How to Send an Email

It’s all about the deets

Author

RoadMap Newsletter
April 24th, 2024

Hey, Roadies! 

Has the world seemed extra pungent lately? According to the UK’s National Meteorological Archive, humans’ sense of smell may be especially strong in the spring because of the increased moisture in the air. The more you know 💫

Do you want to get cool swag for sharing this email? Use the referral link at the bottom of the newsletter and you can earn a MacBook Pro!

T.O.T.D. 

RoadMap’s “Tip Of The Day” 

You’re probably already familiar with email. But when you join the working world, the stakes are higher than you’re used to – and there are some rules you should know. 

The key to emailing at work is attention to detail. Nothing looks sloppier than a glaring error. This is especially true in the application process, when the hiring team is trying to decide between any number of competitive candidates – and looking for any reason to take you off the list. 

So do this now: 

  • For the next week, every time you send an email, pause before you hit “send.” Review each message closely. Are there any typos? Any repetitive use of words? Did you hit “reply all” when you meant to just respond to the sender, or vice versa? 

These hiccups reflect poorly, which is no big deal when you’re emailing friends or classmates – but avoiding mistakes becomes more important when you’re working for pay.

Numero Uno 

In this section, we ask a hiring manager for the No. 1 most important skill or attribute they look for.

This week’s anonymous hiring manager is a longtime media executive and talent recruiter. They said the most important quality is scrappiness. Here’s their take:

“All hiring managers of recent college grads know that they don't have experience and they know that they need to teach and coach recent grads. Most managers are comfortable with this, but the frustration occurs when new hires don't work to find solutions and solve problems themselves versus relying on solutions provided by others.”

Here’s what to do now: 

  • Ask in your interview for two to three things the hiring manager is looking to solve for. Then, in your follow-up, articulate how you’ll work hard to find the solutions. No one expects you to have the answers from the beginning, but you need to have the drive to find them.

Read This 

A deep dive, if you’re in the mood for it