Five rude emails you send to people without realizing it

Five rude schmelzglass you send to people without realizing itFive rude emails you send to people without realizing itEven the most likeable and well-mannered among us can still look like jerks in an email. Writing an email that comes across just like you do in person is a fine art.During a conversation, you adjust your tone, facial expression, gestures and posture in order to fit the mood of what youre conveying. You do this because people tend to be much mora responsive tohowyou say things than towhatyou actually say.Email strips a conversation bare. Its efficient, but it turns otherwise easy interactions into messy misinterpretations. Without facial expressions and body posture to guide your message, people look at each word you type as an indicator of tone and mood.Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and moreMost of the mistakes people make in their emails are completely avoidable. The following list digs into these subtle mistakes and hidden blunders.The compulsive CC And Reply AllCCing people all the time is one of the most annoying things you can do via email. Id say its the most annoying, but this honor is bestowed upon the excessive reply all. If someone sends an email to you and a bunch of other people, do you really think every recipient needs to get another email from you saying thanks? They dont, and when you do this, it sends people climbing up a wall.The trick for knowing when to CC someone is to treat your email as if its an in-person meeting. The question then becomes this Would it be necessary or helpful to have this person come to the meeting? If the answer is no, then dont waste his or her time with an email. As for reply all, just dont do it. Even if someone else in the thread replies all, youre still annoying everyone to death when you join the fray. If you have something to say, its better to send this directly (and privately) to the original se nder and let him or her decide if the group should know about it too.The way-too-briefAll too often, the cause of email conflict is an imbalance between the effort in the initial email and the effort in the response to that email. When someone types up a detailed paragraph outlining important issues, they expect you to respond carefully. Sending back Got it or Noted just doesnt do the trick. Without knowledge of your intent and tone, brief responses come across as apathetic and even sarcastic to the receiver. This is unfortunate because this is rarely the senders intent.The best way to avoid being misinterpreted in a brief response is to share your intent. Even responding with Im a little busy but should be able to read it later this week comes across much better than Got it, which a lot of people will interpret as indifference.The URGENT subject lineSubject lines that say URGENT or ASAP show complete disregard for the recipient. If your email is that urgent, pick up the phone and g ive the person a call. Even in the rare instance when an email actually is urgent, etikettierung it as such in the subject line is unnecessary and sets a strong, negative tone.The key to avoiding URGENT subject lines is twofold. First, if the issue is best dealt with in any form other than email, then thats how you should be dealing with it. Second, if this is not the case, then the issue lies in your ability to create a strong subject line. After all, people check their email frequently, so as long as your subject line catches their eye, it will get the job done. Instead of labeling the email as urgent, ask yourself why the email is urgent. The answer to this question is your new subject line. If a client needs an answer today, then simply make your subject line Client Needs Response Today. This maintains the sense of urgency without setting a rude, desperate tone.The Debbie DownerSending emails that consistently tell people what they do wrong and what they shouldnt be doing really takes a toll. Even if you are trying to offer constructive criticism, you need to avoid negativity in your emails at all costs. Since people are unable to hear your tone directly, they read into the connotations of words and create a tone in their head as they go along. Negatives become especially negative in email form.Whenever you find yourself using negative words like dont, cant, wont or couldnt, turn them into positives. Making this change transforms the entire tone of the message. For example, instead of saying, You cant complete reports like this in the future, say, Next time you complete a report, please When you must deliver negative feedback, dont do it in an email. Just hop on the telephone or walk down the hall.The robotIts easy to think of email as a way to get something done quickly, but when you do this to the extreme, you come across as inhuman. You wouldnt walk into someones office and greifhand them a report to do without acknowledging them somehow. Jumping straig ht into the nitty-gritty might seem like the most effective thing to do, but it leaves a lasting negative impression.Fixing this one is simple. Just take an extra second to greet the person youre writing to. You dont have to ask your recipient about his or her weekend. Just a simple acknowledgment of the individual as a human being is all it takes. This keeps the tone much more respectful than it would be if you were to simply send assignments.Bringing it all togetherThe trickiest thing about emailing is making certain that people perceive your message the way you intend them to. You must be socially aware to pull this off. That is, be willing to take the time to consider how things look from your recipients perspective before you hit send.Travis Bradberryis the co-author ofEmotional Intelligence 2.0and the cofounder ofTalentSmart.This article first appeared at LinkedIn.You might also enjoyNew neuroscience reveals 4 rituals that will make you happyStrangers know your social class in the first seven words you say, study finds10 lessons from Benjamin Franklins daily schedule that will double your productivityThe worst mistakes you can make in an interview, according to 12 CEOs10 habits of mentally strong people

Predicting the Future of the Resume

Predicting the Future of the ResumePredicting the Future of the ResumePredicting the Future of the ResumeBy now youve probably had it up to here with predictions and what-to-expect articles for the new year. But I hope you can stomach just one mora, because a colleague (thanks, Jen) recently alerted me to an article on resume trends by career expert Louise Kursmark. She offers some interesting insights about the future of resumes and the factors contributing to their evolution. Pay close attention, because the resume rules we live by now are bound to change over the next few years Here are a few trends were likely to seeResumes Will Get Shorter and Tighter Long, detailed resumes wont hold a readers attention when most other written communications are bite-size text messages or 140-character tweets. The miniaturization of messaging is already in high gear, so keep those resumes focused and relevant.Online Profiles Will Supplement ResumesResumes and cover letters arent going anywhere, but a good LinkedIn profile will become more and more important as a complementary resource. Recruiters are already using online profiles to vet job candidates, so make sure your searchable information is employer-friendly. TIP Type in your name at snitch.name to find out what information is available about you online.Contact InformationWill Be LimitedFull name, street address, home phone, cell phone, email. Is it still necessary to put all that personal information out there on your resume? For now, yes, thats still the standard (though youll want to hide some of itif youre posting the resume on a public job board.) But dont be surprised if, down the road, resume standards shift to just the essentials name, cell phone, and maybe city and state.Youll find the full article on the Career Thought Leaders web site. Meanwhile, well continue to follow the trends in resumes and careers, and keep you apprised of the latest developments.

Around the Web Resources for Military Transition

Around the Web Resources for Military TransitionAround the Web Resources for Military TransitionA list of Web sites and organizations to help make the transition from the military to civilian life.The military community is a tight one, and there are many former serviceman and servicewomen out there waiting to help you make a successful transition to civilian life. Here are five organizations that are focused on the needs of service members hanging up their uniformsMilitary Officers Association of America moaa.org/An association serving active, former and retired military officers. Provides networking opportunities and other transition services. MOAAs job fairs are open to anyone.HireAHero.org hireahero.orgA social networking site for veterans leaving the service to network with employers, recruiters, volunteers and mentors to assist in their job search.Corporate Gray corporategray.com/An organization serving the veterans community, providing job- seeker resources, job fairs, and care er-transition education books and services, as well as promoting veterans as employees to employers.Hire Vets First hirevetsfirst.govA job-search and transition-assistance program run by the Department of Labor with career resources online, and events and information for employers, including a skills translator and career centers.TAOnline.com taonline.comClaiming to be the largest single source of transition assistance information and tools for todays separating military, this site offers locators for Transition Assistance Program offices, Veterans Employment Representatives, and other information and resources to help service members find civilian employment.