First came the Stone Age, then the Bronze Age, and finally, the Iron Age. It would be fairly difficult for anyone to argue that we aren’t currently existing in the Computer Age, as these devices seem to have become present in nearly all facets of our lives, from landing airplanes to video chatting with Grandma. Therefore, it’s no wonder that regardless of which industry you work in, computers are part of the job search process.
What does this mean for you? Well, at some point or another on your quest to find employment, odds are that you’re going to have to write an email. If you follow our email writing tips, your job search is sure to be much easier.
There’s a handful of common mistakes that people tend to make when emailing a prospective employer for the first time (or the second, or the third). Make sure that you stand out from the crowd by avoiding these kinds of mistakes.
Typos. You have used spell check before sending out that email, right? Of course you have, but be aware that sometimes spell check isn’t enough. Your computer can only search for single words that it thinks are spelled incorrectly, but sometimes that means a word might slip through the cracks. For example, a spell checker won’t recognize “a quip” as being misspelled, even if you were trying to write “equip.” Read over your email, cover letter, and resume carefully.
Where did that attachment go? It might sound silly, but people forget to include their attachments all the time (and then wonder why they aren’t hearing back from a company). Even if you realize shortly after sending the email, pulling one of those “Whoops, sorry, I forgot it!” follow-up emails isn’t doing you any favors. Remember it the first time.
Don’t tell them your life story. Keep your emails short, snappy, and on-point. If you had to print out your email, would your printer run out of ink? You’ve probably written too much. Only say what is necessary in the most clear, concise way possible. Odds are your potential employer is reviewing dozens if not hundreds of messages, so make yours easy for them.
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