So it turns out that writing emails to someone More Adult than you is the worst thing in the world. It doesn’t matter if they’re a teacher, an employer, or just someone you need to communicate something to – it is the worst. HOWEVER, that does not mean you can’t do the thing. I went from basically tearing up any time I had to do this thing, to only doing so for really really hard email. Which I will call an improvement. Here is how to properly write a Professional Email:
Open up your email. Cry a little bit if you need to, just to get it out of the way.
Open the new email and enter their address. Make sure you spelled it right.
Cry a little.
Open the message with “Hello (Dr/Ms/Mr/Professor) (Their name),”
You’re doing well, you’ve got this!
Introduce yourself, and explain why you’re emailing. “My name is Gabrielle H. and I’m working on a thesis project right now about your field of work.”
Continue with your request or main point. “I would like to request an interview with you, in order to learn more for my project.”
Cry a little more.
Conclude your email – it’s hard to go wrong with either “Thanks,” or “Thank you for your time,” depending on how long the rest of the email was.
Sign your name – your full name is good for strangers, just your first name works for people you’ve met.
PROOFREAD.
Hit send.
Cry a last little bit.
Breathe a sigh of relief.
Done.
See? Being professional is easy!