It's Laughable Now
I know there have been so many threads about this lately but honestly here’s the truth: step it the fuck up. Received 5-6 emails over the weekend from students that included misspelling on my name (instant delete), wrong bank (instant delete) and typos (instant delete). You’re sending a 4 sentence email not submitting a fairness opinion. The bar has fallen so low that students really pushing hard should no problem here.
Prospects - get the basics right and you’re half way there. You’d be amazed at how many of the other candidates you’re competing with can’t spell correctly, check their emails, or form coherent thoughts in a way that communicates the point. Build up good habits and it will carry you.
Bonus points if you get the reference. But hard agree with OP. I get not knowing the nuances for the first six months at least after you start, but...that should mean you put in the effort like OP said to demonstrate you're capable of doing your homework (yeah, that's right kiddos. Homework never stops in our world, you're going to have to get used to it. Understanding that is part of those good habits that will carry you OP ended on.). We get that you're having to send out half a dozen emails at a time. So...why not get ahead of the curve and do yourself a twofer by creating and building a spreadsheet of your contacts to track what's going on. Not to mention you'll probably be tested on your proficiency with them if you do actually land an interview anyways.
SPOT ON.
This could be the boomer mentality in me. But I've been trained from a young age to READ what I write. Paying attention to the seemingly small stuff like capitalization, sentence structure, and of course... spelling. From a personal standpoint, I don't really give a shit that you misspelled my name, but business-wise? Nope.
Some folks reading this may think I'm being harsh, but the truth is this - without effective technical writing and/or communication, this industry doesn't work. If you can't take thirty seconds out of your day to proofread your email, then why the hell am I even talking to you? Especially from prospects as OP mentioned, people who are trying to 'make their impression'? I'll be the first to admit I think the three-piece suit and 'firm handshake' bullshit are a thing of the past (as they should be), but the very least you can do is not call me 'Mrs.' (true story) or somehow confuse my first name for my coworker (also true story).
OK. Rant over!
NAILED IT!
1) They have add-ons available that delay sending your email to give you a chance to take a second glance and say "hold up" so you can make edits. Not to mention, if you have friends or colleagues around, have them read it and give feedback. That darn old building good habits that OP mentioned strikes again...
2) To expand on the "don't call me Mrs." point, learn some proper etiquette. Especially if you're thinking you're going to be dealing with senior level people. All the way up to the C-Suite even. I've never met Stonks1990, but (assuming they actually are female. Again, never interacted with them and not about to intentionally misrepresent anything) my email would start with Ms. [Last name here], not some cavalier Mrs. [last name] or even worse, using their first name before I've ever been introduced to them. You want to look respectable. Wait until they call you by your first name and then you can call them theirs in return.
3) Shake hands, but don't make it into a carnival game of who has the stronger grip. And don't try and pat me on the shoulder or similar when you do it. I don't know you like that.
If I was a chick, I hope I'd be a hot one. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on your perspective) I am a dude. To this day, I always wonder about that email I got from a prospect who referred to me as a woman like three separate times within an intro email. Honestly unsure how someone is able to do that. Like buddy, you saw my LinkedIn header.
Or maybe the universe is trying to tell me something...
You're not being harsh, we are talking about basics here. Perhaps even basics-before-basics, pre-basics to put it that way. There's "attention to detail" as a skill, and then there's this, a simple "read what you wrote" with your brain On, your little grey cells can take an afternoon nap later.
Kids are getting fkn stupid because everything is automated nowadays. Next generation is done for
ok analyst 1
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