Why you should always be extra polite in your emails

Sometimes an email is just an email. Other times, it’s an X ray of someone’s character.

Recently, a friend emailed me. He asked if I would forward the résumé of a friend of his to my clients that have intern programs. I reached out to two.

Both people I emailed replied within a few hours (after all, they work at PR agencies). Yet while they basically said the same thing (“You’re too late”) the tones they used were strikingly divergent.

Here’s what they wrote:

1. “We are full up for this summer (we started reviewing in January as most do) but fall is a possibility. If that works, please apply through website. Thank you.”

2. “Hey Jonathan, thank you for referring [redacted name]. We do have a good intern program. [Redacted], Looks like you’ve been having a good run at [Redacted], congratulations. We have offers out now and should know pretty quickly if we’ll have an opening. If so, I’d be interested in talking with you. Thanks for your interest in [Redacted].”