Always remember your writing represents you. How does yours make you look? Do your letters sound respectable, as if you’re in a suit, but your emails sound like you’re in shorts and t-shirt? Too much informality ain’t good (see?).

Take it too far and you’ll sound like you’re just in your undies! Examples include using computer game jargon and text-message abbreviations in job applications – see “Graduates ‘SMS’ in job l3tt3rs” (Sydney Morning Herald).

That article cites a survey showing employers care most about graduates’ communication skills, more than their analytical abilities or academic records.

One area people come unstuck in is openings and closings:

• Openings: “Dear John” is good for letters; “Hi John” for emails. (But know your audience — a successful young businesswoman I know thinks strangers are rude and too familiar when they email her with “Hi X”.)
• Closings: For letters, “Yours sincerely” if you know their name; “Yours faithfully” if you don’t. For emails, “Cheers” if you know them well, and something like “Kind regards” if you don’t.
• Tip: How did your reader write to you? If they EMAIL you with “Dear John” and sign off with “Yours faithfully,” think twice before replying with “Hi Frank” and “Cheers”.

Like to take your writing up a notch? This article, “Writing Wrongs,” previously published in HR Monthly, is for you.

Survey results: Creative avoidance
Last month we asked for your most creative ways of avoiding writing. Highlights were plucking eyebrows, flossing teeth and vacuuming shoeboxes!

To overcome these dire afflictions, see my blog on procrastination!

Is writing becoming too informal? e.g. some people think contractions (don’t, can’t, won’t, etc) are too informal for business writing today. What do you think?