Don'ts and Do's of Email

Email. The whole world revolves around it! That’s why it’s so important to always be on top of your e-mail etiquette game! You never want to be that person in the office with that ONE embarrassing email that everyone will remember forever.  

Here are a few of my tips and tricks to get you started emailing like a pro

1.      Email Address. Most people who work for a company are given company email addresses and won’t have to deal with creating a new one. However, if you’re not provided with an email for work, or if your just out of college, or on the hunt for a new job, “cutebarbie99” will not cut it. Make sure your email address is professional. A few good examples are FirstNameLastName@___.com FirstName@____.com, FirstInitialLastName@____.com, you get the picture.

2.      Don’t write an essay…unless it’s totally necessary to get your point across. The longer the email, the longer it will take someone to a. reply and/or b. deal with the situation. Most people do not like to read long emails, or even reply. If and when they do reply, they will keep emailing back and forth, which could have been avoided by a quick summary. Rule of thumb; keep your email to a maximum of two paragraphs.

3.      Signature. Make sure you have all your contact information, just in case for new contacts or if your scheduling a meeting. No one wants to have a scheduled phone conference, only to find out that there’s no phone number to call.

4.      Caps. Whether you are happy, irritated or just busy, it can be jangled up and misinterpreted. To protect yourself and avoid a hostile office situation, turn the caps off. Just to be safe, keep the sarcastic jokes out too. If you really need to highlight something, then bold it.

                                                                    

5.      Reply-all: The most hated and loved button in most offices. The reply-all button can be dangerous and yet a life saver at the same time. Always double check if everyone in the email needs to see your reply, sometimes your thoughts on a matter won’t be relevant to everyone on the thread!

These are my tips and tricks for effective emailing. Please share your tips and thoughts below!