email over the weekend that they know they could have handled on Monday.
  • Follow up too often. I recommend the following: follow up five business days after your initial email, then one week after that. Then move on because you do not want to waste your own time or imply that you do not respect the recipient’s time.

Though the world has become more informal due to rapid technological advances, email etiquette is not dead, and your emails carry a lot of weight.  Adopting these Do’s and Don’ts will go a long way in ensuring you maintain professional respect and positive relations with your recipients, which will assist you for years to come.

Christine Falco

You might also enjoy..

5 Secrets to Starting a Women-Led Sustainable Farm

5 Secrets to Starting a Women-Led Sustainable Farm

Farming is more than just planting seeds and hoping for the best—it’s a calling, a labor of love, and, let’s be honest, a full-on test of grit. For women looking to create their own sustainable farms, it’s about blending purpose with practicality while honoring the land and fostering resilience.   (Disclaimer: This article contains spons0red conten
10 Signs You’re Secretly Sabotaging Your Career Goals

10 Signs You’re Secretly Sabotaging Your Career Goals

Do you feel like your career is stuck, no matter how hard you try? Sometimes, it’s not the outside world holding you back—it’s the habits, thoughts, and choices you don’t even realize are tripping you up. Here are 10 less-obvious ways you might be secretly sabotaging your career goals. Read on 10 Signs You’re Secretly Sabotaging Your Career Goals.

What is Employee Onboarding and How to Get it Right

Getting the most from your new employees can require patience, persistence, and often a significant financial outlay. However skilled and experienced your latest hire might be, they might struggle to get to grips with your business and its unique way of doing things. (Disclaimer: This article contains spons0red content, meaning we may receive compe