When you write a business email, avoid six things: a casual greeting, slang, spelling mistakes and typos, attachments you do not mention, the wrong choice between To, CC, and BCC, and a loud, cluttered signature. Each one can make the reader take you less seriously.
A good application gets you the job, with a good cover letter, a well-built resume, and, for students, a strong essay for your college application. Once you are employed, new writing problems come up. Here are the six most important things to avoid in official and business emails.
1. Avoid casual greetings
Start at the beginning. The wrong greeting can be the beginning of the end. A greeting that is too informal sends the wrong signal to colleagues, managers, clients, and business partners. It is perfectly fine to start an email to friends, family, or colleagues you know well with "Hi" or "Hello Justin". An official email, however, should open with a formal and respectful greeting.
In an American business letter, the standard is "Dear", followed by the title and name and then a colon:
Dear Dr. Price:
A slightly more personal greeting uses "Dear", the title and name, and a comma:
Dear Ms. Patterson,
For more examples, see how to formulate greetings in business mail.
2. Do not use slang
Slang and casual language do not belong in a business letter or email. Otherwise, the reader may feel that you do not take them seriously, or, just as bad, may not take what you write seriously. Express yourself as calmly and professionally as the occasion calls for.
3. Spelling mistakes and typos
The correctness of your text matters just as much as the right tone and choice of words. Spelling and grammar mistakes make you look careless, or worse, uninterested. Typos tell the reader that you wrote in a hurry and did not take the time the email deserved.
So check every email before you send it. The Spell Checker marks spelling, grammar, and punctuation mistakes in a pasted text.
4. Do not add attachments without saying so
Email is a common way to spread viruses and other harmful files, so many people are wary of an attachment they did not expect. Always say in the email that you have attached something, and what the file, document, or information is. That way, the reader knows the attachment is expected and can open it with confidence. It also reminds you to check that you really attached it.
5. Choose the right recipient field
There is a big difference between "To", "CC", and "BCC".
Everyone in the "To" field receives the email as its main reader: they are the people you expect to read it and act on it.
Everyone in the "CC" field receives a copy. This is often meant as "for your information". A rule of thumb: when in doubt, it is better to inform one person too many than to leave out someone important. But do not copy people who have nothing to do with the matter.
"BCC" is a special case. Unlike "To" and "CC", the addresses in "BCC" are hidden from the other recipients. Use it with care: nobody likes to find out that someone else secretly received an email they were sent. It is useful, though, when you write to a large group of people who do not know each other, so that their addresses stay hidden from one another.
6. Keep the signature clean and calm
Many companies require certain legal and company details in email signatures, and depending on how much information that is, a signature can get very long. Often this cannot be avoided. Either way, the signature should never distract from the content or annoy the reader. Colors, pictures other than the company logo, animated GIFs, or embedded videos can quickly become very irritating. Leave out unnecessary information, and use a neutral font and size to keep the signature calm.
For the whole process from subject line to sign-off, see how to write a business email.