Email is the most common means of business communication between people today.
People understand the importance of making a good impression in face-to-face meetings, but too often don’t expend the effort to make a good e-mail impression on the recipient.
If you want to make a good impression, especially during your job search when a first impression is critical, here are a few tips:
1. Have a business-like email address. If you are dealing with business people with “professional” addresses, you may wish to upgrade from markman1234@aol.com to something a little more professional like (markwicken123@aol.com for example).
2. Check incoming e-mail at least once each business day. For most people, once a day is enough; more often can be a time waster.
3. Respond to each message within 24 hours if not immediately. If you cannot reply in entirety e-mail to verify receipt and say you will get back to them.
4. Write in complete sentences with no misspellings. (hope you caught this)
5. Answer all questions. If the message to you has questions, make sure to answer them completely.
6. Longer is better. Explain yourself completely. Misunderstandings happen easier in cyberspace.
7. Verify that your attachments are being received and can be decoded. Sometimes there is a mismatch between your encoding format and the recipient’s decoding format and the recipient cannot read your attached file. Some users are not technically literate and don’t know there is an attachment. Check to make sure they are receiving the attachments you are sending.
8. Decide whether your email filing cabinet (the incoming mail folder on your computer) is adequate for your needs. It is more efficient to print out the messages that have long term meaning or impact. Then, the incoming mail folder contains the messages that “expire” within a month.
9. Don’t rely on email alone to maintain contact. Pick up your phone and call periodically.
10. Etiquette requires some communications to be written and sent by snail mail. Use good judgment.