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There comes a time in everyone’s Bentley career when you feel like the number of e-mails you are sending out, and your obvious importance, requires you to take a few shortcuts and permanently affix a signature to the bottom of each e-mail that comes from your “midas-esque” fingers.
The thing about signatures, though, is that they should be exactly that, a signature.
A brief scan through almost anyone’s inbox will prove that this is far from what is happening, with most signatures straying away from pithy sign off to boastful resume.
In some cases, an e-mail signature has morphed into more of a phallic size comparison for some than a time-saving sign off.
Here is a challenge for readers: Go through your inbox and find some of the longer e-mail signatures you can find. A brief scan of The Vanguard e-mail account rendered one gem of a signature, listing everything from former membership in organizations to former jobs held. In total, the signature was 11 lines long.
This has got to stop. We understand you are important, we understand we should be careful with what we send to such a well-connected leader and we understand that you used to work as a clerk at CVS, but really, do you need to send it to everyone?
Are you really providing vital information to those whom you e-mail, or is this just another way to send out your resume?
It has become an increasing trend for people to put former positions held as well, including everything from “Former President and Founding Member of Club X,” to “Former Intramural B-League Basketball Captain.”
We skimmed through our collective lives and thought of some of the former positions we have held. “Former Las Vegas Day School 5th Grade Class Secretary” or “Former Middle School Student of the Week (10 times).” How about former jobs we have had; “Former Subway Sandwich Artist,” or “Former Babysitter, Grades 6th – 8th, for Tommy and Johnny.”
And what if we got into future goals and aspirations? “Future Father to Michael, Juliette and Gwyneth,” one could read.
It is not farfetched to assume that some students have their future so planned out.
“Future Husband of the Year,” said one dreamer. “Future Inmate 23345691,” pondered another.
“Future CEO,” “Future CPA,” “Future POTUS,” these are all aspirations of some and if your former positions on campus are important, why aren’t your future aspirations?
Where does it stop? Where do we draw the line to ludicrous signatures?
E-mail is a revolutionary means of communication and something that has totally changed the way we do business.
What e-mail was not meant for was to let the world (or those who read your e-mails) know of how important you are or what positions you used to hold.
It is one thing to give people a sense of who you are and what you do, but it is another thing completely to dispense your resume with every click of send.
We all collectively have information that we would like everyone to know, but show a little discretion and remove the items of minor importance.
It is an ego-cutting measure, we understand, but it takes a big person to realize they aren’t as important as they think.
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