Sending a Professional Correspondence (Email)

Leadership and Career Development

Ms. Mann

  1. Include a Subject Heading

-Don’t leave the subject line blank. Always include a quick statement that identifies the purpose of the correspondence.

  • Example – Leadership period 3
  • Example – Job Shadow Question
  1. Begin with a Greeting

-Your teachers are not your friends. Always open your email with a polite greeting. This is the most formal way of greeting a professional. You could also include the person’s title.

-Don’t know if the female is a “Miss” or a “Mrs.”? Play it safe by addressing the female as “Ms.”.

  • Example – Dear Miss Mann, or Dear Ms. Mann,
  • Example – Professor Hughes,
  1. Introduce Yourself

-Be sure to introduce yourself and include the class name and period when emailing a teacher that has not had you in class for very long.

-If your relationship with the professional is well-established, you do not need to introduce yourself. You may simply move on to the purpose of your email.

  1. State your Purpose

-Make the purpose of your email clear.

-Ask your question, provide the professional with an update, or communicate whatever it is you want the professional to know in as few statements as possible.

-Provide a phone # in case the person wants to contact you.

  1. Thank the Professional

-Close your email with a thank you or appreciative statement. You should not end the email with “Sincerely”, but a thank you is appropriate and necessary.

-Even if you introduced yourself at the start of the email, you will still close the email with your FULL NAME. Do not simply provide your first name.

Important Notes:

  1. Be Accountable – Take ownership of your mistakes.

-People are often more confident and brave when hiding behind an email. Never send a negative email or attack a person when you disagree with a professional. It’s best to discuss really important issues in person or, if you must, over the phone.

-Tone is often difficult to interpret when reading correspondence and your message can be taken the wrong way. Email is forever and can be used against you.

-Never have anyone else fight your battles. If you have questions, comments, or really feel the need to argue a point, it is important that YOU are the one to discuss these important issues with the professional.

-Trust that your teachers have your best interest in mind. It is our job to make corrections and provide feedback, even if you don’t agree with it.

  1. Always review the email before sending it. Make sure you do not have spelling and/or grammatical errors.

Making a Professional Phone Call

  1. Do not have your parents call on your behalf. You want to come across as professional, mature and confident.
  2. Be prepared before dialing the number.

-Make sure you are in a quiet environment with no background noise.

-Have a pen and paper nearby to write down important information. Do not put a person on hold to go locate pen and paper.

-Think about what you want to say before calling. If you are leaving a voicemail, you want your message to be clear and to the point.

  1. Introduce Yourself

-Provide your name at the start of the conversation and a brief statement that describes who you are.

-You should spell your first and last name and use phonetics (“D” as in dog) if you have letters that are difficult to understand over the phone.

  1. Clearly state your purpose.

-Don’t prolong the conversation. Quickly get to the point of your phone call and provide just enough information for the professional to ask you questions that are most pertinent to him/her.

  1. Closing

-Thank the person for his/her time regardless of the outcome of the phone conversation.

-Make sure you’ve written down the person’s name and phone number and/or email address. If given the opportunity to job shadow, you’ll want to be able to get in touch with the person in the future to schedule a specific date.

  1. Expectations

-Wait at least a week for this person to return your phone call. Return call etiquette is 48 hours or less, but they could be out of the office or unable to return your phone call for another reason. Do not call another professional for a job shadow until you’ve waited at least a week. You don’t want to be stuck with 2 people who’ve accepted you for a job shadow

*Speak slowly and clearly!

Voice Mail Assignment:

Provide the following information:

  • Greeting
  • Good afternoon, Ms. Mann
  • Introduction – Provide your name and phone number
  • Hello, my name is Emily Hughes. E-M-I-L-Y, last name H as in “Harry”- U-G-H-E-S. My phone number is 7-2-4-4-5-2-6-0-4-2.
  • Purpose - Provide the following information: school district, grade level, course name, job shadow for minimum of 6 hours and the specific career
  • I am in 11th grade and currently enrolled in a class called Leadership and Career Development at Seneca Valley. I am required to job shadow for a minimum of 6 hours and I am very interested in learning more about the field of nursing. I would like to know if you are willing to be job shadowed for one day in the month of March or April? If not, is there someone you could refer me to for a possible job shadow?
  • Closing – Thank the professional. Restate your name and phone number. If you have a difficult name, spell it again.
  • Thank you very much for your time and I look forward to hearing from you. Please contact me at your earliest convenience. My name is Emily Hughes and my phone number is 7-2-4-4-5-2-6-0-4-2. Have a wonderful day.

Sending a Professional Correspondence (Email)

Leadership and Career Development

Ms. Mann

Name ______Due Date: ______

Period ______

Directions: Access your SVSD school email account and demonstrate how to write a professional correspondence by sending an email to your teacher. Follow the guidelines discussed in class and the rubric below.

*Send your email using the SVSD email account. Athree-point deduction will incur for not following directions. Teacher email address:

What should you write about in your email?

  • Ask me a question that you want me to answer
  • Tell me something about yourself
  • Tell me the career you hope to job shadow

YES – 2 points / NO – 0 points
Subject Heading / The purpose of the email is summarized in the subject line.
Greeting / The recipient was formally addressed and it is done correctly
Introduction / Your name, class name and class period are listed in the introductory statement.
Purpose/Content / The purpose is clear and to the point. Phone # is provided.
Professionalism / Included a thank you statement
Closing / Included first and last name at the end of the email.
Grammar and Spelling / No grammatical or spelling mistakes are made.

______/ 14 points

Making a Professional Phone Call

Leadership and Career Development

Ms. Mann

Name ______Due Date: ______

Period ______

Directions: Demonstrate your ability to make a professional phone call by leaving a voice mail on your teacher’s answering system. Practice asking for the opportunity to job shadow by pretending that your teacher is the job shadow professional. Follow the guidelines discussed in class and the rubric below.

Teacher Phone #: 724-452-6042 ext. 2219

YES – 2 points / NO – 0 points
Background Noise / There is no obvious background noise.
Greeting / The recipient was formally addressed by the appropriate name
“Good afternoon, Ms. Mann”
Introduction / Your full name, spelling of name and phone number are stated. Used phonetics if necessary.
Purpose/Content / Included school district, grade level, course title, job shadow for min. 6 hours and career interest
Professionalism / Included a genuine thank you statement
Closing / Included first and last name at the end of the call as well as a phone number. Spelled name again if appropriate.
Pronunciation / Voice is clear, easy to understand, and grammatically correct.
Friendliness / Voice was pleasant and student sounded happy and interested in a job shadow

______/ 14 points