Email etiquette tips: how to write an email for work

What is email etiquette and why is it important?

Email etiquette sets up rules to follow when sending professional emails. These rules include writing concise emails, keeping a friendly yet workplace-appropriate tone, and responding in a timely manner. Following email etiquette enhances your communication skills and leaves a good impression on the receiver, especially when you don’t meet regularly in person. Improving your email-writing skills by writing clear, well-written messages and keeping up with your inbox will make you appear more trustworthy and easier to communicate with.

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Email etiquette to follow

There’s no official set of rules on writing emails in the workplace, but it doesn’t hurt to follow a few guidelines. Keep these helpful tips keep in mind when composing an email for work:

Start your emails appropriately

When addressing the recipient in an email, keep the tone friendly yet professional. Start the message with a casual or formal greeting, depending on your relationship with the person. Some greeting examples include:

• Hi [recipient’s name]
• Hey
• Hello
• Good morning/afternoon/evening
• Dear [recipient’s name]

Avoid using too casual or too formal greetings and keep your email as personal as possible. For instance, starting an email with to whom it may concern may come off as impersonal, especially if you know the recipient’s name.

Stay away from these greetings:

• What’s up [recipient’s name]
• Multiple exclamation points (hey!!!)
• Dear sir/madam
• Yo
• How’s it hanging

Finally, make sure you write an appropriate subject line, cc all necessary recipients, and spell the recipient’s name correctly.

Use good grammar and punctuation

Good writing skills are the ultimate sign of professionalism. Make sure you write a message free of spelling and punctuation errors. If you’re not sure about a word you’ve included, take a minute to look up the meaning. Use your spell checker or Microsoft Editor Grammar Checker to easily spot glaring mistakes in your email before you hit send.

Keep it clear and concise

Emails are meant to be a quick form of communication. Since you and your coworkers read several emails a day, send easy-to-read emails and get to the point quickly. Use bullet points to summarize your context and highlight important words to get your point across efficiently. If your email contains attachments, point them out at the beginning of the email. Try not to overwhelm your recipients with too much information—remember, less is more. Include all necessary information first and add additional details later. Skim your email before sending to double-check it’s readable and includes everything.

Respond to emails

Let your colleagues know you received their message, especially when urgent. Provide follow-ups to emails whenever possible and answer any questions you can. Send your email as a text when on the go. Responses don’t have to be very long—a quick sentence or two should do the trick. Use your best judgement to determine if an email requires a response. If you haven’t heard back from someone and need a response, don’t be afraid to send a polite follow-up email. It’s possible your previous email got lost in the inbox, so follow-ups are a good way to bring old messages back to the surface.

Add finishing touches to your email

After writing your final remarks, close out your email and include an appropriate sign-off. Indicate that you look forward to hearing back from your recipient or state your availability for additional help if necessary. Like with greetings, a sign-off is signaled by a closing message. Some possible sign-off messages include:

• Thanks
• Best
• Have a good weekend/break (often used at the end of the work week)
• Regards
• Looking forward to hearing from you

Adding an email signature can make your email look extra professional. Signatures also allow you to customize your emails and provide your recipient with other methods of contact, including your phone number and email address.

Email tips for job searching

When job hunting, you’ll likely email lots of recruiters and arrange a ton of interviews. Consider these additional tips when writing emails to prospective employers:

• Make sure your email address is appropriate. The email address you created years ago may not reflect your current interests. When using a personal email to reach out to recruiters, make sure your email address isn’t too silly. Create a new one that’s strictly professional or change your email address entirely.
• Introduce yourself. Even if you’ve attached your resume and cover letter to your email, it helps to include a short introduction to give recruiters a feel for who you are. This will make your email more personable and help you stand out.
• Include details about the listing. Share why the job interests you and why you’d be a great fit. As a bonus, prove you’ve done your research about the company by pointing out key highlights of the job posting.
• Add alternate methods of communication. Include your phone number or preferred contact method. Ask the recruiter or interviewer if you can keep in touch through LinkedIn or other forms of social media, if applicable.
• Decline a job offer, if necessary. Not all jobs are a perfect fit. Sometimes a better offer comes around. If you cannot accept a job offer for whatever reason, write an email to decline the offer and let the recruiter know you appreciate their consideration.

With these tips, you’ll present yourself in a more professional manner in emails. Put what you’ve learned into practice today.