Email & LinkedIn & Freelance Updated PDF

COMMUNICATION SKILLS 2 Pharos University in Alexandria Topic 4: Email Etiquette & Freelancing.  Email Etiquette Follow these steps and make the recruiter get the best impression of you.1 1. Include a clear subject matter, and do not shout Always include a s...

COMMUNICATION SKILLS 2 Pharos University in Alexandria Topic 4: Email Etiquette & Freelancing.  Email Etiquette Follow these steps and make the recruiter get the best impression of you.1 1. Include a clear subject matter, and do not shout Always include a subject matter that captures what your email is about. If your email is urgent or requires immediate response, include this in the subject line. 2. Do not capitalize all your letters, no matter how urgent your email is, as you will look aggressive – it is like SHOUTING OVER EMAIL. 3. Always use an appropriate greeting Many argue that you should always use a formal greeting. As “Dear Sir/Madame” This depends on the recipient. If you are writing to a close colleague or your team, an informal ‘Hi’ or “Hello” will likely be enough. If you are writing in a chain of emails where the context has already been established in a prior email or even by phone, then it’s fine to write with no greeting.2 4. Only use shorthand if you know your recipients If you are writing to your own team about a project that you have been discussing, then you can write short, instructive emails with a list of bullet points. However, sending a note like this to people you do not know can make you appear blunt, rude and even a bully. 5. Be wary of using humor across cultures Be aware that funny sayings may be completely misconstrued by your colleagues in overseas offices. At worst, you could insult them, at best; you can make them feel confused or left out. 6. Consider the purpose of your email3 Always state if your email needs an action and by when. Open-ended emails can be confusing. Having an action or even letting the recipient know that no further action is required is helpful. Whatever you do, before you click send, visualize what you want to achieve and modify your language as such. 1 https://blog.aweber.com/email-marketing/your-crisis-email-marketing-guide.htm 2 https://libgen.lc/ads.php?md5=54FB564CCADC3BBA42C8667191448D8F 3 https://www.advantage-positioning.com/wp content/uploads/2013/06/23_Rules_of_Corporate_Email_Etiquette.pdf 7. Think before you smile Emoji’s have crept into everyday use. With the increase of email and text communication, it’s impossible to see facial expressions so people add It depends on the norm in your organization and sector but be mindful of when and to who you’re sending emoji’s to. If you’re sending them to people you know well, and you know will understand them, then that is fine. If not, then consider if they’re really needed. 8. Do not hit reply all or CC everyone Have you checked that you are only communicating to the people you need to communicate to? It can be annoying to be copied into every email or to see every response in a chain if it is not relevant to your recipient. The difference between CC and BCC CC: In email sending, CC is the abbreviation for “carbon copy.” Back in the days before internet and email BCC stands for: “blind carbon copy.” Just like CC, BCC is a way of sending copies of an email to other people. The difference between both is that, while you can see a list of recipients when CC is used, that is not the case with BCC. It is called blind carbon copy because the other recipients won’t be able to see that someone else has been sent a copy of the email. When should you use BCC? 1. When you do not want the primary recipient to know 2. When sending a large list1 When should you use CC? a. When you want someone else to receive a copy of an email, but they aren’t one of the primary recipients. b. When you want the recipients of the message to know the other people who have been sent the message. 1 https://libgen.lc/ads.php?md5=54FB564CCADC3BBA42C8667191448D8F  9. Think about where your email could end up Never use inappropriate language in a work email. The reality is that your email will remain on the server long after you have deleted it. 10. Always spell check Sending emails with spelling mistakes and grammatical errors can be infuriating for colleagues. They could imply that you are too lazy to use the spell checker before you click send. Take the time to re-read your emails, make sure they make sense and have the right tone before you send them.1 11. Use sentence case Use sentence case when you are sending a professional email. That means capitalizing the first word of every sentence as well as proper nouns. Avoid using all caps on any of the words. Example: “Anne, it was great seeing you at the meeting. I look forward to connecting again soon.” 1 https://ralphwellesley.weebly.com/uploads/6/0/4/1/6041704/101-email-etiquette-tips.pdf  Freelancing There are 4 types of employment: Full-time employment: is when an employee works the total number of hours considered by the company as full-time in a week1. Part-time employment: is a type of employment arrangement that allows employees to work fewer hours in a week than worked by individuals under full-time employment2. Remote employment: it refers to full-time jobs done away from the office. It can be done anywhere! Usually, pro-remote companies have core working hours, a time window during the day where all the employees from different time zones can gather and work together. This is how companies that offer remote positions enrich their company culture and make sure everyone is working as a part of the team3. Freelance employment: Freelance jobs are usually part-time jobs with schedule flexibility. A freelancer is a self-employed individual that possesses a specific set of hard skills to perform a part of a project or deliver the whole project4. Fields of freelancing 5  Graphic design & illustration  Marketing, media, & PR  Financial support (e.g. tax preparation)  Content Writing, editing, & proofreading  Photography & videography  Data entry  Software programming & beta testing  Website design  Sales  Gig work, such as driving for rideshare platforms, food delivery, manual tasks, and care work, are a type of freelancing defined by being organized via online platforms and mobile apps. 1 https://uk.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/part-time-vs-full-time 2 https://uk.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/part-time-vs-full-time 3 https://www.omnesgroup.com/difference-remote-freelance/ 4 https://www.omnesgroup.com/difference-remote-freelance/ 5 https://www.investopedia.com/terms/f/freelancer.asp#:~:text=A%20freelancer%20is%20an%20independent ,typically%20for%20short%2Dterm%20work. Advantages of freelancing 1 Working as a freelancer has many advantages, including:  Flexibility Ability to choose jobs and clients  Exposure As a freelancer, you may work in different fields or sometimes write about various topics. Freelancing increases your exposure and versatility because you learn about areas you're not familiar with through research.  