Dear.....?

Email ettiquette with regards to accounting recruiters can sometimes be unclear. In my experiences thus far, the most difficult part of an email is the first line. Dear ___. Often times the people we encounter at career fairs are not much older than us. They introduce themselves by their first name. Older recruiters tend to introduce themselves by their full name. So when we get home and sit down to write follow-up emails, what do we do?

If this is the first time you after emailing someone, I feel the proper thing to do is use Mr. ___ or Ms. ____, no matter what age they are. After more contact with the person, it becomes more appropriate to use a first name. Every situation will be different, use your judgment. It is never a bad thing to be too formal, but it is a bad thing to be too informal.

Just another little decision to make on your way to becoming a CPA.

-M