Health and Human Services Professional Development

Email Etiquette by   Jill Bowers  & Sabrina Roley   on   December 26, 2014   Stop!! Before you press the “send” button, be sure to follow these steps for sending professional emails! Email has become a go-to medium for daily communication; it’s time-saving and cost-effective, yet there are several things that you need to keep in mind… 1) Check the “To” and “CC” lines… I’m sure you don’t want to send email with confidential or inappropriate content to your boss (or your mom), do you…? 2) Use proper salutations Use proper salutations. Err on the side of formal greetings (e.g., Mr. Ms., Dr., Representative, Professor) vs. “hey there” or their first name. 3) Be brief and to the point Use short paragraphs to break up the content you are trying to convey, and be concise. 4) Avoid emoticons, acronyms, abbreviations, and slang “Yo prof., I wasn’t in class today, did I miss anything? Btw, I was wondering if u could tell me if u’ll take points off 4...

Asking for Letters of Recommendation by   Jill Bowers   on   December 27, 2014   Dear Professor, I am applying for graduate school. The online application system requested that I put in 3 individuals who might be willing to write me a letter of recommendation. I listed your name, so you can expect to receive an email from them soon. If you cannot do this, I understand. But, hopefully you can. It will only take like 5 minutes because it’s an online form. Oh and, it is due in two days. No, no and no. Your letters of recommendation are critical as they could play a significant role in your acceptance into graduate school or success on the job market. As such, you should approach professors or others who you are asking to write you a letter with thoughtfulness, organization, and gratitude. A few tips…. Carefully choose your letter writers.  Individuals who know you well and care about your future will likely write the best letters for you. Asking a me...