Formal emails and other correspondence

Note: These are guidelines for formal, professional correspondence. At times you will want to lower the degree of formality you use in your messages to match the particular expectations of the recipient. If you are unsure, err on the side of formality.

General Advice

• Keep emails short and to the point. Always fill in the subject line with a concise (but not vague) summary of the purpose of your message. Employers get lots of emails. Yours may be ignored if you are not clear about what you are requesting.

• Avoid using all caps, emoticons, and nonstandard fonts. Double-space between paragraphs in the text of your message; there is no need to indent.

• Proofread emails before sending them. Spelling mistakes, improper capitalization, and grammatical errors signal that you are not professional.

• Do your homework before asking a question. Make sure it has not been answered elsewhere (in the job listing, website, etc.). Most employers hear from so many job candidates that needless questions quickly become repetitive and off-putting. Also, employers like candidates who come across as well-prepared, not clueless.

• Say thank you at the end of your message if the person has helped you, particularly if an employer has contacted you or given you an interview (in the latter case, a mailed thank-you card may even be appropriate).

• Check your email regularly and reply right away to any responses, even if just to say thank you for their last message. When talking to employers, any delay can be interpreted as a sign that you are not really interested in the position.

Greetings/Salutations

•  Always start your email with a greeting that references the person’s name. Do not use a generic greeting like “Hello” or “Good Morning.”

• For formal communications, use “Dear” before the name of the individual, or leave it out and just use the name—either is fine. “Hi So-and-So” is less formal, but can be acceptable in some professional contexts. Avoid the use of “Hey.” For the most formal communications, use a colon after the name of the individual. Generally, though, a comma is fine in professional emails. Examples: 

 Ms. Barnes,       Dear Dr. Goldstein,       Professor Mowery:       Dear Dean Malat:

•  When writing to a person with a doctorate (a physician with an MD, a professor with a PhD, etc.), use “Dr.” before their last name. Do not use “Mr.” or “Ms.” For instructors, “Professor” is also fine (not all your professors have doctorates). 

• When writing to anyone else with a title, you will usually want to use it before their name: Reverend Santos-Lyons, Rabbi Dobrick, Dean Gronert, etc. For specific titles, see websites like emilypost.com/advice/official-forms-of-address.

• If a person does not have a title, use “Mr.” and “Mrs.” before the last name. Note that some employers (particularly younger ones) will find it awkward if you call them “Mr.” or “Ms. So-and-So”—it depends on their personal preferences and/or the workplace culture. In that case, you are probably best off using the first name only, while making the rest of the greeting as formal as possible (e.g., “Dear Omar:” or “Madison,”). Again, err on the side of formality if you are unsure.

• Use the last name only after the title (“Dr. Katz”). Do not use just the first name after the title (“Dr. Meredith”) or the full name after the title (“Dr. Meredith Katz”). (“Dr. Meredith Katz” is best used with the mailing address in a letter or on an envelope, but it can sound overly formal in salutations, especially for emails.)

• Double-space after the greeting and before you start the text. 

Closings

•  For professional emails, always include a closing. The most common closing for a professional email is “Best” (followed by a comma). I would use that exclusively. 

• Write your full name below the closing if this is the first time you are emailing a person. In the second and subsequent emails, you can use just your first name.

• Double-space after the text and before you start the closing.

Job searches

• Make use of the many resources provided by VCU Career Services. Their office is located on the first floor of the University Student Commons, right across from Chick-Fil-A. Website: https://careers.vcu.edu. Phone: 804-828-1645. Hours: Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. (Drop-in hours: 11 a.m.-3 p.m.)

• Some of the handouts that VCU Career Services has created for students, including sociology majors, have been uploaded to the Google Drive folder embedded above.

• Create a HireVCURams account to get connected to relevant jobs, internships, and events in their (national) database. Choose to have the system email you when relevant new jobs are listed. 

• From their home page, click on Career Pathways for a listing of online resources. Among other things, there are links to job listings sites and professional associations (another good source for job leads). Note that you need to go through the VCU Career Services portal in order to access some of the subscription-based services (such as What Can I Do With This Major?) for free.

• Schedule an appointment with a career adviser. You can have them review your resume, conduct a mock job interview with you, and get other kinds of advice and guidance about your career. 

• During drop-in hours, you can also make use of two services: Suit Yourself (donated professional clothing for business interviews) and free LinkedIn headshots.

• VCU Career Services's Passports to Professionalism: Learning modules and videos about communicating face-to-face, written communication, professional etiquette, customer service, phone communication, teamwork, ethical behavior, taking initiative, and professional culture.

Job Interviews