What if you find an email in your inbox that has no subject line? Or, Let’s say, you get an email with too many abbreviations or short forms and plenty of emoticons on it. It may leave you wondering what the message actually meant. Also, what if you receive an email with bad grammar, or spelling mistakes? These emails may not only cause confusion, it may also create a bad impression of the sender in your mind. A similar thing happens when communicating electronically in a professional environment too.Emails that are not spell checked, or written in a hurry with poor grammar, can make even a smart person sound unclear or look dim. One thing to highlight here is electronic applications received for job interviews. Not following the right email etiquette can cost the candidate big time. So, here are a few things to ponder upon before sending out a professional email.Avoid any abbreviations when writing professional emails and remember to keep the message short and simple. Not everyone reading your email is aware of certain terms you use at your work place. It may create confusion and provoke further exchange of communication and thus cause loss of time and effort.Also, just remembering to run a spell check on the email before you hit the send button, helps. Let it not be a reason for display of carelessness. In addition to this, you may want to save important emails as draft and read it after a brief break. Or, you may request a colleague or close associate check the tone of message or any other mistakes. More often than not, they might just point out to missing words which you might have overlooked while reading it over and over during construction of the message.Unpleasant email messages received at work, especially if they are customer complaints, may get you stressed or upset. However, you will always need to be polite while responding. Therefore, when replying to unpleasant emails that need clarification, remember to put down your points first and save it as draft. Do not send it yet. Let it sit on your computer for a day or just a few hours. You might want to re-word it after you have settled down.Be polite at all times, even if you are the one complaining. Remember, this is a written document and can be interpreted by the reader in the way they feel best. Avoid aggression and keep the tone of message positive. Just taking these few extra steps will make you stay impressive while writing emails or while communicating socially. It is a social skill so, tune it to your advantage. Sandra Barros is an Image Management Consultant and Soft Skills Trainer. She empowers young professionals, women and students who want to develop their professional and social skills. If you are a young job seeker planning an interview join our workshop ‘Interview Overalls’. Click this link for our online programs. For our Personal Makeover Programs, call to fix an appointment. visit www.barrosimageconsultancy.com