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Netiquette at work Using personal email at work
Email is the most common means of communication in the work place and the most popular method for job prospecting. We worked with Helen Petrie, Professor of Human Computer Interaction at City University, London, to devise the following tips on making sure you're an effective emailer at work, to help you avoid getting in trouble with your boss and to put you in the best position to apply for jobs on email.
1. Get your inbox fit and trim
- Don't let your inbox get too big, you'll get stressed wasting time scrolling back and forward looking for that critical email that you need right now
- Use folders to organise different groups of emails that you need to keep
- Spend a few minutes each day organising your inbox to keep it under control
- Delete spam immediately - don't open it
2. Be prompt, not pressurised
- It's the nature of email that people expect communications to be dealt with instantly
- Try to deal with email promptly but don't be panicked into replying - deal with emails in the appropriate sequence of your work
3. Know when to use "cc"
- It is considered poor work netiquette to "cc" people on important emails, rather than addressing mail to them - busy people may even ignore mail that is not addressed specifically to them
4. Avoid "bcc"
- This can be an accident waiting to happen, we advise you forward important mail rather than blind copying
5. Don't send HOWLERS
- Using capitals is the email equivalent of SHOUTING and can be perceived as extremely rude, unless of course you want to shout at someone
6. Be discreet and professional
- Remember email is a written communication, and will be read and stored by your colleagues
- Your comments can easily be forwarded on to others
- There's no need to be paranoid, but our advice is to ask yourself "would I say this to the person's face?". If the answer is no, rewrite.
7. Create a good impression with your email
- Make sure you use a sign off with the right degree of formality for the recipient - "cheers" might be fine for a trusted contact but not a necessarily a client
- A well-designed signature containing all your contact details at the end of your email creates a professional impression and is easy to set up in Yahoo! Mail
8. Be a considerate emailer
- Be clear and organised in work related emails by providing a clear and informative subject heading
- Keep mail short and to the point where possible. If you do need to send a long email, give an indication at the beginning of what it's about
- Don't send just a huge blob of text which can be hard to read - think about the structure of how you are writing and set out important points in different paragraphs
- Give an expected time frame for response
9. Getting a response
- Having problems with colleagues who don't reply to your emails? Remember you are not the centre of cyberspace. They may be overwhelmed by the amount of email they are getting and all the work it's creating
- Don't make emails too demanding - ask for an update on a task, rather than for the whole job to be completed and reported back to you
10. Introduce your office to Instant Messaging
- You can alert your colleagues easily and unobtrusively to an urgent email by "pinging" them.
Using personal email at work
1. Know the rules about personal email at work
- Make sure you're aware of your organisation's policy about personal use of email, circulating jokes etc
- Wherever possible, use your personal account rather than work one for any personal or sensitive mail; eg sign up to web-based email account
- Whatever you do, don't use a work address to apply for a new job - our research of HR Managers around the UK showed 9% of HR Managers would not take action if they found an employee using their work email to look for a new job
2. Use an appropriate personal email address
- Our research found over half of HR Managers would be put off seeing a candidate if their email address was deemed frivolous e.g. larryloonylamb@yahoo.co.uk
- Make sure your chances are as high as possible by setting up a dedicated account with a free service like Yahoo! Mail, using a sensible address.
3. Always use the "save copy" function on your email account
- This way you'll be able to track which jobs you've applied for and exactly what you said to your potential employer
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