I read your article on signs you are going to get fired. I had a very very bad experience last year. I was a senior executive for a company and some of the signs that I saw were:

- The company was sold and as soon as it was they brought in a consultant to “help”

- I went from being the company hero to being the goat when business got tight and all of sudden everything that was wrong with the company was may fault.

This was completely in line with people who had held my job before. When things got tough my boss needed some one to blame to save their position and as history proved, it was the person in my position

- Finally when a a staff member of mine quit over me not promoting them, I was bad mouthed at the exit meeting. They then built case against me by twisting things that I said to make it easy to fire me.

A month later my boss was fired, but I still had to get a lawyer to get them to pay me my back compensation.

On top of all this when they were recruting me 2 years previous they never told me the company was up for sale!

I am back on my feet now, but it certainly was a learning experience.

To his point, though, thank you messages can be important and valuable, but not via e-mail. If a person’s thoughts truly have value, typing out eight letters and hitting “send” doesn’t convey it. All a reply “thank you” does is clog up someone’s inbox. If you really want to convey appreciation, either hand write them a note or get out of your chair and thank them in person.

- use “Organize…” to color code your incoming emails (you can then ignore emails where you’re not on the “To” line and quickly review to those where you are the ONLY one on the “To” line)

- there is actually a way to organize your email by thread, which will sort the threads in reverse chrono order based on the latest email in the thread. It takes a bit of digging, but check under “views” and “arrange by conversation”… Unfortunately, I now find it impossible to go back to reading, old school, reverse chrono-only order such as on my BlackBerry

- don’t organize into folders – keep it all in your Inbox (I’ve literally got 9000+ emails from the past 3 months in my Inbox)

- use Google Search Outlook plug-in

- use auto-archive feature to automatically trim your now monster-sized Inbox every 2-3 months

- use “Search” folders to provide you with a sub-view of your email that you need to see often – e.g., from a specific person, within a date range, etc. Saves you from having to always use the ‘Advanced Find’ feature to look for emails from your boss that you haven’t read…

- enjoy junk mail – it’s the easiest email you’ll have to deal with all day

Avoid signing up for newsletters and don’t visit sites that will begin sending advertisements. Look for the check box that asks for permission to send advertisements or other mail from that site and uncheck it. This could save you hundreds of e-mails a week.

1. Delete corporate spam (mass project email distributions for projects in which I am not actively involved).

2. Go to the bottom of a Notes Chain first. Scan the other notes just to ensure that the chain didn’t splinter along the way.

3. For subject line emails, use (EOM) (“end of message”)

4. Re-highlight important emails by hitting “insert.” Place open note on background desktop so the tab is showing.

5. Do not use the email alert.

6. Follow the three note rule- after three notes, make the phone call, if not sooner.

7. Never, never write something that you would not want your boss or their boss to see. If you do, delete it before you hit “send.”

8. If you are confused about an issue from an email, pick up the phone.

9. Golden rule. Follow it.

1. i use “optional” or “mandatory” in the beginning of my subject line
2. i file anything away that’s done.. the inbox is just for “live” emails

Guidelines for professional correspondence by e-mail:

Use a specific subject in the subject line (e.g., “EDUC 205”), neither vague ones (e.g., “quick question” or “hello”), nor a blank line. This helps recipients decide whether or when to read your message.

Always use a salutation in a first message to someone. Use a recipient’s first name only when you are already well acquainted. For frequent messages, a salutation can be eliminated.

Keep the message short, and sweet (i.e., avoid negativity, a.k.a. “flaming’). Don’t complain. Don’t explain. Write whatever you want to vent, but send only what needs to be sent. If your message is important, and especially if the hour is late, get some sleep, then review and revise it before you send it.

· In sending or forwarding any message use the famous Four-Way Test:

o Is it the TRUTH?

o Is it FAIR to all concerned?

o Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS?

o Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?

Check spelling twice. Check the subject line, too. Minor errors make major problems in professional correspondence.

Use complimentary closing only for first-time messages. A simple “Thanks” will always suffice.

When sending to infrequent recipients, sign your full name. If you include your address information, make sure it’s single-spaced in the default font and color, so that it’s easy to read and copy. Do the same for epigrams.