Monthly Archives: September 2023

I’m sure we’re all aware of the elaborate song and dance that goes into the interviewing process. From: meeting with recruiters, doing mock interviews, researching the company, and having the interview—it’s been formulated to a tee. Though there’s one thing people often forget: a follow-up “thank you email.”

Regardless of the purpose of the email and whether you are actually accepting a company’s offer, saying ‘thank you’ is a polite and overlooked action that many disregard. Ultimately it’s a waste of potential. A HUGE loss of opportunity. This past week, there were two articles I stumbled across discussing this very topic (of using follow up messages to your advantage), the 1st by Beth Braccio Hering and the 2nd by a Ladders Contributor.

In Beth’s article, she goes into more detail and specifically speaks on using this is a chance to clarify any mistakes that may have occurred during the interview. Obviously, the contents of the message should highlight/ remain a message of thanks to the interviewer for their time, though it’s good time to acknowledge any lingering unresolved issues. Personally, I see it to be great advice as it neatly ties the bow on the whole situation. This could potentially result in a redemption for you, but don’t make the mistake of using too much negative language. Take responsibility, but don’t dwell heavily on any failures, as it won’t do good for either party. Remember, keep it brief and sincere!

Pertaining to the Ladder post and the beliefs of Don Straits, CEO and Dragonslayer of Corporate Warriors; the best thing to include in an email is additional value. If you do as the following graphic above outlines, it will surely elevate the content you are providing. The “standard thanks” is now expected, and in order to stand out there are additional factors you should keep in mind. It’s important to reference and even expand upon what was discussed during the interview. This showcases to the interviewer that you are being attentive and someone who has good follow through (if you end up going the route of providing a solution to problems mentioned). By personalizing the email in this way, it makes you all the more memorable.

Overall, the tips offered above all reinforce good practices that you could (and should) implement into your daily life. Especially going into the professional field, small nuances such as these could be the “make or break” in you being the first or second pick. Don’t wait until “it’s time” to write a thank you letter, take the moment now and your future self will thank you for it.

We’ve officially reached week five, and from the title you must be wondering what these “lessons and techniques” we’ve learned about are. Whether it was known or not, over the past four weeks I’ve been enhancing my writing with flair. In every blog post I’ve made, I utilized skills I learned from Dr. Heather Holleman in her “Writing With Flair” (10/10 would recommend). To give you all the gist of the 5 chapters I’ve read:

1. Choose a verb with flair/ Eliminate feeble verbs
2. Toggle between the Big 5 punctuation marks
3. Vary the length of your sentences and change the way they start to create rhythm.
4. Garnish your paragraph with some clever wordplay if you can.
5. Engage your audience.

A simple test of how we can determine the usefulness of these tactics lies in my previous blog posts. If you believe there was an improvement in style/spice each week, then these are just the tips for you. While all these mentioned above are incredibly insightful and beneficial for the advancement of any writer—two topics stood out the most to me.

• #1 being the variation in sentence length/ pattern.
• #2 being the audience section.

Thinking back, have you ever had to read paragraphs upon paragraphs with monotone sentences? Odds are you have and it was immensely boring, though there must have been ones where despite its lengthy read, you were captivated by their wording. By introducing a range of sentence lengths/style from short ones to long ones with occasional decrescendo patterns (long to short phrases); it all works to create/ set the scene for a more visually interesting read. Just look at the example below:

It’s clear which variation of the text is more preferable to read. The right one implements many strategies to increase variety such as posing a question, combining sentences, leaving short ones to give the reader a break, and etc. amplifying the interest. In the past my work would have resembled the one on the left, as I never put much thought into the “aesthetic delivery,” focusing only on the content. Now my eyes have been opened to the vast array of details I can tweak to improve my writings.

In regards to being aware of the audience in your work, this is a necessary step I feel many writers (me included) lose sight of. You might have all the right information, though in order for your audience to read it, you have to cater it towards them. You should address your audience and engage with them in the reading to hold their interest. You should remember to build rapport through your language, use of ethos, pathos, and logos, and etc. By including this key step I am better able to spread my messages, rather than writing in a way that would appeal only to myself.

To summarize, will the inclusion of all these strategies lead to the perfect written piece? No of course not, you can have all the ingredients for a perfect cake, but if you don’t use them right or precisely the end result could be drastically different from what you may have envisioned. This fact alone may be discouraging, though with practice and time you will end up with a masterpiece and a skill set to use for the rest of your life! So, take the time now, as I have, to practice and help your future self be the best they can be.

Let’s be frank. There’s no world in which anyone is happy to receive a layoff notice, though what I find even worse is a layoff done through email. Don’t get me wrong, there are adequate ways of addressing this issue in a written statement—the “mass sending” and the impersonal-ness of it all just doesn’t sit right with me.

Giving some (needed) context, I recently read an article outlining Jack Dorsey’s layoff of twitter employees. The manner in which he spoke about the situation was extremely avoidant, lacking any responsibility for his decisions. Dorsey danced around the subject, and to add insult to injury it was addressed to all the employees. This lack of confidentiality and consideration is abundantly clear, despite his need to self-dictate his actions to be out of “the upmost respect.” In this scenario a jester would have more grace.

Beyond being offended if I were the recipient of this letter, regardless of my position, I’d feel demoralized. To fire individuals in this capacity is concerning, and shows a general lack of care, inciting job insecurity among the masses. Twitter (X) may be a place of nonchalantly addressing massive audiences, but to apply this rationale in a professional setting doesn’t work. There should be boundaries in place that discourage this very action. Despite Dorsey’s message promoting “all for one, and all for one” mentality, it’s apparent he only cares for himself.