Independence As a freelancer, you work for yourself and yourself alone. This independent factor means that you can work at your own pace. However, this does not imply that you can flout deadlines or perform poorly.  Workload Some people find full-time work overwhelming. However, as a freelancer, you can determine your comfortable workload and work at a pace that suits you.  Ability to choose your work location As a freelancer, you can choose where you want to work and pick your most comfortable option. You can work from home, a coffee shop, or even a library, whatever works for you. Also, distance is no barrier to freelance work. You can accept job offers from all over the globe. Disadvantages of freelancing 2 Despite all these merits, freelancing also has its downsides, which are:  No steady income Since freelancing is not a stable job, income is not always assured. While freelancing, you will encounter days that are profitable and days that are not. This “unsteadiness” is one of the major disadvantages of freelancing. 1 https://ca.indeed.com/career-advice/finding-a-job/what-is-freelancer 2 https://ca.indeed.com/career-advice/finding-a-job/what-is-freelancer   Possibility of delayed payments As a freelancer, you may find yourself in situations where clients cannot pay or delay payment. This possibility can create messy situations for a freelancer because you might be relying on that income.  Lack of employee benefits As an employee, you enjoy certain benefits such as a fixed income and health and home insurance for you and your family. You can even acquire a specific property through a mortgage in some situations. However, as a freelancer, these benefits are unavailable. Due to this lack of benefits, it's often a good idea for freelancers to get income protection, health, and critical illness insurance in case there's any period they can't work.  Being your own boss Becoming your own boss is a double sided weapon. You are free to schedule your day and work plan, however, becoming too anxious about a certain project can take a lot of your own personal time and wellbeing. Also, being face to face with a client that is naturally hesitant about something in a project you have no “boss” to refer back to as you are your own boss and have to deal with all kinds and traits of clients yourself. How to Become a Freelancer? Choose your field based on your skills and passions, and define your target market and business goals. Next, build your personal brand by making an online portfolio and setting up a business email. Look for potential clients on freelance websites like Up work 1  Best Freelance Websites to Find Work 2 1) Fiverr 2) Toptal 3) Jooble 4) Freelancer.com 5) Up work 6) Flex jobs 7) Simply Hired 8) Guru 9) LinkedIn 10) Behance 11) 99designs 12) Dribble 13) People Per Hour 1 https://www.hostinger.com/tutorials/best-freelance-websites 2 16 Best Freelance Websites to Find Work in 2023 (hostinger.com)  14) Services cape 15) Design Hill 16) Task Rabbit 17) Glass door  Arabic freelance websites 1) Mostaql 2) Ureed 3) TasmeemME 4) Iktbly 5) Khamsat How We Choose Top Freelance Websites To ensure that each freelance website on our list is reliable and trustworthy, we weighed in several factors, such as:  Terms and conditions. Chosen freelance websites have well-documented terms and conditions that protect both freelancers and employers on said platforms.  Customer support. Each freelance site provides customer support to guide users and resolve any disputes.  Payment and withdrawal methods. Local and global freelancers can receive payment from freelance websites through multiple options, such as bank transfers and electronic payments.1 What do freelancers need? 2 1. Work identity. 2. Workplace or home office. 3. Website or social media profile. 4. Smartphone and contact number. 5. Portfolio of completed work. 6. Computer and appropriate software. 7. Knowledge of tax laws, or access to a tax consultant. 8. Bank account, web-wallet account, or crypto currency account. 1 https://www.hostinger.com/tutorials/best-freelance-websites 2 https://www.betterteam.com/best-freelance-websites LinkedIn is the top professional social networking site with 133 million users in the U.S. alone and reaching 200 countries and territories around the world. There were 4239 000 LinkedIn users in Egypt in September 2019, which accounted for 4% of its entire population. Three tips to maximize the potential of your LinkedIn profile: 1- Keep your profile up to date: There are more than 45,000 skills to choose from on LinkedIn to beef up your profile doing this by add-in a profile photo and include your notable skills. 2- Be comprehensive about current skills and objectives: To ensure you are using LinkedIn to find a job correctly, do not leave anything out about your current skills and objectives. Use your headline to share your main objective if it makes sense and add all your skills to your page. You do not want it to look like you haven't updated your page in a while, as recruiters and companies might pass you by if it does. 3- Highlight your recent experience: To ensure you're using LinkedIn to find a job correctly, don't leave anything out about your current skills and objectives. Use your headline to share your main objective if it makes sense and add all your skills to your page. You do not want it to look like you have not updated your page in a while, as recruiters and companies might pass you by if it does. 4- Update your headline. Your photo, name, and headline (which is listed below your photo) are the only items people see when they do a search. Your headline should stand out and highlight what you do or what type of position you are looking for. 5- Let people know you are available. If you can announce the fact that you are looking for a job, do so. Use your headline to make the announcement. 6- Build your network to the 1st degree. Your connections can exponentially increase your exposure and access to other connections. LinkedIn makes it easy to connect with people you know by importing your contact lists from sites such as Gmail. 7- Research the companies you are interested in and follow them. LinkedIn makes it easy to find and follow companies. 8- Research your future boss and executive team. Before going in for an interview, you can use LinkedIn to research hiring managers and interviewers to find out about their likes, interests, and more. Be smart and use this information during your interview to create reliability and show that you have done your homework. Application: - Email for a real internship or job advertisement. - LinkedIn Account/Glassdoor.