There is no doubt that emails have one of the fastest ways of communication. While writing emails, there some etiquettes that need to be followed by candidates, particularly when you are communicating with admission counselors, scholarship sponsors and financial aid offices. Knowing the scholarship email etiquettes will not only make your communication effective, but it will also leave good impression on the reader. Given below are 10 most important etiquettes that you need to abide by while writing formal or official emails. Have a look.
Etiquette #1. Do not type in capital letters
By writing your email in all caps, you are never going to make a good impression on scholaship sponsors or the reader to who you are writing officially. In fact, writing in capital letters implies that you are shouting which may just lose the interest of readers. Apart from that, emails types in all caps also are harder to read. So, even if you want to attract the reader's attention towards a specific point, do not use caps. Instead, just make those fonts bold while writing them in small letters.
Etiquette #2. Avoid abbreviations and emoticons
When you are writing an official or a formal email, do not use informal abbreviations like LOL, FYI and emoticons like :). These abbreviations may just be good when you are writing to a friend. But, they should be a complete no-no, when it comes to writing emails to scholarship sponsors, admission counselors etc.
Etiquette #3. Do not leave the subject line blank
The subject line plays a crucial role when writing formal emails. So, do not leave it blank or type a few words casually. In fact, you should choose a subject line which reflects the actual message that you want to convey to the reader. It is the very first impression of your email and should be very clear and precise.
Etiquette #4. Follow a professional format
Do not use colored fonts, unusual fonts and formatted backgrounds in an official email. You may think that the unusual font style and formatted background will make your email stand out from others. But that is not OK with formal emails. Keep the font and formatting simple which is acceptable in formal writing.
Etiquette #5. Avoid sarcasm
One major minus point with writing emails is that it is never entirely possible to convey your emotions the way you intended it to be. So, it is always wise not to use sarcastic or ironic languages in an official email. Remember, it is quite difficult to judge the actual tone of the email in this way.
Etiquette #6. A 'cute' email addres is a complete no-no for important emails
Email addresses like 'findouter07@aol.com' are unprofessional. Informal emial addresses like these mar the gravity of the formal emails you are writing. Use professional looking email address like jamestomerson@aol.com. If you don't have one like this, create and new account and use it in formal and officials emails.
Etiquette #7. Make your email clear and precise
It is very obvious that admission counselors, financial aid officers and scholarship sponsors receive hordes of emails. Therefore, remember to keep your email short and to the point. Divide it into short paragraphs and place the most important information in the first and second paragraphs. Do not write an email which is more than half a page. Make the emails as much readable as possible.
Etiquette #8. Be informed when to pick up the phone or schedule a meeting
Yes, emails are a quick way of communicating with scholarship sponsors and financial aid advisors or counselors. But in any case, you should never underestimate the value of a phone call or a meeting. You should know when it is important to pick up the phone and make a call.
Etiquette #9. Ask before you send large attachments
There is nothing wrong with sending important large attachments. The point many people would'nt just open large attachments for fear of viruses. In addition, it also takes up much space in the recipients inbox folder. So, it is a good idea to include as much information (which is actually important) as possible in the body of your email. And if you find it unavoidable to send large attachements, ask the recipient before you send it.
Etiquette #10. Re-chek before you hit 'send'
Before you finally hit the 'send' button, have a careful look at the email again. Look for spelling mistakes and grammar checks and make the matter of the email error-free. Do not completely depend upon your computer's spell checker or grammar checker, they may not highlight all the mistakes.
So, now that you have known the top 10 scholarship email etiquettes, you should also remember to follow all these tips while writing official or formal emails. And with an email, which follows all of the above mentioned guideline, you are definitely going to make a good impression on the reader, whether they are scholarship sponsors, admission counselors, financial aid officers etc.
