Career Talk

Think Twice Before You Hit 'Send'

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By Mary Morris Heiberger and Julie Miller Vick

Say you're on an e-mail list in your field that includes dozens of colleagues, some of whom are close friends. You receive a message from one of those friends, but you fail to notice that the friend posted it to the entire mailing list. So you hit the reply key, write a note describing the details of your first date in 20 years, and send it off -- to the entire e-mail list.

It seems everyone has a story these days about a misfired e-mail. Some of these tales, like the true one you just read, cause personal embarrassment. Some have far more serious repercussions. The president of Columbia College Chicago ran into trouble when he mistakenly sent a message detailing his personal and financial problems to all of the institution's faculty and staff members.

Mary: I'd like to say that I'd never be dumb enough to post a personal message to an electronic mailing list, except that I once e-mailed a friend's private message to 301 graduate students. We can all stand a reminder of the way that technology, for better or worse, gives our messages a wider audience and the way that it can affect our reputations.

Julie: How you use e-mail, and what you write in your messages, says a lot about who you are. In the last few years e-mail has become the preferred method of communication in academe. It is used to confirm interviews and meetings and to send job-hunting materials and scholarly papers. It is used more generally to foster dialogue about scholarship, to debate university policies, and to promote student discussion. And of course, it is used as a way to gossip, rumormonger, and attack individuals and institutions.

Mary: E-mail has a habit of not disappearing and of being more widely circulated than you intended. Things you say in anger or ignorance can sit around in files and later be used against you or others. For example, doctoral students who are having trouble with their advisers may compound the difficulty by sending an e-mail about it to their friends, or people they believe are their friends. Even uses of e-mail that you think are appropriate may prove problematic. For example, The Chronicle recently ran an article about the chairwoman of the English department at the State University of New York at Buffalo. She had lost her administrative position because she refused to discipline graduate students who had protested low stipends by withholding undergraduate grades. The chairwoman insisted that she had sent an e-mail message discouraging graduate students from withholding grades. But when a dean demanded to see that message, and the chairwoman refused, the dean insisted the message was not a private communication because she had sent it in her capacity as a department head.

Julie: It's an obvious point, but we can't stress it enough: Always reread what you have written in an e-mail message BEFORE you send it. Ask yourself, would I mind if this turned up on the front page of the campus newspaper? If you really would mind, then rewrite it or delete it. Nearly everyone sends some e-mail that would be mildly embarrassing if it were exposed to public scrutiny, but be aware of your own boundary between mildly embarrassing and disastrous. It's unlikely that your messages will come back to haunt you, but the reality is, you never know.

For example, you may send a message to a friend who, with no evil intentions whatsoever, accidentally forwards it to a senior scholar in your field. So consider the potential carelessness of other people, as well as your own, when considering what could go wrong. One way to minimize the possibility of problems is to maintain two accounts, one for professional purposes and one for personal messages. Given the number of free Web-based e-mail services, anyone who can afford to have Internet access via one account can have two for the same price.

Mary: Be aware that your university-based Internet account will be governed by a campus policy that may offer you substantial privacy protection or next to none. Also remember that posts to many e-mail lists are archived, more or less in perpetuity, unless you specifically opt not to have your posts archived. Search engines can uncover instances of your name, so even one unfortunate posting may have a long lifetime.

Julie: If your Internet provider has you choose an e-mail name, try to pick something that doesn't undermine your credibility. Even if all the "good" names are taken, try to come up with something dignified. Also be thoughtful about what you write in the subject line. "Urgent" will annoy a reader who views the real subject of your message as "application for assistant professor." Odd names and alarmist headings in combination often signal spam, hoaxes, or viruses, and some savvy users don't even bother to open them. Be careful that your message won't be confused with any of those.

Mary: I want to say a few words about the actual message. We receive lots of e-mail and most of it uses correct spelling and grammar. But we also get plenty of messages with misspellings, incomplete sentences, and poor grammar. We know how easy it is to write something and zap it off immediately without proofing. (We've done it!) But it's important to take a few moments and reread, spell check, and recheck information of which you are uncertain. Because so many messages are forwarded to others, you don't want writing that reflects poorly on you bouncing around in cyberspace.

Julie: As you close your message, if you use a signature tag, take a look at it and ask whether it conveys the impression you would like a search committee to receive. Does that quote that you loved as a graduate student enhance or diminish your overall presentation? For example, I recently received an e-mail with a quote from Groucho Marx in the signature tag: "I never forget a face, but in your case I'll make an exception." This may be incongruous with your presentation of yourself to a search committee as someone who's an outstanding teacher and accessible to students. You want to be memorable because you are a strong candidate, not because you have a bizarre or off-color quote after your contact information.

Mary: Perhaps your message contains an attachment. Show consideration for the reader by providing the attachment in a standard format and by giving it a name which makes its content clear. For example, "C.V." will be harder for a reader to file and retrieve than will "Bronson Hastings C.V." Also consider sending the content of attachments as part of the message itself or as a separate text file. You might also send a U.R.L. to give people access to the material without risking viruses.

Julie: Of course it's easy to post a document if you have your own Web site. Many academics do these days, and in some fields, it's starting to become annoying to people who are interested in you if you don't. The format, content, and layout of your Web site, as well as its tone, says a lot about you and helps shape the image you project to the world, academic and otherwise.

When you are actively looking for a job it's wise to have a Web site that looks professional. By that I don't mean overly serious or solemn but devoid of unnecessary information. It should load easily and not be bogged down by elaborate and slow-loading graphics. The print should be of a readable size and the links should be clearly and consistently marked. People quite commonly post photographs of themselves, but the one that memorializes the most over-the-top weekend you ever had is probably not one to choose if you'll be directing search committees to the site.

Mary: I'd also like to suggest that you use some powerful search engines to look for your own name, so you can see what comes up should an employer decide to do a preliminary search before inviting you for an interview. Occasionally, the results can be distressing.

Julie: We've been talking about the way that electronic communication affects the job search, but we want to make sure not to forget a tool that remains critical. We hope you're still using the telephone. Think about the message that an employer who calls you will hear on your answering machine. Avoid giving employers phone numbers that will be answered by toddlers, cranky lab mates with quirky senses of humor, or absent-minded people who forget to deliver messages. Make your own voice-mail tape if you're on the job market, and listen to it carefully. Will it encourage employers to call back? Messages that force the caller to listen to a long statement before having a chance to leave a message generally lack appeal.

Mary: We've been stressing the things that can go wrong. The positive side of all this is that you can make a good impression as quickly as you can make a bad one. If you're an active participant on an e-mail list in your field, even two or three thoughtful posts at reasonable intervals can give you "name recognition." Colleagues will recognize you as the author of postings they will want to read, rather than delete without reading, because you always have something valuable to say. Perhaps the signature tag on your postings includes the U.R.L. for your Web site. Someone who's enjoyed your remarks might click on it to learn a little more about you and find a clear, well-organized site that's easy to navigate and offers interesting information. Visitors to your site might know they have a search coming up in their department, and they might invite you to apply.

These things do happen.