Proper Formatting for Your Email Signature

Your email signature goes a long way towards enhancing your professional credibility, especially if the person you’re writing to has never met you before. The email signature is the last impression a reader of your email gets, so make sure it’s clear, concise, and meaningful!

Don’t end your emails too casually with just your initials or first name. Best practice is to add an email signature automatically to each of your emails through your email program. The key is to put some thought into this now, so you don’t have to think about it again.

3 facets of a professional email signature

1. Your full name. A professional looking signature must include your first and last name. This should be the first line of your email signature.
2. Your title/company. Let people know your current role. If you’re a student, this line should include your major, graduation year, and where you go to school.
3. Your phone number. This will serve as secondary contact information so you can be reached.

What not to include in your email signature

• LinkedIn Profile. If you’re networking, your cold networking email will cover this. If you’re not networking, why does your recipient need to see this?
• Social Media links. Again, we want to keep the email signature as professional as possible.

Email signature font

The font you choose for your email signature is a big part of how you will be perceived. If your employer/school has a standard signature font, of course, go with that. But if you have the freedom to choose the font, we recommend keeping it simple with a standard sans-serif or serif font. Arial, Verdana, or Tahoma are good sans-serif options, and Georgia or Times New Roman for serif fonts. Stay away from fancy script fonts or - God forbid - Comic Sans.

Conclusion

In the corporate world, it’s the little things that separate top performers from the field. Even your email signature formatting can be a small but meaningful way to signal to clients and team members that you mean business. Incorporate these best practices to take your email signature to the next level!