I receive emails of varying quality and quantity every single day.  Some are extremely well written, almost conversational, while others are extremely poor, with no grammar, punctuation or format. And manners…..well, they are often completely forgotten!

Following are some important guidelines to ensure you don’t get culled based on what you did or didn’t do with your email:

• Subject – use the subject line wisely.  A brief outline of what the email entails is all that is required i.e.: “Application for Receptionist – Job No: 12345”
• Introduction – include a “Dear ……...” If you don’t have a contact name, then contact the company and find out! You are bound to get a better response if the email is personalised.  If not, leave out “Dear” out altogether!  Don’t include “Dear Sir/Madam” – this is very old school.
• Get to the Point – Don’t write a one-page essay.  Keep it brief. Chances are the reader/recruiter doesn’t have much time on their hands and will want to know quickly why you are making contact.   
• Closing – Complete the email with a “Yours sincerely,………….and your name”.  Don’t write Cheers, C’ya or Chat soon.  Yes, I have seen all of these in email applications.  They are very unprofessional terms and should only be used with people you know well.  
• Include a Signature – If you don’t already have one, create a signature and use it at the bottom of your email.  It will look professional and satisfy the reader that you have considered potential problems such as your attachment not opening.
• Don’t get too fancy – Don’t use coloured backgrounds, or fancy fonts.  The reader may not be able to open a HTML email and will receive this in plain text anyhow.  
• Format the body – ensure the email is formatted well.  Use paragraphs and bullet points where necessary.  General rule is:  Start new paragraphs, when writing about different topics or when dividing your conversation up into different areas.  Leave a blank line to separate paragraphs.
• Delivery and Read Receipts – For a job application, better to leave this one alone.  The recruiter probably won’t like the idea that you are keeping tabs on whether they have read your email or not.  And they can also disable this option on their end…so what’s the point?

In the career world, email is a very convenient method for communicating, but tread carefully, as it can also ruin an opportunity if due care is not taken.

Stay tuned for more on emails in the coming days!