Saturday, July 19, 2014

Netiquette IQ - The Email Interview, A Growing Process!

===================================================
More and more interviews, telephone conversations and what used to be face to face meetings are being conducted via email. What better way to give you an edge than with great Netiquette! Below is a nice, brief article to highlight a few key points, but this blog and my book book will give you many more.
====================================================

The Email Interview  -  Mihir Patkar  July 15, 2014 12:30 PM -  lifehacker.com
 In the email interview, remember to write like you talk. Eventually, you have to have a video chat where you are going to talk like you normally do. My writing style and my conversational style are quite different, and the common feedback I received in early interviews was that I sounded like two different people between the emails and the video chat. After your video chat, the recruiter is likely to go back and review your email conversations — it shouldn’t sound like it’s two different people talking.
You also need to be keenly aware of what the other person has to read every day, as we put it in the tips to writing emails that get a response:
The person sending a message and the person receiving it often have two very different perspectives — while the former is looking to include as much information as possible and has a vested interest in communicating their entire idea and the thoughts that went into it, the latter is looking for brevity, clarity, and probably gets a lot of messages just like the sender’s every day. 
Because of this, with interview emails, I issue a “10-minute review” rule. I write the full reply, save it to Drafts, and then physically move away from my computer — usually just walking around the house and doing odd chores. At the end of 10 minutes, I review the email and see if there is anything I want to change. Why 10 minutes? It’s enough to snap you out of thinking about what you wrote, but doesn’t take so much time that your interviewer thinks you aren’t prompt in your replies.
Brevity in an email is hard to judge, so one good way to check out whether your message is too long or not is to save it as a draft and then preview it on your smartphone. But only preview it, don’t write from your phone — just don’t do it! Autocorrect errors can make you look unprofessional, and you never know what kind of impression “Sent from my iPhone” will make on your recruiter.
Finally, for those who are conducting an email interview with a recruiter in a different time zone, it’s a good idea to send your mail during that person’s office hours. In an email interview, you can’t go to their office, so even if it’s a small gesture, this works as an equivalent of respecting their time and busy schedule.
 ===============================
In addition to this blog, I have authored the premiere book on Netiquette, "Netiquette IQ - A Comprehensive Guide to Improve, Enhance and Add Power to Your Email". You can view my profile, reviews of the book and content excerpts at:

 www.amazon.com/author/paulbabicki


 If you would like to listen to experts in all aspects of Netiquette and communication, try my radio show on BlogtalkRadio  and an online newsletter via paper.li.I have established Netiquette discussion groups with Linkedin and  Yahoo I am also a member of the International Business Etiquette and Protocol Group and Minding Manners among others. I regularly consult for the Gerson Lehrman Group, a worldwide network of subject matter experts and I have been contributing to the blogs Everything Email and emailmonday . My work has appeared in numerous publications and I have presented to groups such as The Breakfast Club of NJ Rider University and  PSG of Mercer County New Jersey.

==========================================

Netiquette IQ - Technical Term of the Day



From whatis.com 
Soft token
Part of the Authentication glossary:

A soft token is a software-based security token that generates a single-use login PIN.
Traditionally, a security token has been a hardware device that produces a new, secure and individual PIN for each use and displays it on a built-in LCD display. The system may activate after the user presses a button or enters an initial PIN. Security tokens are generally used in environments with higher security requirements as part of a multifactor authentication system. While the hardware-based systems are more secure, they are also costly and difficult to deploy on a large scale, as is required for online banking, for example.

Soft tokens are an attempt to replicate the security advantages of multifactor authentication, while simplifying distribution and lowering costs.  A smartphone soft token app performs the same task as a hardware-based security token. Like a hardware token, a smartphone provides an easy-to-protect and easy-to-remember location for secure login information: on the device itself. Unlike a hardware token, smartphones are connected devices, which make them inherently less secure. The extent of their security largely depends on the device’s operating system and client software.

