These 7 common email mistakes are making you look unprofessional

Before you hit send on your next email, pause for a minute. If you’re like the average employee, you draft 112 emails a week, spending about five and a half minutes writing each one, according to this survey by Slack. If your messages go ignored or if the recipient requests clarification, you might want to consider how you’re showing up in their inbox.

Professionalism in email communication is important, says Dr. Laurie Cure, CEO of Innovative Connections, an executive coaching and HR consultant. “Ultimately, we want our communication to reflect who we are, but more importantly, we want people to hear what we are saying,” she says. “When they are lost in poor text, grammar errors, emojis that they do not understand, or a confusing message, we are left with misunderstandings that damage our reputation and credibility. It also requires more time to unravel and clarify messages that were not received as intended.” 

Whether you realize it or not, you’re going to be judged by how you communicate—including your emails. Here are seven common mistakes that can make you look unprofessional.

1. You Get the Recipient’s Name Wrong

While it sounds basic, you start off on the wrong foot if you get the recipient’s name wrong. Unfortunately, it happens all the time, says Alexa Rome, director of PR and Communications at Omnus Technologies, provider of IT support. 

“I’ve lost count of how often someone calls me ‘Alex,’ even though my email address and signature say ‘Alexa,’” she says. “It signals you didn’t take two seconds to double-check the name of the person you’re contacting. It feels impersonal, like you couldn’t be bothered to take the time to learn my name. Trust drops instantly.” 

Even if you enter someone’s name right, autocorrect might step in and change it, especially if the name is unique. Before hitting send, take a second to be sure the name is right.

2. You Use Unprofessional Language 

If you regularly start business emails with “Hey” or end them with “Thx,” you could be inadvertently sending a signal that you’re casual about work, says communication coach Judnefera Rasayon.

“If you’re seen as someone who doesn’t take the job seriously, that could damage your reputation and hurt your prospects for advancement,” she says. “It could potentially cost you and your company clients and revenue.” 

Elise Powers, CEO of Eleview Consulting, a communications training firm, agrees. “Don’t start with ‘Hey,’” she says. “It’s too informal for email and reads like a text message. ‘Hi,’ ‘Hello,’ or ‘Good Morning’ are more professional.”

Also, skip the emojis in email, even if you’re emailing a peer or work best friend, adds Powers. “You never know if your email will be forwarded on down the line and a senior leader might see the emojis and think, ‘This person is immature or too casual in their correspondence,’” she says.

3. You Ramble

Every email should be skimmable, synthesized, and concise, says Powers. She recommends using bullet points, bolding, and brief paragraphs to make it easy for the recipient to quickly read your message. 

“There shouldn’t be long blocks of text,” she says. “It takes more time to write a skimmable, concise email, and it’s a simple way to add value to someone else.”

Rasayon suggests having a clear point in mind before you start writing your email instead of rambling off the top of your head. Unclear requests, deadlines, or instructions could result in people not reading or replying. 

4. You Reply All

Before you hit “reply all” on an email that includes a lot of people, make sure everyone on the thread really needs to read what you have to say. Otherwise, you’re adding to the dozens of emails filling up their inboxes. 

“I’m shocked by how many people don’t get this,” says Rome. “You should almost never ‘reply all,’ unless every person on the thread truly needs your response. (Spoiler: they usually don’t.) It makes you seem unaware and oblivious of how communication actually works.”

5. You Over-Apologize

If you started your email by saying, “Sorry for the delay” or “Sorry for the long email,” go back and delete those phrases. While saying “sorry” in and of itself is not unprofessional, it’s unnecessary, says Rome. 

“Not [saying ‘sorry’] does make you more professional,’ she says. “Instead, say, ‘Thanks for your patience,’ or say what you need to say. Period.” 

Apologizing is more common with women, adds Rome. “If a man wouldn’t apologize for it, you probably don’t need to either,” she says. “You’re allowed to communicate without disclaimers.”

6. You Take Too Long to Respond

No one likes to wait for days to get a response to an email, says Rasayon.

“A response doesn’t have to be a complete response,” she says. “It could be an interim reply that doesn’t provide a complete answer, but acknowledges that you’ve seen their message, started the process of getting them an answer, and will follow up once you have one.”

Not responding in a timely way can send a message that you’re not on top of your work, that you ignored the email, or that you don’t view the contents of the email as important, says Rasayon. 

7. You Respond Too Quickly

On the flip side of responding too slowly is responding too quickly. We’re all busy, and you likely work in a fast-paced environment. That isn’t an excuse to fire off quick messages. 

One of the challenges with the written word is its lack of nonverbal cues, says Cure. “Ambiguous language and reader assumptions make email communication particularly challenging,” she says. 

Drafting an important email should take time, and Cure recommends creating a first draft, and then going back to reread them with fresh eyes to ensure they communicate what you desire. 

“Just today, I met with a leader who was voice texting and did not turn off the speaker,” she says. “They ended up sending an entire second conversation to the recipient.”

While AI can help you tighten your message, it can make you sound like a robot, says Rome. “We’re still humans emailing humans,” she says. “If your email doesn’t sound like something you’d say out loud, revise it.”