How to Send a Professional Email - E-mail Ettiquette
It's become a daily task--checking, sending, and replying to emails, both at work AND at home. But how do you show professionalism through an email?
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Instructions
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Answer quickly. Everyone loves a fast response to their email. That's the point of email--a quick, timely way of communicating. It's a good idea to reply to emails as soon as possible, or at least within 24 hours of receipt. If you are on vacation or away, use an auto responder.
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Personally address the person you are emailing. Making it personal is a great way to keep the communication on a great start!
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Use spell check, proper grammar and punctuation, and give your email one more read-over before you click send. Once its sent, there's no turning back--so with that in mind, if you are upset or charged about the subject you are writing on, perhaps save the email for another time after you have a chance to think about the situation some more.
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Add a subject. Make sure it is meaningful to the reason why the email is being sent. Avoid forwarding.
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Everyone loves a smiley face, but when it comes to professional emails, use them with care. On the same token, be sure not to use sarcasm or dry humor in email--it can be read a totally different way from someone else.
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Always include the previous correspondence in your responses.
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Tips & Warnings
DO NOT write your entire email in all caps. This gives the impression you are yelling, and is not recommended for professional emails. If you want to bring attention to a certain line or word, underline or bold it.
If you are unsure the gender of the person you are writing to, keep your language gender neutral to avoid any hurt feelings or confusion.
Do not use "reply all" unless absolutely necessary to inform other people of the conversation. Not everyone needs to read personal conversations.
Scan attachments for viruses--you would hate to send a file that affects everyone's computer that opens it.
