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Writing emails

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You will probably use email more than letters to communicate with employers, so you might like to give communication this way a little thought:

  • Make the subject line meaningful so the recipient can see it is an important email, not junk.
  • Emails are more informal than letters and there are fewer conventions, but it is important to remember that any form of communication gives an impression of you.
  • Are you happy with the impression the recipient may get from your email address? For example, would you want a potential employer to see that your email address is something like stonybrokeanddesperate@yahoo.co.uk or iamsosexytryme@hotmail.com.
  • Maybe you need to think about getting a new email address before that vital first impression is formed.
  • You can still use 'Dear Mr Smith' if you wish but first names are often used. You can still use 'Yours sincerely' if you wish but it is also acceptable to end an email with 'Regards'.
  • Align everything to the left margin, don't indent paragraphs.
  • Make sure spelling, grammar and punctuation are all accurate.
  • Always leave one space after a full stop, and also after a colon. Leave one space after a comma, semi-colon and other punctuation.
  • 'Open' punctuation is now accepted - titles like 'Mr', 'Mrs' and 'Dr' and abbreviations such as 'eg' are not punctuated.
  • Remember not to start each paragraph with 'I'.
  • A simple approach to a covering email is a 3 paragraph approach
    • Why are you writing – 1st paragraph
    • What do you want to say – 2nd paragraph
    • When will something happen next – 3rd paragraph
    This will give a structure to your email and make it clear and easy to understand. See also Letter Writing.
  • Click here to see some example emails.