How Formal Should My Email Correspondence Be?

By: Kandice Thorn

Not so long ago, in my first office job working at a travel agency in Tigard, Oregon, I sat at a large desk with a very clunky computer.  I used the computer primarily for searching for and booking flights and hotel reservations (Expedia did not yet exist).  We also had a large printer that was only used for printing airline tickets, which we would deliver to our clients all over Portland (paperless tickets also did not yet exist).  And before delivering those tickets, I would frequently turn to another machine on my desk to produce a cover letter: a typewriter. 

Bookmark This (LLM-UNITED)

By: Kandice Thorn

My Monday schedule has just been completely thrown off. Why? Because I just spent the past hour immersed in the wonderful articles on the LLM-UNITED website. I hadn't been on there for a while, so I wasn't aware of the latest updates, and I must say, if you are not checking this website regularly, you should be. LLM-UNITED is a network of LL.M. students and alumni, and features straightforward advice from someone who has walked in your shoes.

To get you started, here are links to three of my favorite articles on the website:

Your To Do List for Finding a Job in the U.S. With Your LL.M. Degree

Networking Advice: The Power of Names

Networking: How to Write a Forceful Email

Wanna, Gonna

By: Kandice Thorn

Over the years that I have worked with international students and non-native English speakers, I have noticed over and over again people using the words like "wanna" and "gonna" in their email correspondence.  This phenomenon has confounded me for a while, so I decided recently to do some digging to see why so many international students use these words.

How to Respond to an Email

By: Kandice Thorn

This may seem like a very rudimentary topic for a blog post, but I see (and, yes, occasionally even make) enough mistakes in this area that I think it is worth the reminder. In professional settings these days, email is our go-to mode of communication, whether we are setting up meetings, negotiating contracts, or applying for jobs. Thus, it is extremely important that our email communication always be professional, concise, and clear.

This post addresses common mistakes that people make when they respond to an email or email chain. You can use this list as a checklist until the concepts become habitual for you.

Email Correspondence: Slow Down and Keep it Professional

By: Kandice Thorn

In these days of harried email correspondence, it is easy to send off emails without much thought.  But remember that every email you send has a recipient.  It may in fact have multiple recipients.  It may get forwarded to other recipients.  And everyone who reads your email messages will make judgments about you based on those messages.  They will judge your level of professionalism, your professional judgment, your maturity, and your mastery of the English language (even if English is your first language--perhaps especially if English is your first language!), among other things.

Cover Letters: Be Concise

By: Kandice Thorn

I said in a previous post that one common mistake I see in cover letters is that they are too long. This is actually the most common mistake I see in cover letters, so common that I thought the topic deserved its own blog post. First, I am going to describe what a concise cover letter should look like, then, because I like lists, I am going to give you the top five reasons you should keep your cover letters short and sweet.

Advice for Career Changers

By: Kandice Thorn

Most LL.M. students come to the program as the logical continuation of a career path that has been already well defined. However, we also have a number of students who pursue the LL.M. degree as a way to move their career in a new direction. For these students, the question of how to market themselves to employers can be tricky.

Being Nice

By: Kandice Thorn

First, I must confess that this is a topic I have been wanting to address for some time, but I have been a little lost as to the right way to approach the subject. The gist is something that should be quite obvious: if you are nice, people will like you and want to help you; if you are mean, people will not like you and not want to help you.

Professional Email Etiquette

By: Kandice Thorn

Repeat after me: "Email correspondence is professional correspondence."

We live in a world where email is frequently our primary method of communication. We send our friends two line emails to make plans; we dot our correspondence with smiley faces; we use abbreviations and slang. But it is important to remember that, in the professional world, email correspondence should reflect your professionalism and should be treated with the same level of care you would have used in drafting a hard copy letter in the days of yore.

Five Common Mistakes in Cover Letters

By: Kandice Thorn

Cover letters are perhaps the most daunting job search-related document, and for good reason.  They are highly customized, so a one-size-fits-all formula doesn't really work.  Because they are so particular, they also require a great deal of revising for each position you apply to.  Yet a cover letter is the first "writing sample" a potential employer will see, so the writing must be impeccable.  This week, I will address the top five mistakes that I commonly see in cover letters.  Take care to avoid these pitfalls in your cover letter, and you will be well on your way to an effective cover letter.