Internetisms need to stay on the Internet

Have you ever noticed how much your vocabulary has changed over the last several years? This is true not only in your speech but in your writing. Take a look at the last email you wrote. How many times did you use an Internetism such as OMG or tweet or LOL?

These words and slang are fine in your everyday personal life but never in business. Never use abbreviations or Internetism when you are writing business emails or doing any other kind of business transactions – including your resume.

These words have infiltrated every part of our daily lives and we use them without thinking. Many recruiters have commented on seeing these informal slang type words used in email correspondence between themselves and the candidate. According to the recruiters, this makes for a very negative first impression and can definitely harm their chances of being called in for an interview. Anything that takes away from the professionalism in an application is going to put the applicant in the position of trying to prove or improve himself right from the beginning. This is not the impact you want to have on a prospective employer.

These Internetisms are used to save time- to abbreviate. Abbreviations are used in order to save time and, if you use these in the context of a resume or a cover letter, what is that saying to the prospective employer? Are you saying that you do not have the time to write a proper email or resume or cover letter? Always remember – you only get one chance to make a good first impression.

I have talked to recruiters who reject candidates based upon the use of informal language or Internetisms in emails. They indicate that they are not trying to be mean – just to educate the job seeker in the proper use of business language.

So, before you send out your next resume or cover letter; before you send out your next business email, take the time to review it several times. Use your word processor’s spelling and grammar tool to ensure you are using your words correctly and that they are spelled correctly. By using this tool, you will be able to send out proper business correspondence without any of the Internetisms we use daily.

By: Nancy Anderson