Hey You! Salutations for Success…and Disaster
Hey You! Salutations for Success…and Disaster
As a general rule of thumb, stick to the formal salutation and avoid first names and informal greetings unless your boss, supervisor, or professor has told you that it is okay. Here are a few tips for using salutations in a way that helps you as you network or with your relationships with professors or supervisors:
You should err on “Professor” or “Dr.” for professors. If you know the person has a PhD/doctorate or medical degree, address them as “Dr. Smith.” It might be offensive to them to hear “Hi X [first name]” or “Ms. Smith,” even if you intentions are good. If it is a professor and you’re not sure what degree they have, you might want to begin your emails with “Dear Professor Smith.” They can let you know if they prefer for you to use something less formal or if they don’t have a doctorate. Yet, beginning with these salutations will, at the least, increase your chances of starting off on the right foot.
Even if they don’t have a doctorate, stick to a formal salutation unless they tell you otherwise. If you know they don’t have a doctorate, address them as “Mr.” or “Ms.” even if you hear others throwing their first names out there.
Pay attention to how they sign their names if you’ve had prior contact with them. If they consistently sign their first name in the signature of their emails, you could probably feel more comfortable to address them by their first name.
Pay attention to what others say. You can observe how others refer to them. For example, if one of your managers says, “You should tell Mr. Smith that you are not able to work next Saturday, so that he knows how to plan,” then you should probably not address Mr. Smith by his first name when others are directing you to use a particular salutation.
If all of this stresses you out, and it would make you more comfortable to ask them how they prefer to be addressed, doing so would be acceptable. If you don’t, however, stick to the rule of thumb, and stay formal.
*Originally posted on the Career Skillet website (Permission granted by Jill Bowers).
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