Sending a mail to a friend, colleague, boss, department, technician, HR, or an interviewer can become challenging. However, the right email writing etiquette can make it far more straightforward than a person can think. The basics would include the following:

Showcase Professionalism

Even when you know a person or have worked with a colleague for a substantial time, it is essential to depict professionalism at work, even if its digital. Therefore, before addressing anyone at the office or a recruiter, start with a “Dear” instead of a “Hi.” After that, make sure that the letter doesn’t consist of colloquialism and abbreviations. 

Also, conclude the letter with a “Yours Sincerely” or “Thanks and Regards” instead of “Yours Truly,” followed by your name along with the official designation and department (if any). However, if you are reverting to a recruiter, it can follow with a reachable phone number.

Mention the Subject

Often people have problems with the subject line of a letter. However, the best way describes it is with the objective. For example, “Resume for the Post of Officer.” Such a subject line would instantly grab the recruiter’s attention and even help to categorize under a new label. Thus, making the job of the recruiter easy and increase the chances of employment. 

On the other hand, if you are already an employee at an organization but require assistance with your work or technology, the subject could be “Request for an Mouse” or “Outdoor Pre-Diwali Celebration Plans at Office.” While the former addresses personal needs to a tech department employee, the latter informs an upcoming event and place. Therefore, subject lines can state a lot in fewer words.

Similarly, team leaders share subject lines “Marketing Meetup Agenda Analysis” and “Agenda for October 2020 Meetup” to state post and pre-meeting subjects of discussions with the necessary team members. On the other hand, customer email subject lines could differ based on the email agenda, i.e., sales, upgrade, offers, festival celebrations, news, etc. Potential customers open emails based on the subject line. 

Using Punctuations

Making perfect use of language punctuations like a comma, question mark, period, quotation mark, apostrophes, etc. can make a lot of difference. Primarily, it makes reading it easier, comfortable and state the areas of attention. Also, most professionals try to avoid more than one exclamation point in an email. They consider it childish or unprofessional. 

On the other hand, terminal punctuation or using punctuation at the end of a sentence is much appreciated. But before using any punctuation, the email writer must become familiar with their grammar rules. For example, a semicolon (;) connects two uniquely related sentences, whereas a comma is used before coordinating conjunctions such as – “and, for, no, but, or, so, nor, yet.”

Grammar

Although tools and extensions can prove useful while sending an email, one must know the exact language grammar rules. For example, the difference between there, their, and they’re,  affect and effect; to, too, and two, etc.

Knowing the grammar rules would decrease dependence on any additional tool or extension and even create better readable content. Simultaneously, knowing grammar and spelling mistakes would help others learn that you pay attention to detail. 

Differentiate Between Formal and Informal Emails

Besides the fundamental tone of language difference between formal and informal emails, there are many other differences. Primarily, an informal email subject can be blank if you are forwarding to a friend or a known person. On the other hand, a formal email should have a professional subject, as discussed under the second point. 

Hey/Hi, Hey/Hi there, Good afternoon, Good morning, the person’s name, etc. can be informal email salutations. On the other hand, a formal email salutation includes “Dear (last or first name). 

The sign-off on informal email includes – “Thanks, Thanks again, Talk soon, Best, Cheers, Enjoy the weekend, etc.” Meanwhile, a formal email sign-off includes “Thanks and Regards, Thank you, Thank you for your time, etc.”

Avoid Common Mistakes

Aside from the standard spelling and grammar mistakes discussed earlier, there are a few notable other mistakes. The first one includes “sent from “iphone,” “android model,” etc. caveat. It has no use in either an informal or formal email. However, it appears quite unrequired and meaningless in a formal email. The second important thing to notice is the email signature. This above all mentioned we cover it in our english speaking course in hindi.

A perfect email signature can make the links more click-worthy, showcase knowledge, and appeal professionally. Signature mistakes like unclickable icons or links, same page open links, missing contact information, enlarged handle icons, etc. can become devastating. Therefore, to avoid them, you can send a default email to your email id. Besides this, make sure that the person(s) addressed in the email is correct. We hope these basic etiquettes come in handy the next time you write an email.