How to Write Professional Emails: 6 Tips to Help You Ace Your Thank You Email
Even if you’ve got an on-point resume and job application, the best referees and have aced the job interview, it’s the little things that can set you apart from other potential employees.
How you communicate is one of the most significant ways that you’ll be judged, including your response rate, email etiquette and if you have a professional email address.
Here are 6 email tips on how to make sure your email etiquette is perfect and improve your prospects!
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1. Follow Their Lead
If every communication you’ve had has been formal (i.e. business email writing, with people always using a job title and referring to you by title rather than name) then an effective email would echo this formality. Equally, If the whole time you’ve communicated with the company you’ve communicated with one person, who was also a part of the interview, and they’ve always signed off their emails with:
“Regards, Anna.”
Then refer to her as Anna, not Ms. Smith or her official title. It’s important to do this with other elements of the email as well – if the person you’re communicating with uses an email thread, then do the same. If it’s a new business it may be more casual then some of the more traditional companies, and you should communicate with them in the same way. If it’s not a follow up email, so you don’t have anything to go on, try and get an email sample through something like their email marketing, or even a blog post if they have an official blog, and then make it a little more formal than that.
2. Always Send Emails At the Right Rime
It’s not uncommon to be a little unsure about when to send emails. Unless it’s crucial, like having to cancel or reschedule a face to face meeting on short notice, emails should really be sent during business hours i.e between Monday and Friday after 9 and before 5. You can’t expect to be seen as knowing how to write a professional email if it’s sent at 11pm on a Saturday night.
Average Time to Hire
Also aim to respond to any kind of communication, whether it was a phone call or an email, the next day if you’re looking to impress, although most people don’t expect a response until a day or two after. (this also shows that you can get real work done quickly – never a bad skill to show a potential employer!)
Tip:
Send thank you emails within 24-48 hours, and for a fast company aim for the 24 hour mark.
3. Thank You’s Are Always Appreciated and Remembered
If, after interviewing, one person rights a follow up email saying thank you for the opportunity and another has no response, it’s natural that the more polite person will inspire a response. The thank you email is not another interview, just a simple good professional email follow up to say how much you appreciated their time and subtle call to action by including something along the lines of “I hope to hear from you soon”
4. Don’t let the little things let you down
When communicating with a company or potential client, it can be the smallest things that come across as unprofessional. Make sure that every correspondence, from the original email through to following up is from a professional email address. That doesn’t have to mean jeansmith@company.com, it just means nothing silly or rude. If you’re still using the fluffybunny29@hotmail.com email that you made when you were 12, it’s time to upgrade so that prospective employers and prospective clients take you seriously.
5. Focus on the Task At Hand
It’s not difficult to get distracted when writing an email, but always avoid distractions. If you’ve procrastinated out of responding to an unanswered email, you need to find time asap (as in, find some time today, not in a few days!) to write a good professional email in response. If you’re prone to procrastinating then use google alerts or email tracking to help you remember, and if you really can’t remember to email, a call back can also be a good idea.
If you do tend to get distracted while writing, put everything else away so that you don’t accidently write the wrong company name, send the email to multiple people, or make a meeting request for the wrong day!
Tip:
If you’re prone to procrastinating then use google alerts or email tracking to help you remember
6. Above All Else, Be Polite and Respectful
At the end of the day, you can make a few mistakes and still be ok as long as you’re always polite. If you use your first name only when signing off, or forget to list your phone number, or leave it too long, a good follow up email can make up for it if you’re professional and friendly. Always figure out how to end a professionally written email in a way that shows that – kindest regards is always safe, but if it’s more casual than a cheery “thanks” and then your name can be ok too.
Emails are a crucial communication tool in the job search world – thank you emails show that you’re thoughtful and professional, but only if they’re written in the right way. All email correspondence should be polite and respectful, and can be the difference between you getting the job and having to keep hunting!