Make sure that the date is correct on all correspondence.

Try to find out who will be receiving your correspondence and personally. If you do not know the recipient’s name, address the letter to title of the recipient’s position, e.g., “Dear Customer Service Representative” or Dear Human Resources Manager.

Use “Ms. [Last name]” when addressing correspondence to a lady.

The recipient of your correspondence does not want to read an “I” heavy document. Make sure that your correspondence is about the reader. Your reader wants to know how he or she is going to be affected.

Never send correspondence written in all caps. It is hard to read and it is interpreted as screaming.

Make sure you use appropriate closing to your letters. Closings such as “Very Truly Yours” and “Love” are not appropriate.

Don’t forget to sign your letters. A script font is not an acceptable alternative. If you are e-mailing the document, a scanned signature is acceptable.

The proper way to fold a letter to be mailed in a business-size envelope: Fold the bottom third of the letter up and the top third down. If you need help judging the size of the first fold, place the envelope on the desk next to the letter and make sure the end result will be a little smaller than the envelope’s height.

Never try to send too many pages in a business-size envelope. If you have to struggle to stuff or close the envelope, you should use a larger envelope.