Polite formulas to avoid at the start of an email
It is difficult to identify all the polite expressions. Regarding professional emails, they can be used at the beginning as well as at the end. However, unlike other emails sent to friends or acquaintances, polite expressions in your business correspondence should be chosen with great care. At the start of the email, some of them should indeed be avoided.
"Hello" to a supervisor: Why abstain?
The start of a professional email is quite decisive. In the context of an application email or an email to be sent to a hierarchical superior, it is not recommended to start a professional email with "Hello".
Indeed, the polite formula "Hello" establishes a very great familiarity between the sender and the receiver. It can be badly perceived especially if it is about a correspondent whom you do not know.
In reality, this formula does not denote rudeness. But it has all the spoken language. It is recommended to use it for people with whom you interact regularly.
For example, when you want to apply for a job offer, it is not at all advisable to say hello to the recruiter in your professional email.
In addition, it should be remembered, it is also not recommended to use smileys in a professional email.
Start of email: What kind of courtesy should I use?
Instead of a "Hello", considered too familiar and quite impersonal, we recommend that you use the polite phrase "Monsieur" or "Madame" at the start of a professional email.
Indeed, as soon as it is addressed to a business manager, an executive or a person with whom you do not have a particular relationship. It is best to use these types of expressions.
This formula is also welcome when you know whether your correspondent is a man or a woman. Otherwise, the most suitable form of courtesy is the standard “Madam, Sir” formula.
Assuming that you already know your correspondent, you can then apply the polite phrase “Dear Sir” or “Dear Madam”.
The call form must therefore be accompanied by the name of your interlocutor. The use of his first name is indeed wrong. If it happens that you do not know the first name of your correspondent, custom recommends using “Mr.” or “Ms.” as a call form, followed by the person's title.
If it is then a professional e-mail to be sent to the President, the Director or the Secretary General, the polite phrase will be “Mr. President”, “Madam Director” or “Mr. Secretary General”. You may be familiar with their name, but politeness dictates that you call them by their title.
Also remember that Madame or Monsieur is written in full with the first letter in uppercase. In addition, each form of courtesy at the beginning of a professional email must be accompanied by a comma.