 ===============================
In addition to this blog, I have authored the premiere book on Netiquette, "Netiquette IQ - A Comprehensive Guide to Improve, Enhance and Add Power to Your Email". You can view my profile, reviews of the book and content excerpts at:

 www.amazon.com/author/paulbabicki


 If you would like to listen to experts in all aspects of Netiquette and communication, try my radio show on BlogtalkRadio  and an online newsletter via paper.li.I have established Netiquette discussion groups with Linkedin and  Yahoo I am also a member of the International Business Etiquette and Protocol Group and Minding Manners among others. I regularly consult for the Gerson Lehrman Group, a worldwide network of subject matter experts and I have been contributing to the blogs Everything Email and emailmonday . My work has appeared in numerous publications and I have presented to groups such as The Breakfast Club of NJ Rider University and  PSG of Mercer County New Jersey.

==========================================



Yesterday's blog spoke to run-on sentences. Today's quotation positions the need for clarity in our written and spoken words via James Thurber.
=============================================



          Precision of communication is important, more important than ever in our era of hair-trigger balances when a false or misunderstood word may create as much disaster as a sudden thoughtless act.
—James Thurber
 ===============================
In addition to this blog, I have authored the premiere book on Netiquette, "Netiquette IQ - A Comprehensive Guide to Improve, Enhance and Add Power to Your Email". You can view my profile, reviews of the book and content excerpts at:

 www.amazon.com/author/paulbabicki


 If you would like to listen to experts in all aspects of Netiquette and communication, try my radio show on BlogtalkRadio  and an online newsletter via paper.li.I have established Netiquette discussion groups with Linkedin and  Yahoo I am also a member of the International Business Etiquette and Protocol Group and Minding Manners among others. I regularly consult for the Gerson Lehrman Group, a worldwide network of subject matter experts and I have been contributing to the blogs Everything Email and emailmonday . My work has appeared in numerous publications and I have presented to groups such as The Breakfast Club of NJ Rider University and  PSG of Mercer County New Jersey.

==========================================


Friday, July 18, 2014

Netiquette IQ - Run-on Sentences, The Enemy of a Good Email!


Run-on sentences

        These are the opposite of sentence fragments. The basic attribute of the run-on sentence is that there are two or more complete, independent clauses that lack a separating comma, semicolon, or conjunction. This wordiness can cause confusion or the necessity to reread the information. Usually, this can be corrected by a simple insertion of correct punctuation marks or conjunctions.
        Some emails may be completely composed of a run-on sentence or sentences and can be most confusing, as shown in the following example:
Incorrect:
The email will reach you soon kindly call after five minutes we can speak then.

Correct:
The email will reach you soon; kindly call after five minutes, and we can speak then.

Incorrect:
My email dated September 15 not only long and complex, but error ridden, perhaps not detailed but harsh in tone, cannot excuse the damage done to you perhaps but with this follow-up note we can have a fresh start as we do realize that compensation may be necessary.

The above run-on sentence comprises three independent sentences. These constitute an entire email and remove any reasonable, positive tone because of the confusion they create. It can be corrected as follows.

Correct:
My email dated September 15 is not only long and complex and lacking detail but also error-ridden and harsh in tone; I cannot excuse the damage done to you. Perhaps with this follow-up note we can have a fresh start. We do realize that compensation may be necessary.

        The punctuation provided in the above paragraph provides far more clarity and a better positive tone. Netiquette always assumes good grammar, punctuation, and lucidity.
 ===============================
In addition to this blog, I have authored the premiere book on Netiquette, "Netiquette IQ - A Comprehensive Guide to Improve, Enhance and Add Power to Your Email". You can view my profile, reviews of the book and content excerpts at:

 www.amazon.com/author/paulbabicki


 If you would like to listen to experts in all aspects of Netiquette and communication, try my radio show on BlogtalkRadio  and an online newsletter via paper.li.I have established Netiquette discussion groups with Linkedin and  Yahoo I am also a member of the International Business Etiquette and Protocol Group and Minding Manners among others. I regularly consult for the Gerson Lehrman Group, a worldwide network of subject matter experts and I have been contributing to the blogs Everything Email and emailmonday . My work has appeared in numerous publications and I have presented to groups such as The Breakfast Club of NJ Rider University and  PSG of Mercer County New Jersey.

==========================================