Northwest Staffing Blog

As a staffing agency serving Everett, Mill Creek, Martha Lake, and Lynnwood, we get all sorts of email from all sorts of people. Sometimes it’s surprising, even to us, that not everyone follows the basic rules of email etiquette.

But, whether you’re an employer, or a job seeker, the email you send is an important component of your professional image – much like your wardrobe and voicemail greeting. If you want to impress, then you need to steer clear of these top eight email etiquette mistakes:

Not including a subject line.
Most business people receive a huge amount of emails on any given day. Therefore, it makes no sense to omit a subject line. If you want your email read in a timely manner, you need to include a subject line that is pertinent to your email message.

Failure to change the subject line with each reply.
If you’re going back and forth with someone regarding a project, don’t just hit reply every time. Rewrite the subject line so it reflects the issue discussed in each email. This way, you and the recipient won’t have to go searching through dozens of emails with the same subject line for one piece of information.

Not personalizing your email.
Email is an informal means of communications. But in the business world, it shouldn’t be too formal. Therefore, be sure to include a greeting in each email you send out, such as “Dear Mr. Smith,” or “Hi Mike.”

Not thinking about tone.
Choose your words carefully because the recipient can’t see your body language or hear your tone of voice. You may be kidding around about something, but the recipient takes it seriously because you didn’t take tone into account.

Failure to check for spelling and grammar.
Some people seem to think that they don’t need to proofread emails. But would you send out a business letter without proofreading it? Absolutely not! If you repeatedly send out emails with spelling and grammar mistakes, people will begin to question the quality of your work in general.

Writing long emails.
Email is supposed to be brief, so write only a few paragraphs at most. When you need to write something longer, then it’s probably time to pick up the phone or schedule a meeting.

Including sensitive information in emails.
Once an email leaves your mailbox, you have no idea where it might end up. So if you want to keep something more private, don’t include it in an email. Use other means to communicate such information.

Completing the “To” line first.
Write the subject line and email, and then proofread it before even thinking about filling in the “To” line. A quick hit of the wrong button can send out an embarrassing, half-finished mass email to all your colleagues. And it can never be taken back.

In this day and age, proper email etiquette should be a no-brainer for everyone. But as a staffing agency in business serving Everett, Mill Creek, Martha Lake, and Lynnwood for over 20 years, we still get lots of emails from people who make many of the mistakes mentioned above. Whether you’re a business owner sending an email to a client, or a job seeker submitting your resume, make sure you follow proper etiquette. You’ll establish more positive relationships and make a better impression in the long run.