Why is email etiquette important in the interview process? Because having professionalism within emails is important and shows the recruiter or hiring manager, you have respect for yourself, the company and the recruiter. Every step taken in the interview process is noticed, no matter how big or small.
According to Image and Etiquette, “90% of all business interaction is by email.” Emailing potential employees or clients is not like texting. Being able to create a professional email shows you care about gaining a career and can successfully represent yourself to others.
Follow these guidelines to help improve your email etiquette:
Create an appropriate email address
Email addresses like princessjane@gmail.com are not appropriate or professional to use for correspondence. When emailing a recruiter or hiring manager, I advise creating an email that combines your name and some numbers (if your name is common). For example, jane.doe11@gmail.com is a more appropriate email address because it helps the recipient know who is emailing them. Also, make sure that when sending emails your name is set as “Jane Doe” and not “Juicy Jane.” You should want an email address and name to appear professional to the recruiter.
Correctly address recipients by name
By correctly addressing the recipient, you can leave a terrific first impression. Examples include Dear Jane, Jane or Ms. Doe. Mr. is always acceptable. However, if you’re in doubt about a female recipient’s marital status, use Ms., instead of Miss or Mrs. If you are unsure of the gender, do not use a courtesy title when addressing the email. By using the recipient’s name, you have personalized the email and shown that you care to take the time to formally acknowledge the recipient.
Create full sentences in the email body
The email body is composed of what you would like to say. If someone says, “plz i am interested,” it will most likely cause the recipient to immediately delete the inquiry. This may be adequate language in text messages, but it lacks business professionalism and courtesy in email format. Take a few extra minutes and type, “Hello. I am interested in the customer support specialist position.” This illustrates that you are be able to adequately communicate in the workplace with clients and other business professionals.
Add a signature to every email
I recommend adding an email signature to every email you send. I would automatically add the signature to all devices from which you send emails (phone, laptop, etc).There are also two things I would recommend including in your email signature:
-Name – It is most important to include your first and last name in email correspondence. I’ve received numerous emails with only the first name in the signature, which makes it very difficult to decipher who is emailing me.
-Phone number – This is helpful because it makes it easy for recruiters, as well as other business professionals, to contact you for a quick conversation or to schedule an interview.
Check spelling and reread your email
With the ease of spell check on tablets, smart phones and computers, there is no excuse for not taking a few moments to proofread the email. Not spell checking your email shows you do not care to take the time to complete something efficiently and effectively.
Dale Carnegie said, “There are four ways, and only four ways, in which we have contact with the world. We are evaluated and classified by these four contacts: what we do, how we look, what we say and how we say it.” In regards to emailing business professionals, it is always better to use professionalism and courtesy in your communications.
