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It’s Just an Email…Right?

Why grammar and tone are so important in professional emails

You are the hiring manager for a medium-sized business. You are conducting interviews to fill an entry-level executive position, for which there are two potential candidates. You walk out into the lobby to call in the first candidate for her interview. Sitting, side by side, are the two interviewees.

Both candidates are women in their early thirties. The one on the left is wearing a pencil skirt with a tucked-in blouse beneath a trim blazer. Her hair is curled and pinned partially back. A small red purse sits at her feet. She is sitting with her hands folded in her lap, patiently waiting for her interview.

The woman on the right is wearing loose jeans, a white (or, at least, formerly white) T-shirt, and a baggy sweater. The sweater has a sash at the waist, which the woman has left undone. It hangs on the floor on either side of the chair in which she is seated. Her hair is sitting on top of her head in a messy bun, stray strands falling in front of her face. Her backpack occupies the chair beside her. It is open, the contents spilling onto the seat of the chair. She sits cross-legged, cell phone in hand.

Both women are qualified for the position. They are equally educated and equally experienced, and both give impressive interviews. They answer all of your questions appropriately, and they both shake your hand with confidence at the end of their respective interviews.

So which candidate do you hire?

We both know the answer to this question. Obviously, the well-dressed and kempt candidate is offered the position. But why? Does her outward appearance really make that great of an impression?

The answer is yes—dressing well makes people think you know what you’re doing, just like writing well makes people think you know what you’re talking about. If you’re dressed well, nobody will be distracted from your actual actions. This, ladies and gentlemen, is where proper grammar comes in. Writing well is basically like wearing professional clothes to work in an office. People will take you more seriously, and they will have a much easier time paying attention to what you’re actually saying instead of what you look like.

Of course, you may be thinking to yourself, I already knew that. Yes, I’m sure you proofread all of your reports and official correspondence. I’m sure you obsess over your presentations and documents, making sure that they look clean, polished, and professional. But what about more casual modes of writing? What about, for example, your emails?

Regardless of the content, what a poorly written professional email really says is this: “I’m lazy, and I don’t really care about what I’m talking about. I’m writing this email because I have to, not because I want to, and that’s why I didn’t bother to spell-check it before hitting Send. Even though I may be an intelligent, creative, and hard-working individual, you’ll never know that, because you probably can’t see past my glaring mistakes. Essentially, I really don’t give a hoot about this job.”

By contrast, this is what a well-written, professional email says: “I am smart, concise, and focused on my work. I know what I’m talking about, and you can trust me because I’ve proven that I understand the basics. I take my work seriously, so you can count on me.” See the difference there?

Your work conduct should be professional across all media. Even the smallest things, like one- or two-line emails, are a reflection of your competence level. This means that everything you do at work—from your professional emails, to your outfit, to the tone you use in meetings and conference calls—say something about how seriously you take your job. Do you want your coworkers or boss to think that you only take your professional emails as seriously as you take text messages to your friends? No? Then don’t write your professional emails the way you would write a text message. No short forms, no little faces with tongues sticking out, no LOLs or OMGs.

Use a tone that is consistent with that which is required in your industry; this will often mean using the same tone in your professional emails that you would use in a meeting. Then, be absolutely sure that you proofread your work. Look for typos and other errors before you send out emails, to save yourself embarrassment and to build your work image. You would never say something is just a résumé, just a business proposal, or just a cover letter. And you should never say it’s just an email either.

Five Obstacles Businesspeople Face When Learning English (and Why You Can’t Afford to Let These Obstacles Defeat You)

English is indisputably the language of business around the world. It’s no longer just an asset for businesspeople to become fluent—it’s a necessity.

But behind this trend toward using English in business (regardless of citizenship or native language) are millions of individuals devoting time and patience to becoming fluent and able to compete in such a market.

Yet businesspeople who are learning English face many obstacles. According to a 2013 study by KnowledgeAdvisors about the use of English in business, these obstacles could be thwarting the attempts of many businesspeople to learn the language.

According to the GlobalEnglish white paper in which this study’s results were published, despite the need to be able to interact in English, “companies around the world find themselves ill-prepared. Only 7% of global workers feel their English is good enough to do their jobs, and only 13% of university graduates in emerging countries are hirable in multinational companies due to their poor English skills.”

