Professionalism is evolving over the last few years, and what is considered professional has also developed. It is a lot harder than it sounds to be professional, but it has to be incorporated into emails as they have become more relevant. There is a clear difference between when it is appropriate to use causal speech and containing emoticons, slang text, and textspeak. There are several possibilities when professional emails are required. It can range from thank you notes to co-workers, potential employers, resignation letters, or a letter of recommendation. In all honesty, it is a good practice to keep it professional and organized regardless.
There are often different types of professionalism within an everyday workplace. Therefore, there are other ways to address said co-workers. If you are looking to email a supervisor or management staff, there is a standard the email adheres to. This same standard will hold, but there will be more leniency with how it is approached. If you are emailing a subordinate, the tone will have a different meaning based on the context of the situation.
What must be included in Professional Emails:
Subject Line: These are essential to convey the right message to the person receiving the email as it is essentially a glimpse of what is enclosed. The subject line can be simple or more complex, but concise ones are preferred.
Greeting: Every email must include a greeting, whether a simple hello, Hope all is well, etc. If it is for a specific person, include the name and make it a particular person. It is also important to remember that if the person is superior in a workplace, use their title.
Length: Keep the email concise - only try to make it as long as needed, as people generally don't want to read something unnecessary.
Make it easy to read: Ensure that you include indentations or spaces between the paragraphs for skimming straightforward interpretation. The indentations are very important because it is informative to see when a new idea is being presented or recognize the critical points.
Be Kind: Always remember to be kind in emails, especially if you are doing a favor if they are taking time out of their day to give you an answer.
Re-Read the Email: This should be a common practice, but if you need to re-read your emails before sending them out, then there needs to be an adjustment made. Re-reading is how you catch your errors, and reaching out to somebody with mistakes in your writing is embarrassing.
Remember the information from previous emails: Avoid making an email repetitive unless that is the sole purpose of the email. Reiterating yourself when there is no need can become repetitive and annoying.
Closing: When closing it out, make sure that it is brief but polite; typically, it's a "Thank you" or "Best" if there is something else that you would like to include or use instead, that is always an option as long as it is appropriate. Often when sending emails, using a work-related account has the chance to have a preset signature, including your name, title, and contact information. This is a great way to inform your correspondence of your title, and if they need to reach you, your contact information is included.
Mind your tone: When writing an email to somebody, it is essential to remember who you are writing to and the higher fee they hold. For example, if you were to write a follow-up email on an interview as a post to a question to your boss, the two would have entirely different towns. In these situations, it is essential to adjust your tone as you see fit; often, the saying is, "it's not just what you say but how you say it" make sure the tone that you choose allows the message to be delivered correctly."
What Not to Include in your Professional Emails:
Font Style: Keep it classy - use something other than obnoxious fonts; they make the email seem less professional and tacky. They will take away from the message itself and give off the vibe that it is playful. There is a high chance of overusing bold, and italics, which makes the email look cluttered, and emphasizing everything takes away from the vital portion of the messages.
Uppercase: Do not use capital letters when writing a professional email; it comes off as aggressive and unprofessional. It is also expressed over-excitement, and often, professional emails do not contain much emotion - therefore, there is no reason to add additional emails.
Emojis: In professional emails, do not use emojis - those are solely meant for personal correspondence.
Need to be fluent in English? Do Not Worry; we can help!
Often There needs to be more connection when emailing in the English language. Mailsoftly understands the difficulty in conveying the correct message in a different language, and we are here to help. However, with English being a complex language to translate correctly, steps must be taken slowly to ensure the best results.
Begin with a Greeting
Always start with a greeting; acknowledging the person by first name or last name, depending on the situation, is essential as it establishes the relationship with the reader more. Depending on your relationship with the individual, there is a different greeting. We can check some out below:
If you are using an informal greeting: "Dear ____."
If you are using a formal salutation: "Dear Mr. / Mrs. ____."
If you are using a casual greeting: "Hi / Hello ___."
If you are writing to somebody you don't know, do "Dear Sir / Madam" or "To whom it may concern."
Thank the recipient
Always make sure to thank the recipient, it shows a sign of respect and that the conversation is being heard and thoroughly thought of. If somebody were to come to you with a question, you all would like to start by saying, "thank you for contacting me regarding _________." If someone had rows replied to your email you can say, "thank you for your reply," or
"Thank you for getting back to me." Or if you are emailing somebody and asking for their time, make sure to include it at the end of the email and say, "thank you for taking the time" or "thank you in advance for your time."
