Financial Crisis Tie-In: E-mail Etiquette and Careers in a Troubled Job Market

Part of Marketing Week on campus, the UAB chapter of the American Marketing Association is holding an e-mail and online etiquette seminar inside the School of Business to prepare students ready to enter the workforce on the dangers of poor digital communication.

November 11, 2008

Part of Marketing Week on campus, the UAB chapter of the American Marketing Association is holding an e-mail and online etiquette seminar inside the School of Business to prepare students ready to enter the workforce on the dangers of poor digital communication. The seminar will be Tuesday, November 11 at 3:30 p.m. at 1150 10th Avenue South, Room 117.

Not just for upcoming graduates but for anyone seeking a new career, digital communication etiquette is more critical than ever as the economy slows and job opportunities become scarce, because the quality of one's digital communications could be what puts that job candidate over the top or ultimately costs him or her a position at a particular firm. 

"Job candidates often make the mistake of e-mailing business people like they are old friends with no punctuation, no capital letters, nothing," said Lauren Skinner, Ph.D., assistant professor of marketing. "They forget that those e-mail messages are many times their first point of contact with a hiring agent or office manager, and you want to leave a memorable impression for all the right reasons not the wrong ones."

The seminar will also move beyond e-mail to discuss the dangers of improper communications and images posted on social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace as one interviews for a new job.