If you’ve ever written an official e-mail, you’ll know what I’m talking about when I say that signing off is a goddamn pain.
There’s just no winning. You’re either too casual or too formal. Too friendly or too distant. The sign off you decide to use can set the tone for your entire mail, according to Aliza Licht who wrote the career guide “Leave Your Mark“.
Personally, I prefer using the classic “See ya later, bitches” but I’ve been rejected from more than one job so don’t take my word for it.
Take the word of Barbara Pachter, a business etiquette expert, and Will Schwalbe, author of the article “SEND: Why People Email So Badly and How to Do It Better” who worked along with Licht to determine from a list of 28 sign offs which one was the best.
AND NOW ARE YOU READY FOR THE BIG REVEAL?
The best word to use while signing off is actually ‘Best’. That’s right. It’s not Yours Sincerely, Thank You or even Best Wishes. It’s just the word ‘Best’.
So the next time you don’t know how to sign off, just throw in a ‘best’ at the end and you’re sorted.
And on that note, I’m done here. See ya later, bitches.
Best.