Email with Elegance

When contacting recruiters, you should always use efective, simple and natural language to come of as tasteful, mature and graceful.

1

Use an appropriate email address If you don’t have a professionalsounding email address hosted on a credible domain, it’s tme to create a new account. The new email address will need to contain your initals, either your surname or full name, and be free from references to your favourite puns, cartoons or games.

2

Write a clear subject line A good subject line states the purpose of the email with the recipient in mind. An ideal subject line will be “Applicaton for (Role) – (Your Name)”. Make sure you don’t have typos in the subject line as that’ll make a very bad frst impression!

3

Address your email to the right person You can fnd out online who you should address the email to, instead of statng “Dear Sir/Madam” or “To whom it may concern”.

Take note that the name of the hiring manager is ofen on the job descripton and hiring notce. If it’s not, you can look it up on LinkedIn or the online directory of the organisaton you’re applying to.

Alternatvely, you can also make a phone call to enquire about who you should be addressing the email to before sending it out.

4

Keep it brief and professional Your email should be succinct and not lengthy. As excited as you might be able applying for the job, avoid using emotcons, emojis or exclamaton marks in your emails.

Keep the note brief, respectul and professional. Be sure to avoid using acronyms like “btw” and “fyi” as well.

5

Check for errors Don’t just rely on autocorrect to spot your typos. Always re-read your email draf for grammatcal mistakes and read it out loud, thinking from the recipient’s point of view.

6

Manage your email attachments efectively Don’t forget to enclose your atachments, whether they’re your cover leter, resume or other documents requested for! If you fnd yourself needing to send large atachments, consider placing them in a zip folder, or providing links for them to download.

7

Follow up promptly Besides replying to emails from prospectve employers swifly, you should send them a follow-up note if you haven’t heard from them within the stated period in which you’re expectng a reply.

Similarly, you don’t want to miss out on an interview opportunity or potental job ofer just because you forgot to check your inbox!

8

Craft an efective signature Lastly, your email signature should contain a link to your LinkedIn profle or portolio, if it’s online. And don’t forget to add your mobile number, especially for your frst email to any professional contact!

Example

To: hr@employer-123.com From: john_lim_liwei@gmail.com

Subject: Applicaton for Marketng Executve - John Lim

Dear Ms Tan,

I am interested in the Marketng Executve positon at Animal Welfare Company, as advertsed on LinkedIn. I have a 6-month internship experience as a Marketng Intern, and I am an actve volunteer at the local animal shelter. My atached resume and cover leter outline my qualifcatons for the role. Thank you very much for your consideraton. I hope to hear from you soon.

Yours sincerely,

John +65 9812 0569 @john_lim_liwei