Minding Your Mission

Conversational Etiquette

When it comes to the first contact with potential employers, remember that the spotlight has already begun to shine on you. When employers dial your phone number, give them a polite, welcoming, and helpful response on the other end, whether it's you or your voice mail that replies. If someone else such as your mother, roommate, girlfriend, brother, or aunt normally answers the telephone, be sure to inform and prepare them to respond properly take a detailed message for you. When it's you making the phone call or sending the email to employers, keep in mind that clarity is everything.

Follow these guideposts for first-contact finesse:

E-mail:

  • Always check the address to be sure the message goes to the right person
  • Keep messages short and make the subject clear
  • Re-read what you write several times
  • Spell check your message
  • Use complete sentences
  • Don't assume you can be informal with everyone, particularly in business correspondence
  • Always be polite
  • Remember that nothing is private! Your message can be printed, forwarded, and saved, so don't write anything that you don't want to be publicly known
  • Humor is difficult to communicate through email so be extremely cautious about saying something funny
  • Don't write in capital lettersßit's the same as shouting
  • Avoid using emoticons and abbreviations in business email correspondence

Telephone:

Answering:

  • Assume that the caller is someone important that you don't know
  • Smile when you pick up the phone, the caller will hear it in your voice
  • Don't yell, sing, laugh, or chew as you answer

Call waiting:

  • Generally, it's rude to interrupt your current phone call for an incoming call unless it's an emergency
  • If you are waiting for an important call, tell the person you're talking to that you may have to interrupt them

Leaving a message:

  • Say your name and phone number slowly and clearly; spell your name if necessary
  • Immediately state what your message is regarding, then clearly give the details
  • Prepare your message by practicing first and don't ramble
  • Be polite and professional by always returning your calls

Your own voice mail/answering machine message:

  • Keep them clear and short
  • No background noise such as music, children singing, or dogs barking.
  • Don't annoy callers with a recorded "hello?" greeting that fools them into thinking that someone has answered the phone.
  • Keep the message current. For example, if it's Tuesday, don't have a message saying you'll be back on Monday