How Not to Email About a Job
When you're applying for a job or writing to a networking contact via email words matter, typos matter, and grammar matters. It's important to write your email messages, your LinkedIn messages, and your Facebook messages, just as you would a traditional cover letter or business letter. Here's an example, of a real (really) email that I received from a job seeker:
i would like to put an ap in are u able to fax me a ap i didnt do up a resume yet i am working on it u think we could work somthing out thank you!
The person, I guess, was probably used to texting, but sending a text message to a friend and sending an email message to a potential employer or networking contact is something entirely different.
In this case, it took me a while to figure out what the person was trying to say. The one thing that struck me, besides the lack of punctuation and the typos, was the use of acronyms. Don't use them when job searching, regardless of how you apply for a job.
It's important to make sure all your employment related communications are polished and professional, and to be sure to follow the job search rules when you are looking for a job.
If you don't, you're going to knock yourself out of contention before you even get to the first step in the hiring process. Here's the top email etiquette rules from About.com's Guide to Email, Heinz Tschabitscher.
Comments
Well, I think that’s common sense to NOT apply in that fashion. But then again, common sense is not that common.
What I would also recommend is not to sound as if you are a teenager or a grownup with a teenage mind, by eliminating the word “like” and substitute it with the words of the proper meaning, such as “as if”, “as such”.
The dreaded sounding “I was like” should be replace with the correct “I said”, and so forth.
-Rainer
What I find interesting – first most people would think this would be a no-brainer. Yes? My guess is, this person was in their 20’s or younger. Someone in their 30’s, 40’s and up, would never dream of emailing in this manner, especially to a potential employer. What is interesting, is that the younger you are, the more potential you have of getting hired. Please explain how you could get hired doing this kind of nonsense?
I do agree, steering clear of this type of informal communication seems like common sense. However, to address Joanna’s comment, although the above example may have been the handiwork of a twenty-something job-seeker, I think it’s important to avoid generalizations. Yes, there are definitely unprofessional, young job-seekers out there, but there are also a fair amount of more experienced job seekers who do not act professionally during their search. This type of careless behavior, regardless of age, will send you straight to the “No” pile, especially in this flooded market.
Don’t use email, it dilutes your ability to start the chemistry match. It’s easy to dismiss and it often winds up in spam folders. Send your cover note and resume in a hand-addressed envelope to the decision maker with no title and no return address. We have tested this and we get a very high open rate. Gatekeepers are reluctant to open it as it looks personal and decision makers are curious.
I agree that business email should be treated with formality; standards of etiquette are timeless.
I like the suggestion by Jim Edwards, and intend to give this a try. I just found a typo in my own email introduction to a company I am targeting, and I have been kicking myself. I hope that my snail mail introduction may garner attention in a more positive way. Of course, I’ll correct that typo first!