So what’s holding non–English-speaking businesspeople back from gaining these coveted skills? Certainly, learning a new language is no small task, but the rewards for adapting to the demands of the business world are many. The GlobalEnglish white paper says that “one in four CEOs say they are missing market opportunities because of talent challenges.” If you can expand your skill set to fill this need, your value as an employee is almost certain to increase.

The following are five obstacles businesspeople face when learning English. Don’t allow these obstacles to hold you back.

1. Lack of time

Let’s start with the most obvious hurdle to learning any language: not having enough time. Businesspeople in particular always seem to be on the go, juggling work responsibilities and project ideas, maintaining a healthy lifestyle, caring for families, and keeping up with friendships.

How on earth can anyone find the time to learn a whole new language on top of all that?

The key here is prioritization and consistency. Let’s face it: certain things, such as family, just have to be more important than learning a language.

To overcome this obstacle, you’ll need a combination of willpower and cunning. If you’re serious about learning English, you must commit to practicing the language consistently. Then, even if you can’t spend as much time learning the rules as you’d like, try supplementing this by finding a buddy to practice with during downtime, such as on your lunch break.

This brings us to our next obstacle . . .

2. Isolation

No one—or very few people—can learn in isolation. We need teachers, peers, and learning tools to support us in the learning process. This is particularly true when learning a language; language is all about communication, which requires the involvement of more than one person.

Instead of burying yourself under a pile of dictionaries and language books, try seeking out people to have conversations with in English or courses that offer engaging language training with clearly defined learning outcomes.

The Internet can be a great place to practice interacting in English, and finding coworkers who are also seeking to learn is a great way to supplement this because you can encourage one another throughout the learning process. Whichever route you take, be intentional about finding support and accountability.

3. Simply not enjoying or liking the language

Finding time to learn something you’re interested in is enough of a struggle—this obstacle can become insurmountable when coupled with a genuine abhorrence of the material you’re learning.

Perhaps you don’t enjoy learning any language, or perhaps you just can’t take to the sounds and rules of English in particular. Whatever the case, the key will be using methods of learning that you do enjoy. Try reading online English articles about a topic that does interest you or watching some of your favorite television shows in English or with English subtitles.

Hopefully, these methods will help get you to a place in the learning process where you can begin to enjoy the language itself; if not, at least they get the job done.

4. Fear of losing cultural identity

Despite the pressure to learn English in business, some people are hesitant to get on the bandwagon for fear that it will weaken their own cultural identities.

Because language and culture are so closely related to each other, one can see why such fears are legitimate. The solution to this obstacle is less straightforward than the solutions to previous obstacles. As a native English speaker, I am certainly not in a position to pronounce such fears as unfounded. However, in the interest of helping people overcome obstacles to learning English, I do present the humble suggestion that learning English could actually strengthen cultural identity, allowing people to discuss their own values, backgrounds, and cultures with a greater number of individuals from differing circumstances.

Also, even though practicing a language as much as possible while learning it is beneficial, if the loss of cultural identity is a fear of yours, try to keep your use of the English language specific to your situation. For instance, use English when speaking to international clients and colleagues, and use your native language at home and with friends.

5. Discouragement

Embarrassment and discouragement when learning English are bound to affect the learning process. According to Tsedal Neely in an article in Forbes, “Incredibly competent employees who are experts in their various areas of work . . . say they feel ‘childlike’ when they have to switch to the working language.”

In the professional world, people are judged by the quality of their ideas, and because language is the medium through which these ideas are communicated, not being able to communicate effectively is particularly frustrating.

Overcoming this obstacle must be a joint effort between native (or fluent) English speakers and learners of the language. Those who are already proficient in English should be patient and respectful of English learners, and they should also alter the way they speak by using shorter and more widely known words.

Not only is this a kind thing to do, but it will also allow for more productive communication. To overcome discouragement, English learners need to be patient with themselves and remember that learning a language is a difficult task that takes time—years, even—to accomplish.

