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Michelina627
LIF Adult
Member since 2/06 1071 total posts
Name:
Michelle
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Business Correspondence petpeeves
What are your biggest pet peeves when it comes to business correspondence. Ie, what makes you sit back and think "wow that's really unprofessional."
I'm presenting at a workshop for graduating college seniors and my topic is "cover letters and other business correspondence." I have a list of tips already prepared, but figured I could also give them some real life examples. We'll be touching on thank you letters, email, accepting and rejecting a job offer.
The rest of the day long seminar will cover resumes, interview, job search, etc.
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Posted 5/8/07 11:58 AM  |
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DMT
LIF Adult
Member since 6/05 2277 total posts
Name:
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Re: Business Correspondence petpeeves
Do not ever give out an email like
[email protected] or anything like that EVER. That is my biggest pet peeve in the workplace.
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| Posted 5/8/07 12:13 PM |
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nrthshgrl
It goes fast. Pay attention.
Member since 7/05 57538 total posts
Name:
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Re: Business Correspondence petpeeves
Today's pet peeve that I'm dealing with is co-worker's emailing company rants after a night of drinking. I'm pretty sure that's not the information you want.
I've had an employee that had her autosignature as:
Joyfully,
Jane Smith
While it's a nice gesture (and in her case a religious one), it has no place in business. It also is out of place when I've asked her to email out something regarding an employee termination & our employees see "Joyfully" on it. Sign "Best Regards" or "Sincerely"...or better yet...there is no need to even sign an email. Your name is the "from" field.
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| Posted 5/8/07 12:13 PM |
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nrthshgrl
It goes fast. Pay attention.
Member since 7/05 57538 total posts
Name:
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Re: Business Correspondence petpeeves
Posted by DMT
Do not ever give out an email like
[email protected] or anything like that EVER. That is my biggest pet peeve in the workplace.
Actually this kind of stuff makes me laugh. They won't get the job but it brightens my day & makes my job prospects a lot better.
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| Posted 5/8/07 12:14 PM |
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Anniegrl
I'm two!
Member since 5/05 4320 total posts
Name:
Ann
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Re: Business Correspondence petpeeves
Bad spelling is my #1 pet peeve. It's extremely unprofessional in business correspondence. #2 would be poor grammar.
Oh, I just thought of a good e-mail example - how about NEVER hit "reply all" unless you really mean to! Here in my office, a bunch (like FORTY) nitwits have hit "reply all" when they should have replied to the original sender.
So by hitting "reply all", they replied to hundreds of people (who don't give a rat's a$$ what they have to say) instead of ONE person.
Message edited 5/8/2007 12:17:42 PM.
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| Posted 5/8/07 12:15 PM |
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nrthshgrl
It goes fast. Pay attention.
Member since 7/05 57538 total posts
Name:
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Re: Business Correspondence petpeeves
Posted by Anniegrl
Oh, I just thought of a good e-mail example - how about NEVER hit "reply all" unless you really mean to! Here in my office, a bunch (like FORTY) nitwits have hit "reply all" when they should have replied to the original sender.
So by hitting "reply all", they replied to hundreds of people (who don't give a rat's a$$ what they have to say) instead of ONE person.
Ah good one!
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| Posted 5/8/07 12:19 PM |
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Michelina627
LIF Adult
Member since 2/06 1071 total posts
Name:
Michelle
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Re: Business Correspondence petpeeves
Thank you. These are great! Please, keep them coming...
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| Posted 5/8/07 12:27 PM |
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Lisa
I'm a PANK!!!
Member since 5/05 22334 total posts
Name:
Professional Aunts No Kids
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Re: Business Correspondence petpeeves
do NOT use IM language when sending out business emails
its You not U
its are not R
its Thank you not TY
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| Posted 5/8/07 12:30 PM |
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LaurenExp
Waiting patiently for baby sis
Member since 8/06 11613 total posts
Name:
L-Diddy EDD 11/11/11 :)
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Re: Business Correspondence petpeeves
This one guy has a quote from a movie in his autosignature.
Don't put religious things in your autosignature.
If you don't really know someone, don't put smiley faces in your emails.
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| Posted 5/8/07 12:36 PM |
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mka06
LIF Adult
Member since 8/06 1079 total posts
Name:
Melis
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Re: Business Correspondence petpeeves
all of the above are good. Another one - avoid using ALL CAPS. It's synonymous to yelling at someone. No need to YELL in email. 
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| Posted 5/8/07 12:37 PM |
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saraH
happy birthday sweet kate!
Member since 5/05 16555 total posts
Name:
I know that God exsists, I held her in my arms...
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Re: Business Correspondence petpeeves
i get emails within my company with the TY for thank you. and a co-worker feels the need to send emails that look like this:
sarah., um, can you tell me...
why do you need the period and the comma? one or the other and never ever use UM.
