9 Tips on Creating a Professional Emailed Job Application - Answering Service Resources

Home
>
Careers, Jobs & Employment
>
9 Tips on Creating a Professional Emailed Job Application

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 can't be bothered to make an effort?
Several people got the name of the hiring party wrong. Some misspelled it, others substituted someone else's name.
Spelling mistakes, typos, grammatical errors, and formatting problems like you wouldn't 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 you're inquiring or applying for a job - regardless of whether it's online or in the 'real world' - there are certain rules of etiquette that apply:

GREET THE PERSON. Don't just barge in and start writing. A simple "Dear ___" is great.

CORRECTLY SPELL THE COMPANY NAME AND THAT OF THE HIRING MANAGER. If you don't know how to spell them, take a few seconds and find out.

INDICATE WHAT POSITION YOU'RE APPLYING FOR. Be specific; the company may be hiring for more than one job.

PROVIDE A BRIEF SUMMARY OF YOUR RELEVANT SKILLS. Keep it short and to the point.

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.

BE COURTEOUS! Don't make demands. Remember that the *only* thing the hiring manager sees is your email - he or she can't see your facial expressions or body language, so take extra care in the words you select and how you put them together.

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.

TELL THEM HOW TO CONTACT YOU. As the bare minimum, leave your phone number and email address.

AND FOR GOODNESS SAKES, TELL THEM YOUR *NAME*. This is so obvious it's painful, yet I've 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. Don't give them a reason to pass you by! Professionalism still counts - even on the web.

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. Come find out how you too can work from home!

In The News:

The Associated Press
Kennedy seen as model for re-entry women
The Associated Press - 10 hours ago
Kennedy's bid for the Senate has reignited the "mommy wars" between mothers with careers and those who take a break from paid employment. ...

Elusive employment in Valley: Thousands seeking work in crowded ...
TMCnet - 15 hours ago
"Men who have spent their entire careers at some of these plants are looking for even part-time work. I've never seen anything like it before. ...

Monster US online jobs index stumbles in December
Reuters - 23 hours ago
Monster Worldwide Inc, an online careers and recruiting firm, said its employment index fell to 131 points last month from 143 in November. ...

Career Expert Helps Professionals Remove Personal Barriers and ...
PitchEngine (press release), WY - 13 hours ago
With all the “noise” about the current state of employment, career professionals find themselves at a crossroads. The tough decision to switch careers, ...

Gambling911.com
Job seekers flock to CityCenter Careers web site
MSNBC - Jan 7, 2009
It's being called the largest, single new employment opportunity in the country, and it's happening right here in Las Vegas. ...
Construction flaw causes delays at CityCenter KVBC
all 216 news articles

Great careers in the media
Malaysia Star, Malaysia - 5 hours ago
... who will be speaking on macro trends of the employment market, Azizah Talib from the Malaysia Employers Federation who will speak on career growth, ...

Opportunities: Career Advantages of Collaboration
ScienceCareers.org, DC - 4 hours ago
You might come up first in their minds when an employment opportunity opens up. You develop opportunities for scientific collaboration the same way you ...

Examiner.com
Job shadowing: The benefits and how it's done
Examiner.com - 16 hours ago
... a subtle way for future employment opportunities including internships,” said Rick Smith, PhD, director of career development at the Smith Career Center ...

AsiaOne
Retooling for encore careers
AsiaOne, Singapore - 12 hours ago
He will speak at the Reinventing Retirement Asia conference that opens tomorrow on 'encore careers', the subject of a book he penned in 2007. ...

Elders to offer new traineeships
The Age, Australia - 29 minutes ago
"We want them to learn that they can join Elders and take their careers to a senior level without having to pack up and move to the city. ...

careers employment - Google News

Answering Service ResourceAnswering Service Resource