VFRESHERS

As emails are new entrants into the business world no one has been really taught how to write good emails. There are plenty of workshops conducted on this. However, if you are unsure of how to write one then keep this in mind. You must remember that an email is a cross between the telephone and a business letter. Hence, it is neither as formal as a business letter nor as casual as a telephonic conversation.

Therefore, you must be able to strike the right balance while drafting an email. It should come across as communicative yet business like.

The first thing that you must keep in mind while applying for an entry level job or even an experienced one is the subject line that you choose. This will determine whether your recipient opens your email or just leaves it lying in his inbox. The subject line must generate the urgency and curiosity in them to open the mail and read it.

Always follow these three important paragraphs in your email. The first one is acknowledging why the person wrote to you or why you are writing to them. Next is what you can do for them or what action you have taken after receiving their email. The third is what to they need to do in order to achieve the desired result.

Always remember that the email is a written document and can serve as written evidence against you as well as the company. It also serves as an interface between you and the customer and it represents you as a brand. It projects your image to the reader. These are all the reasons why you must be careful with the smallest of details. After you have written it ensure that you proofread and edit it. This will guarantee that any errors are picked up by you and rectified. Look for grammatical, technical and numerical errors.

An email should have short sentences. Long meandering sentences are going to confuse your reader and not get you the desired action from them. Grammatical and spelling errors are going to leave a bad impression on them. Sometimes they might not want to do business with people who cannot get their writing in ship shape. They might feel that the same attitude will be carried over to your business. Same is the case with punctuation. Use simple punctuation such as a full stop and comma only if you are not aware of the remaining ones.

Learn to be precise and concise. Plan your email out in your mind. Then organize the points based on the most important ones first and then in diminishing order of importance. If you have done these two things of planning and organizing then your emails will be coherent. Each point will flow fluidly into another point. Try and use linking language such as therefore, furthermore, in addition, to conclude in order to make your writing sound seamless and not choppy.

Lastly, keep in mind that an email is read on the computer’s screen.