If you are sending your resume by email, you need to treat the email as carefully as your resume and certainly as carefully as a printed cover letter. Here are a few things to keep in mind:
- Be professional and business formal in your language. The email that accompanies your resume is not the right place for texting abbreviations or for emoticons.
- Your email should include an identification of the job you are applying for, preferably both in the email’s subject line and in the content. Read the ad or job posting carefully for any instructions (such as a job identification number).
- Be sure your email includes your full contact information (name, phone number, and address). The company you are applying to may not email a reply; they may prefer to phone.
- Like cover letters, cover emails are an excellent place to put in information that might not belong in your resume, such as “open to relocation” or a statement about why you chose that particular company.
- Do not send the same email to several companies at once. Send each company its own email.
- Remember to include your resume in the exact form (Word, .pdf, text) that the company specifies. Some companies accept attachments but others want you to embed your resume in the email itself. If you are not sure of the format a company requires, send the company a Word 2003 file attached to the email and also embed the resume in the email itself.
- Save the email and then delay 10 or 15 minutes before hitting send. Walk away from the computer and take your mind off the email. When you return, read the email again to make sure it is clear, professional, accurate, and as brief as possible. Check for spelling or grammatical errors. Then send.
At Robin’s Resumes®, we believe cover letters and cover emails deserve the same attention as your resume.