9 Tips on Creating a Professional Emailed Job Application

9 Tips on Creating a Professional Emailed Job Application
by: Angela Wu



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:

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


2. 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.


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


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


5. 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.


6. 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.


7. 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.


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


9. 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!