Email Etiquette for Resume and Job Search by Holly Wright

When an email is sent during a job search, there are a number of mistakes that can be made. It is important to check for certain things before you actually send the resume off to your prospective employer. Once an email is written and you press the send button in some email programs you are given one more chance to make sure everything is OK with spell check and in other email programs your message is sent. You only get one shot at sending an email.


First impressions everything when you are looking for a job. If you have mistakes on your initial email your chances of even getting an interview will be greatly reduced. Like every other form of formal communication there is a certain etiquette that needs to be followed when sending an email for a job search. The danger with sending out emails is that we become relaxed and fall into the habits of sending an informal email. This is because people send out so many emails to friends each day. They pick up certain habits that just come naturally while writing an email.


Never write in broken English! We sometimes write as if we're writing an SMS message in an email. This would be highly unprofessional in a job application. Double check your spelling and grammar! When writing an email relying only on the spell check is dangerous because most programs are not 100% accurate. A word spelled correctly in the wrong place might not get flagged. Reread your mail just to be sure.


Do not waffle! Keep your email short and to the point. These people who read your resume, of which could be one of hundreds, are extremely busy, so do not waste their time. This will be appreciated and could earn you some extra points. Leave you contact information! Always leave a signature at the end of the email with all the necessary contact information. Make it as easy as possible for the employer to contact you.


Make sure the title of the job is in the email! Write the job title as the subject of the email unless otherwise instructed so that the person reading your email knows exactly what you are responding to.