Sending a job application via email

est. 60 - 90 mins

💡 After this training:

The learner knows how to use email and its basic functions

👀 How to coordinate this training:

Things to note before this training	If people don't have an account, reserve time to create an account beforehand or reserve time to do this together during the training.
1. Exercise	Let's watch together or independently the video Alternatively, you can show how email looks like on your computer and phone by explaining main features: Login Inbox Different folders How to send an email
2. Discussion	Let's discuss together how to use email: What service do you use for your email account? What different purposes do you use email for? What is easy about using email? What is difficult about using email?
3. Exercise	Write an email to an employer to apply for a job Write the topic of your email in the subject line (e.g.: application for ___) Start the actual message with a greeting. In the message, tell us what position you are applying for and whether there is an attachment. At the end of the message, add your contact information. Add the email address of the trainer as a recipient of the email. Add your own email address as a Bcc recipient. Send the email.
4. Additional Exercise	Add a CC or Bcc recipient to the message. Find out what these terms mean. https://youtu.be/ZnSfEklfo34?feature=shared Add an attachment to the message, such as a document or screenshot, or a CV if the learner has one. Ensure it doesn't include sensitive information such as a personal identity code. Create a signature for your email and add it to the message.

Materials needed:

Computer 💻

Email account 📩

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✨ Digital skills training about sending emails

Gmail

Video language 🇬🇧 It's a long video, so you can check for relevant sections or get inspiration on how to demonstrate in the course.

Video list 🇬🇧 Playlist on Gmail by LearnFree

Video🇫🇮 Kuinka käytetään sähköpostia - esimerkkinä Gmail (Smart Seniors)

Outlook

Video language 🇬🇧

Materials in English 🇬🇧

Tutorial with videos and texts 🇬🇧 and available in more languages Outlook tutorial by Microsoft
Presentation Slides and Notes for Presentation 🇬🇧 Learn to use email (Digidel)
Email is one of the most important functions in today's society. Without e-mail, there are few places on the internet where you can register as a user or order goods. Here, there are two different courses - one for Gmail and one for Outlook. Please note that some contents are based in Norway, but you can use slides and notes to get some tips on demonstrating and explaining this topic

Materials in Finnish 🇫🇮

Video🇫🇮 Sähköpostin peruskäyttö (Osuvat Taidot)
Plain Language Material 🇫🇮 Tervetuloa digitaloon! (KVS Foundation) Click "Siiryy taloon" -> Choose item 2
Plain Language Presentation Slides 🇫🇮 Sähköpostin perusteet, SelkoDigi-hanke (⁠SelkoDigi - opiskelumateriaalit)
Plain Language Material 🇫🇮 Google-tilin luominen (⁠SelkoDigi - opiskelumateriaalit)

Demonstration and exercise tips 💡

1. Creating an email address

Go to Gmail or Outlook

Trainer: Open a browser.
Learners: Everyone goes to the browser and open the site.

Start the sign-up form

Trainer: Click Create account → For myself.
Learners: Fill in:
- First name
- Last name
- Username (close to real name, no spaces, avoid special letters; add numbers/dots if name taken).

Create a password

Trainer: “Password = at least 8 characters, with a mix of letters, numbers, or symbols.”
Learners: Type password → Confirm password → Next.
Tip: If “passwords don’t match,” retype slowly.

Add details

Learners:
- Enter birthday (month, day, year).
- Select gender.
- Add phone number (for account recovery).
- Optional: add another email for recovery.

Agree to terms & finish

Learners: Scroll down → click I agree.
Trainer explains about email, it looks like username@XXX.com

2. Logging in & out

Trainers:
- show In Inbox, click your profile (top right) → Sign out.
- Share about security concern: “Always sign out on shared computers.”
Learners: Practice signing out and back in twice (enter email + password, then Sign in).
Check also the mobile version: Make sure learners can access email from their mobile device as well.

3. Sending an email

Start a new message

Trainers: Click Compose and explain the components of writing an email.
Learners:
1. In To: type trainer’s address (written on board).
2. In Subject: type “Test”.
3. In message box: write short greeting (start with “Hi”, end with “Regards”).
4. Click Send.
Trainer action: Reply to each participant

4. Opening emails

Trainer: Explain inbox list (bold = unread, numbers show new messages).
Learners: Click trainer’s reply to open it.

5. Replying to emails

Trainer: Explain how to reply to an email
Learners: Open trainer's reply and type a short reply → Send.

6. Wrap-up

Trainer: Go through steps you did in this lesson to recap what we learned such as we created an email address, logged in/out, sent, opened, and replied.
Remind: Always sign out on shared devices.
Encourage learners to use email regularly.
You can share the training materials with leaners via emails.

Quick Troubleshooting

Username taken → add dot, number, or initial.
Password not working → must be 8+ characters with mix; retype slowly.
Can’t find Compose → look top-left.
Email won’t send → check address spelling.
Screen too small → zoom in (Ctrl/Cmd + +).

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