Let’s face it, we are fully immersed in the electronic era. The days of handwriting is being replaced with typing on your desktop, tablet or smartphone. Awesome!
The casual type of conversations we have with our friends electronically is usually full of abbreviations, and short message texting, thrown in with an emoji or two. Perfectly fine. But please, please keep that type of “type” between friends and family.
Life is hard enough. You have heard before how first impressions are done in mere seconds when you meet someone. You should always be putting your best self forward in any situation. Don’t let your first impression electronically alter that! It baffles me when I see cover letters full of “text” talk. “I” is always capital for professional communications – not i.
Here is a true example from a cover letter I received;
“i am really interested in joining ur company. i am a quick learner and get along with people. ur company is very interesting and i know i would do a great job for u.”
When I have 100’s of resumes to go through, do you really think I will pick U – ahem, I meant you?
In this tough economy, competition is fierce for jobs. After you have that amazing interview, text your friend JTLYK (just to let you know) how it went.
Dear Patty,
Welcome to BIZCATALYST 360. I greatly appreciate your article. I completely agree with your point of view.
Kind regards,
Shelley Brown
Patty – I have had the same experience with the same reaction. Great reminder for us.
Well, Patty — first of all, WELCOME to BC360! Nice to have you here, and to find another soul sister.
Given my title and occupation, I never intentionally use anything less than perfect grammar, even if it means I edit and edit and edit. Of course, I goof, as we all do, so I’m always grateful to friends who PM me to alert me to a typo …
It’s amazing how quickly we judge others, even when it’s unfair, but that first impression of poor language choices can really hurt a professional’s image.
Keep singing to this choir, Patty! You’ll find a warm reception among the others here who will sing with you in perfect harmony.