9 Tips on Creating a Professional Emailed Job Application
With the advent of the Internet, many of us have the
opportunity to apply for work through email.
However, just because this is the Internet and email is
so fast and convenient, that does NOT mean you should give
up professionalism and polish!
FIRST IMPRESSIONS COUNT. I recently looked over a few
emailed applications, and let me tell you, it was an
eye-opening experience! Here are a few examples of
how not to do things …
One person simply forwarded the job description to the
hiring company. There was no explanatory letter, no name
(just some garbled email address), no nothing. Why should
a company want to hire someone who cant be bothered to
make an effort?
Several people got the name of the hiring party wrong.
Some misspelled it, others substituted someone elses name.
Spelling mistakes, typos, grammatical errors, and
formatting problems like you wouldnt believe. One
person said that her greatest strength was her attention
to detal (should have been DETAIL); another said it
was his responsibility to a tent to customers (ATTEND
to customers).
It almost goes without saying that you should always
follow the application instructions provided. If youre
inquiring or applying for a job - regardless of whether
its online or in the real world - there are certain
rules of etiquette that apply:
__1. GREET THE PERSON. Dont just barge in and start
writing. A simple Dear ___ is great.
__2. CORRECTLY SPELL THE COMPANY NAME AND THAT OF THE
HIRING MANAGER. If you dont know how to spell them,
take a few seconds and find out.
__3. INDICATE WHAT POSITION YOURE APPLYING FOR. Be
specific; the company may be hiring for more than one
job.
__4. PROVIDE A BRIEF SUMMARY OF YOUR RELEVANT SKILLS.
Keep it short and to the point.
__5. CHECK YOUR SPELLING AND GRAMMAR. It takes just a
few minutes. If you are not confident about doing this
yourself, ask a friend or family member to check it over
for you.
__6. BE COURTEOUS! Dont make demands. Remember that
the only thing the hiring manager sees is your email -
he or she cant see your facial expressions or body
language, so take extra care in the words you select
and how you put them together.
__7. FORMAT YOUR EMAIL TO 60 CHARACTERS PER LINE.
Many email programs automatically word-wrap somewhere
between 60 and 70 characters. Add a hard return when you
reach 60 characters on a line; this will ensure the company
gets a nicely formatted application, just like you intended.
__8. TELL THEM HOW TO CONTACT YOU. As the bare minimum,
leave your phone number and email address.
__9. AND FOR GOODNESS SAKES, TELL THEM YOUR NAME.
This is so obvious its painful, yet Ive seen dozens of
applications there are not signed. End your letter with
Sincerely, Regards or Yours Truly, and then sign
your name.
Competition for home based jobs is fierce, and companies
can afford to be choosy. Dont give them a reason to
pass you by! Professionalism still counts - even on the
web.
About the Author
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Angela is the editor of Online Business Basics, a practical
guide for eBusiness beginners. You can find OBB along with
solid home business ideas, freelance and telecommuting job
updates, free magazine subscriptions, and much more at
eWorkingWomen, http://www.eworkingwomen.com/join.html
Angela Wu
