Email on a computer is faster than on a phone for anything long, and attaching a document is far easier. This is the lesson that turns a library computer into a job-hunting machine.
Your email works in the browser. Go to the address bar and type gmail.com, then sign in with the address you made in Phone Skills lesson 3.
The subject line decides whether your email is opened. Write what it is and who you are: Application: Retail Assistant, Thabo Mokoena. Never leave the subject empty, because empty subjects are often filtered out before a human sees them.
Attach is the paperclip. Click it, find your CV, and wait for it to finish uploading before you press Send. Sending too early is the most common way an application arrives with nothing attached.
You are sending your CV. Which subject line?
What happens: The employer cannot tell what it is or which job it is for. In an inbox of two hundred, it will not be opened first, and may not be opened at all.
What happens: The employer knows the job, the person, and the purpose before opening it. It also means they can find you again by searching.
What is the difference between Reply and Reply All?
Reply goes only to the person who wrote to you. Reply All goes to everyone who received the original, which can be dozens of people. Getting this wrong at work is a well known embarrassment. When in doubt, use Reply.
I pressed send and forgot the attachment
Send a short second email straight away: "Apologies, the CV is attached to this message." Do not leave it and hope. Employers see this often and think nothing of it, as long as the correct file arrives quickly.
Before you move on
- Sign in to your email in a browser
- Write a subject line with the job and your name
- Wait for the attachment to finish before pressing Send
Check what you know
3 questions. Have a look at what this lesson asks.
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