The intern’s guide to email etiquette

If you’re interning, you’re going to be behind a computer for a good deal of time, and what this probably means for you is a whole lot of emailing. The first thing to know is that emails are as much an office tool as copiers, and they’re a fundamental part of modern communication in a business setting. What this means is that being professional counts. Hijacked sat down with Murdoch University Career Services Manager Suzanne Knuiman to talk best tips on professional email etiquette for new student interns.

Email is a formal business communication

Suzanne is quick to address that opposed to people being “email illiterate”, most email etiquette issues arise from a misunderstanding of what role email has in the workplace. “It’s not a chat between friends; it’s a formal business communication,” Suzanne says.

She highlights that in the act of sending an email you’re doing multiple things: committing yourself in writing, going down on record in a public forum, and representing yourself and your organisation. “Don’t address a colleague ‘hey dude’, or sign off ‘ciao mate’,” says Suzanne. Doing so is likely to land you being viewed as straight-up immature.

Stick to templates used by the organisation

This one mainly counts for email signatures, but also extends to general daily communications. Most of the time, your name and where you work are all you’re required to display, and most organisations offer a signature template. If you’re required to address emails personally without the direct association to your organisation, Suzanne advises that it’s best just to leave it to your name. “But let’s say you’re writing on behalf of your employer, you’d write: ‘Joe Blogs’, marketing intern at such and such company.”

Don’t buy into arguments offered by complainants

“Never buy into the argument,” says Suzanne. “You’re representing yourself and you’re representing the organisation. So even if the complainant has a valid point, they may have a reason for being angry, but you don’t respond likewise.”

Suzanne says that the best thing to do is address the customer's complaint and acknowledge why they’re upset. Additionally, as an intern you aren’t expected to bear the weight of email disputes alone. Check in with your supervisor.

But don’t be afraid to take action

While your organisation might have a specific policy in place in response to email disputes, a definite admirable trait for an intern to have is the ability to take initiative and suggest a response plan.

It can’t hurt to come up with a way to address the complaint and have that reviewed by your supervisor. “Best thing to shine the light on [is that you] might be able to come up with a strategy to respond to the complaint,” says Suzanne. “It’s to your benefit; it’s demonstrating initiative. Instead of saying ‘I don’t know what to do, I got this horrible letter’, maybe put something forwards.”

Don’t expect colleagues to read long reply chains

“Long email chains can be kind of annoying,” says Suzanne. While they can be handy to keep around for reference, a longwinded correspondence can do more harm than good to workplace efficiency. “Where it goes wrong is where you expect the person to have read it and remember what was written 20 pages back,” says Suzanne. “My recommendation is to keep the total chain, save it and summarise the main points of the previous emails [in a new email] instead of getting people to pull through a million different things finding what’s being referred to.”

Remember who you’re representing, communicate professionally, and aim to recommend yourself. 

Jonathon Davidson

Jonathon is studying journalism at Murdoch University in Perth.