There are aspects of Dorsey’s letter that should be highlighted and amplified including its: awareness, openness, (attempt of) gratitude, call to action, future help, and the format. He should have relied on these variables and tips more to have a good email(one that is objective, sensitive, explanatory, etc.). More of these variables would have insinuated an illusion of him caring. Caring about employees would not only improve their trust in you, but their (and society’s) comfortability/ connotations with this company.

On the other side, here’s what letters should avoid: multiple (conflicting) audiences, unnecessary jargon, confusion, and mainly a lack of personal compassion/empathy. The inclusion of these elements creates an environment of great disrespect and the air of a rich CEO being disconnected from his employees. Just what every company needs! Who cares if the public is angered? Who cares if stocks go down? Who cares if Twitter fails because of a “blunt” CEO? I certainly wouldn’t if this letter was any indication to Dorsey’s style of management.

My personal review may seem (or be) a bit harsh, though this isn’t condemning every situation like this. If done with care, an email is a perfectly reasonable means of communication. The time and effort to address people individually is something that I stand by. Especially after events such as the mass firing Better.com did over zoom to 900 employees. The takeaway is to be a decent person, while maintaining the necessary elements of a professional letter.

Sometimes it requires speaking out loud whatever thoughts you have in your head, or whatever you’ve written down, to really get that authentic feedback from yourself. Often mistakes allude us, at least until they are verbalized. Making this key to my writing success. When counting all the errors that have slipped by in emails I’ve sent—regardless of the recipient—there aren’t enough fingers on my hands (let alone twenty) to tally that atrocious amount.

I recently stubbled across a video that addressed this exact topic. Giving a rundown: the speaker emphasizes the importance of being able to not only 1) grab the attention of the reader, but 2) create something memorable as well.

Verbally reading out your work will improve the quality/ experience by: enhancing the flow of the sentence structure, encouraging your brain to think critically about better sounding words, opening your mind to another (editing/reader) perspective, and etc. Expand the way you view emails with this singular tactic for guaranteed better writings. At the very least, there should be no simple errors. Fingers crossed.

The points made above were exactly how I view this action (of speaking out loud), when drafting my messages. For me, it’s an opportunity to practice how it might sound if this were a conversation; it offers a chance to give some personality and individuality in a writing as well. It’s a pretty useful detail to include. Through treating emails/ written works in this manner, it fulfills that memorability aspect—that can really differentiate you from every other email that recipient read that day. At the end of the day, we are all humans and shouldn’t try and communicate in a way that isn’t natural. Always keep in mind the level of professional needed, though it is (when applicable) fine to deviate and offer some genuineness through ones words.

However you might start a conversation with another person, could be a good starter in your email. It’s almost an equivalent of walking up to someone. How would you making it meaningful and interesting? I ultimately view the written language as the same as speaking. I’m sure many would disagree with that point (strictly off the different nuances of each). For me, the more honest and “human” something is, it’s more likely to convince me to listen to that message.

Whatever reason you decide to read (or not read) aloud emails is your own prerogative. Though if we analyzed works I have read out loud vs. ones I have not, I’m sure we’ll see numerous errors in grammar and something that ultimately resembles a clunky read. Making me unable to stress the importance of adding this tool to ones repertoire.

To be frank, I often utilize an arsenal—of incredibly flowery language—in attempts of persuading my audience that I possess more credibility and legitimacy than I’d grant myself. It’s a false pretense I put up, though I’d like to genuinely assert more confidence in my writing and communication without frivolous words.

Recently I came across an article, discussing Steve Job’s tactics, regarding efficient emailing. From a first (cursory) glance, I was immediately put off, due to the sole reason that I perpetuate a lot of the wrongs described. In essence, it’s imperative that one: has a singular purpose, keeps the design simple, removes filler words, uses an active voice, and closes with their request.

To reiterate here’s a list of what I (shouldn’t) do:

• Cram an abundance of concerns under one subject line
• Write up a huge blurb of content that contains no striking headlines, indentations, bolding, etc.
• Fill up an email with fluff and frilly adjectives
• Use a passive voice no matter what
• Hide requests within the message (due to an absurd fear of bothering others), very counterintuitive… I know

That said, within the read, it raises legitimate points that I know I must begin to adopt into my everyday writing habits. I personally find it nonsensical to keep one email to one topic only; it’s the perfect opportunity to address all concerns. Though in theory and practice this ideology remains rational. From this exploration of desiring and seeking to change (really unlearning bad habits), I find myself struggling to grasp it all on the principal of tradition. It’s always done this way, it should continue to operate this way. Definitely not the best thought process—there’s room to grow—so I’ll keep in mind to prioritize logic over emotion.

As I further examined the contrasts between: Jobs and Murdoch, their styles give insight into their individual priorities. Jobs obviously portrayed that “classic apple mantra:” of simplicity and efficiency, while Murdoch flirts around the idea of professionalism through other means. Steve Job drops all airs (of what people might attribute as manners) and responds relatively curt; still it’s effective in that communication. In my day to day, I still prefer to offer a bit of politeness/ friendliness in my correspondences; as to not offend others. I do concede that every situation requires its own guidelines: on what qualifies as right or wrong.

Overall, the objective I gather from this piece is to take and implement these small tactics in order to effectively convey your meaning—especially in emails. This transition from what I’d label as my amateur format, to this profoundly crafted one signifies something I understand will only help benefit me in my professional career. With my start of diving into all these nuance subject areas, it really taught me the intricacies that go behind every decision; making me all the more conscious moving forward.