Ah, email. It makes communication so easy and miscommunication even easier. During a recent job search, for example, one event specialist applied for a job at an internet production and advertising firm, and was told the company had no openings. But thanks to an email error, she found out that wasn't the case.
"I received a message from my contact at the firm intended for another person, discussing the fact that they were hiring a director," she said. "I wrote back and told him he'd sent the note to me instead. He was embarrassed!"
He's not alone. In a recent survey by The Creative Group, nearly eight out of 10 advertising and marketing executives polled said they'd made a mistake when sending email. Some of the worst snafus mentioned were a respondent who sent out confidential salary information to the whole firm and an employee who accidentally emailed his resume to his boss instead of an outside company.
In tough economic times, when many of us are trying to accomplish more with fewer resources, it's very easy to send an electronic message or attachment to the wrong recipient. But times like these are when it's critical to prevent mistakes that might cause your boss or coworkers to question your professionalism. What follows are some tips to help you avoid those cringe-worthy moments:
Pay attention. Close attention. Sending or replying to a message while you're also, say, on a conference call, is a little like trying to pat your head and rub your stomach at the same time: It's impossible to give both tasks your full attention, and that's when mistakes occur. Avoid multitasking when responding to important or sensitive emails, unless you want to end up like one person in our survey who sent a message to a client that was meant for a vendor, making it more difficult to justify his fees because the client knew the true cost.
Don't fall victim to the auto-fill effect. It's easy to send a message to the wrong person, especially when two people share the same name. Because most email programs keep your contacts and prompt you as soon as you begin typing a letter in the "to" field, fill in the contact information after you've drafted your message and check the name again (and again!) to make sure you're sending it to the correct person before you hit "send."
"Please see attached." An email with this phrase included is often followed by one with "Oops" in the subject line, along with the attachment that was supposed to go out with the original memo. Indeed, when you're focused on drafting your note, it's easy to send a message without its attachment.
The best way to avoid doing so is to insert the documents as soon as you refer to them in the message and to double-check and make sure you've attached the right ones. Being overly cautious will help you avoid the awkward situation one survey respondent likely found herself in after she sent out confidential information about one client to another.
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