State your purpose
If you are to create an email and you are the one starting, it is essential to say the purpose of the email in the first few lines. Nobody wants to read through an email and attempt to figure out what the message is trying to convey, instead start by saying, "I am writing to inquire about." or "I am reaching out due to ____," as you make sure to clearly State the purpose of your email in the first few lines after that you are then able to move on to the main text of the email. It is important to remember that when people are reading emails, they want to be brief and concise. Therefore, keeping your email short and being aware of any grammar or spelling errors/punctuation Is essential to the company's image.
Add your Closing Remarks
When you send your email, it is essential to be polite and either thanks you or add a generous remark at the end. A few options are "thank you for your patience" or "thank you for your consideration." These are both very reliable and classy options to use. Or if you need to open the door for potential questions to be asked, you are welcome to say, "if you have any questions or concerns, please reach out" or "I look forward to hearing from you."
End with a Closing
The last step to writing an email is to include an appropriate closing. This can fluctuate based on who you're reaching out to, but a typical ending goes as follows:
"Best Regards"
"Sincerely"
"Thank you"
These are all professional clothing. A closing statement that needs to be avoided is:
"Best Wishes"
"Cheers"
The only fitting situation in which you can use one of these to close is if they are your friend or there is a much more informal relationship with them. Also, before you hit the send button, review the email's contents and make sure that spelling, grammar, and punctuation are all correct. If you have any attached documents ensure that those are connected correctly and openable to the other person.
Let's break down an example.
Let's observe an email entirely, and then we can pinpoint the edits that can be made to improve.
The email reads as follows:
Subject line: Hello, my name is John
Body Email:
Hi [Recipient's Name],
I'm John, and I am reaching out to you because we have a mutual friend, [Mutual Friends Name]. We met at work because we work together at [company name].
I heard that you would be going to the [conference name] next week and I would love to discuss [ topic].
Let me know what you think,
John
[Signature]
Take a second to evaluate what is wrong with the email above. Now let's fix it.
1. Subject line: Hello, my name is John
The subject line must read as "[Conference name, would love to meet]. The reasoning is to ensure that the subject line stays on point with the topic of the email. In the example, using the subject line to introduce yourself is not only a terrible first impression but also unprofessional as the subject line is titled subject line and should only contain the subject of the email.
2. Hi [Recipient's Name],
This needs to be altered - if you continue reading the rest of the example, you can detect that this is the first interaction between the recipient and the sender. Therefore starting the email by saying Hi is very informal. A more professional approach to this could be "Dear ____."
3. I'm John, and I am reaching out to you because we have a mutual friend, [Mutual Friends Name]. We met at work because we work together at [company name].
This information can be written cleaner and get the point across more simpler. To make it more professional, start by stating, "I hope your day is going well. My name is John; I used to work with [ Mutual Friends Name] at [ Company name], where I still hold my Position as [Position]. This tidies up the example email and is more varied and cleanly written.
4. I heard that you would be going to the [conference name] next week and I would love to discuss [ topic].
This not only reads awkward, but it is inferring that the recipient will take the time to meet with you without even asking, which can be very rude. Instead, it should read, "[Mutual Friend] mentioned that you will be in attendance at the [Conference Name]; I would enjoy the opportunity to discuss [topic] with you are available.
5. Let me know what you think,
John
[Signature]
This needs to be revised. When wrapping up an email, you need to add a thank you - mainly because, in this case, the sender is asking the recipient for their time. It is also important to express gratitude as they are taking the time to reply to your email and potentially meet up with you. A professional way to word this would be, "I would like to thank you for your time in advance and look forward to the possible opportunity of speaking with you."
Kind Regards
John
[Signature]
Wrap it up!
Professionalism has evolved over the last decade, especially as the new generations come into the work field. That being said the level of professionalism needs to be held consistently, so that understood respect goes across all platforms. So often, as new generations come, workplace functions can tend to alter, but this cannot be the case when it comes to emails. A professional email is a professional email, and there is no way to get around how one presents themselves in that setting. And terms of emailing with a professional tone, many factors need to be considered, as you can see above. It is not as simple as sending an email to a friend, subject line matter, intros, concise messages, and closing of the email all play a significant role in the overall image you present when you send a professional email.
Wrap it up!