Email Etiquette for Interns and Grads

It is important for all graduates and interns to adopt email etiquette when corresponding with colleagues. This is to ensure a tone of professionalism and decorum in all workplace communications. It is also crucial that graduates be aware of email etiquette when communicating with potential recruiters for graduate roles and graduate programs to increase your chances of being selected. This provides a first good impression. This article will explain what email etiquette is and why it is important, and provide some tips to ensure that your emails are professional. 

What is email etiquette?

Email etiquette is the rules employed by employees when composing and responding to work emails. These rules govern the language, tone and format that can be used to ensure that all communication is professional and appropriate. While this article will outline the general rules for email etiquette, these can be adapted or modified depending on the culture of your workplace. Some workplaces may have a relaxed and casual approach to communication, while others may promote strict professionalism. 

Why is email etiquette important?

Email etiquette is important as email has become the primary means of communication within the workplace. This means that it reflects on you as an employee, and on your employer, the company, and its environment. Your email etiquette reflects the kind of worker you are. This is why it is important that it always remains professional as all employees value professionalism in the workplace. Depending on the nature of your work, employees are also often required to correspond with clients via email. It is therefore crucial to have intimate knowledge of email etiquette to represent the company in a positive light. Email etiquette also helps ensure that all correspondence is clear, concise and direct. This increases efficiency within the workplace as it creates structure and encourages accuracy. Another reason why employers value email etiquette is that it protects the company from misconduct. If all employees communicate in a professional manner, the likelihood of improper behaviour is greatly reduced.

How to follow email etiquette?

Here are some tips on email etiquette to ensure that you compose emails professionally. Remember, your emails should reflect the culture of your workplace so all these tips may not be relevant.

Professional email address

Most workplaces provide their employees with a company email address. This email address should be used for every correspondence with colleagues, supervisors, managers, and clients. You should not use your personal email address for any work-related correspondence. If your workplace does not provide a company email address, or if you are self-employed, then you can create a professional email address by using your company name. Ensure that your email address does not include any inappropriate language. Graduates applying for graduate programs or graduate roles should include their name in their email address. This is to avoid the email being mistaken for spam and to ensure a prompt response as the recruiter is likely receiving dozens of emails.

Respond: Reply, Reply-all, Forward

We have all heard the dreaded workplace stories of clicking reply-all and sending a company wide email that was only meant for one person. Before you send your email, ensure that the recipient is the correct individual. It is also poor manners to simply click reply-all and send an irrelevant email to other employees whose inboxes are already inundated. It is, of course, appropriate to click reply-all or to send an email to multiple recipients if necessary.

Subject Line

Your subject line should be clear, direct and concise. It should simply relay the purpose of the email to the recipient. It should also not be left blank. Most employees receive many emails during a work day, so if the email is pressing or time-sensitive, they are more likely to open the email when it is sent if the subject line directs their attention to the email’s purpose. The subject line should consist of keywords that reflect the content of the email. For example, if you are sending through the final proposal for a project, the subject line should state “Project X - Final Proposal”. 

Tone and Content

The tone of the email will depend on the workplace environment and the email recipient. If you are emailing a client, then the tone should be professional. If you are emailing a colleague that you have worked with for several years, the tone may be more casual depending on the nature of your relationship. When emailing someone for the first time, it is best to be polite and professional. Use “please” and “thank you” to reflect a positive and gratuitous tone. 

An inappropriate email can hurt your chances of obtaining a graduate position at a company, or damage your standing in the workplace. This refers not only to tone but to content as well. Graduates should refrain from including any inappropriate language or information in official workplace correspondence. This extends to humour. Humour is subjective and something what may be funny to you may be offensive or hurtful to someone else. 

Salutations

It is customary to begin and end an email with a salutation. The salutation should reflect your relationship with the email’s recipient. For example, if you are emailing a client or manager, it is best to greet them as “Dear [name]”. When emailing a team member or close colleague, it may be appropriate to greet them using “Hello [name]”. The level of formality will vary depending on the recipient. A salutation to end an email may also vary, but is usually “Yours sincerely” or “Kind regards”. 

Spelling, grammar, and punctuation

Pay attention to your spelling, particularly when you are addressing the recipient. It is a poor look to misspell the recipient’s name as it suggests a lack of attention to detail. It is also important that you proofread your email for grammatical errors before sending. This helps to prevent miscommunication and makes the reading experience of the email smoother. Ensure that you also use correct punctuation. This allows your sentences to be clear. Exclamation marks should also be used sparingly as their tone can be misconstrued over email.

Font and Font Size

Select a font that is easily readable. Avoid any cursive fonts as they may be difficult for people to understand, especially if the recipient has a learning disorder, like dyslexia. The most common fonts that are typically used in workplace correspondence are Times New Roman, Arial, Calibri and Aptos. The font size should not be too big or small. It should range between size 10 to size 12 to maximise readability.

Signature

Sign off an email by including your name. This is particularly important if your email address does not include your name. Below your name, provide any relevant contact information. This can include your job title, the company’s name, work phone number, and work email address. This provides the recipient with alternative means of contacting you.

Attachments

Before sending the email, check that you have included any attachments. This is especially important when applying for a graduate role or graduate program. Forgetting to attach your resume or cover letter will greatly limit your application as the recruiter will be missing vital information. The attachments should also be labelled clearly. If you are attaching a resume, the document should be titled “[Name] Resume”. 

Reply Time

As a general rule of thumb, graduates should aim to respond to any emails they receive within 24 business hours. This is to ensure that work and decision-making within the company is not unnecessarily forestalled. 

Example 

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