It seems trite to say, but remember that no matter your level of proficiency, you are working to accomplish a very difficult task that requires tremendous effort.

Try to avoid becoming too disheartened; if you can persevere, you will eventually get to a place where you’re confident in your English-language ability.

Conclusion

Apparently, the global use of English in business is here to stay, at least for a while. Although this means that businesspeople who do not speak English must now learn the language, the stability of English in the business world also means that those who expend the time and effort in learning the language—be it through practice with peers, an online training course, or a combination of both—will surely reap the rewards.

If businesspeople who are learning English can overcome the obstacles to the learning process, they can be the ones to fill the talent gap that is affecting so many companies.

Don’t give up!

 

The Most Common Grammar Gaffes That Sneak into Resumes

Resumes can be tricky. They must be detailed, but concise; assertive, but not presumptuous. Not only must the facts be there (and be correct), but your lists and sentences must also be error-free. In fact, proper spelling and grammar are almost as important—if not more so—than the information presented in the resume itself. This is because although you may have the education and qualifications for a certain position, inconsistency, a lack of attention to detail, and an inability to handle such an important document with care could speak volumes about your potential as an employee. Proper spelling and grammar may seem insignificant, but they are the most important aspects of any resume.

Here are ten of the most common spelling and grammar gaffes that sneak into resumes:

1. Inconsistencies

Many elements of a resume can be inconsistent, including anything from lists to tenses, spellings, font sizes, and styles. As with every piece of writing, consistency throughout is crucial. Inconsistencies in your resume make you look sloppy and can confuse your potential employer. To avoid this problem, take a few extra minutes to make sure that your resume is clear and consistent.

2. Incorrect hyphenation

This can mean a few things: words are supposed to be hyphenated but aren’t; words aren’t supposed to be hyphenated but are; compound adjectives are incorrectly hyphenated; or the wrong form of punctuation (an en dash or an em dash) is used instead of a hyphen. If you’re unsure about whether a word is hyphenated or if you need to use an en dash or an em dash, try doing a quick Google search for the information.

3. Forgetting to include important information

This one seems pretty basic, but you’d be surprised by how many people actually forget to include important information or details in their resume. Whether it’s the title of a position, the name of a degree, or a graduation date, the details must be there. If they’re not, your potential employer will be left hanging and confused and will not hesitate to discard your resume.

4. Not spelling out acronyms upon their first use

As a general rule, in any type of writing, all acronyms should be spelled out upon their first use, followed by the acronym in parentheses. This way, the person reading your resume will know exactly what you’re talking about when you use a particular acronym.

5. Writing too much—or not enough

This one goes both ways. Some people write too much, failing to be concise, while others barely write enough for the reader to know what they’re talking about. A fine balance must be struck between being concise and including enough information. Write as if the person reading your resume knows nothing about your background (because they likely don’t). Pay attention to detail, and make sure to include information that is most relevant to your desired position. Another tip is to keep your resume to one or two pages. If it’s longer than that, your potential employer could lose interest.

6. Using sentence fragments without having a complete thought

A sentence fragment isn’t really a sentence at all—it’s a group of words that look like a sentence but can’t stand on their own because there is no independent clause. To be a real sentence, there must be both a subject and a verb. If either of these are lacking, you have a sentence fragment.

7. Lack of parallel structure

This one is quite common. Parallel structure means using the same pattern of words to show that two or more words or ideas are of equal importance. Doing so in your resume will help the employer understand what you are saying.

8. Improper capitalization

This one’s a no-brainer. Make sure that names, places, schools, scholarships, certifications, and other proper nouns are all spelled and capitalized correctly. This is probably one of the easiest mistake

s for a potential employer to spot, but it is also the easiest to get right the first time.

9. Contextual spelling errors

A contextual spelling error is an error in which the wrong word is used but is spelled correctly. Your spell-checker often misses this as an error, so be extra careful in your word choice.

10. Failing to write entries in reverse chronological order

This one is usually an easy fix: just make sure that your most recent education and experience is listed first. Your earliest education or experience will be last. This makes it easier for potential employers to glance at your resume and quickly see what degree you just earned, or where you’re currently working. The most recent information is typically the most relevant, so it should be listed first.

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