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| Posted 5/8/07 12:38 PM |
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Anniegrl
I'm two!
Member since 5/05 4320 total posts
Name:
Ann
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Re: Business Correspondence petpeeves
Don't forward personal e-mails to people in your office. I'm talking about those chain e-mails (send this on to 10 friends and your dreams will come true! etc.)
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| Posted 5/8/07 12:39 PM |
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Sweetpea130000
My Love!
Member since 5/05 2375 total posts
Name:
Shandra
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Re: Business Correspondence petpeeves
I definitely agree with the Reply to all and the IM speak, though I have been known to use TY for Thank you to some people
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| Posted 5/8/07 12:40 PM |
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CookiePuss
Cake from Outer Space!
Member since 5/05 14021 total posts
Name:
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Re: Business Correspondence petpeeves
When a document is spellchecked and sent with it still "on" so you get words underlined with red and green.
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| Posted 5/8/07 12:45 PM |
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meghanmetz
LIF Adolescent
Member since 5/05 525 total posts
Name:
Meghan
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Re: Business Correspondence petpeeves
e-mails are a big one, ive seen them as ridiculous as
[email protected]
Winnie the Pooh on a resume?
Dont know if this is correspondence, per say, but if you have a cell phone that is for business use (i.e. you give out your number to clients/bosses), you should NOT have Shakira play instead of the phone dialing, same thing with ringtones, I cant tell you how many times cell phones with rap music ring tones have gone off in the middle of meetings.
Message edited 5/8/2007 12:49:28 PM.
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| Posted 5/8/07 12:48 PM |
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tourist
Member since 5/05 10425 total posts
Name:
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Re: Business Correspondence petpeeves
Posted by nrthshgrl
I've had an employee that had her autosignature as:
Joyfully,
Jane Smith
While it's a nice gesture (and in her case a religious one), it has no place in business. It also is out of place when I've asked her to email out something regarding an employee termination & our employees see "Joyfully" on it. Sign "Best Regards" or "Sincerely"...or better yet...there is no need to even sign an email. Your name is the "from" field.
Really? That seems unfinished to me. Msot emails I recieve form peopel from other companies (as well as my own) end in a formal signature:
First name Last Name, title
Company
address
phone
web address
It takes the place of having all that info at the top as wouild on company letterhead.
But I agreee, I don't like receving emails or letters signed "God Bless", or peace, etc.
I work with college professors, who can be a little more expressive and less professional than the vendors I work with, so I get a lot of that, as well as well as quotes in signatures, which I can't stand.
I don't really care how inspirational you find Warren Zevon & what he had to say about sandwhiches.
Also, don't use backgrounds, and animation & crazy colors & fancy fonts.
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| Posted 5/8/07 12:56 PM |
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Anniegrl
I'm two!
Member since 5/05 4320 total posts
Name:
Ann
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Re: Business Correspondence petpeeves
Haha! I JUST got these 2 e-mails (this is in regards to my "reply all" example):
E-mail from person #1: Perhaps I can offer a solution to all who do not want to receive these emails. Go to Tools/Rules and Alerts and create a rule to automatically delete these emails.
That should help everyone.
Thank you.
E-mail from person #2: An optional solution is to stop replying to ALL.
This "reply all" crap has been going on for WEEKS!!!! 
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| Posted 5/8/07 1:00 PM |
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meghanmetz
LIF Adolescent
Member since 5/05 525 total posts
Name:
Meghan
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Re: Business Correspondence petpeeves
Also - for interviews, i dont know what field your students are in, but Im in business/accounting. When we have students come from interviews, they should know that they should be "On" at all times. Oftentimes we'll have less experienced people meet with them/ take them to lunch, etc, to answer their questions. Everyone who they are meeting with (even if not a higher up) will be asked for feedback about them.
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| Posted 5/8/07 1:29 PM |
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PaddysGirl
Little princess is here!
Member since 4/07 5923 total posts
Name:
Crystal
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Re: Business Correspondence petpeeves
Posted by Anniegrl
Haha! I JUST got these 2 e-mails (this is in regards to my "reply all" example):
E-mail from person #1: Perhaps I can offer a solution to all who do not want to receive these emails. Go to Tools/Rules and Alerts and create a rule to automatically delete these emails.
That should help everyone.
Thank you.
E-mail from person #2: An optional solution is to stop replying to ALL.
This "reply all" crap has been going on for WEEKS!!!!
Oh man this drives me UP A WALL!. Especially when it is sent to a distribution list for employees across North America. The reply all will go on for a day or two. Half of the folks ask to be taken off the distribution list and the other 1/2 yell at everyone not to reply all  So after this dies down, in a few more days another correspondence goes out to that DL and it starts all over again
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| Posted 5/8/07 1:34 PM |
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