The Secretary Just Sign Letters

The Secretary Just Sign Letters

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Be respectful. “Best regards” or “Sincerely” are generally safe choices. Keep your tone consistent. Don’t be overly familiar or casual in formal business correspondence. Follow up the close with a comma. Then, follow the comma with your typed or signed name. Carefully proofread before sending your letter or email. It’s important to make sure your communication is polished before you send it.

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Once you write the final paragraph of a formal letter, you may feel like you're finished and can move on to proofreading. But just as there are rules about how to address someone in a formal letter , there are also guidelines in place for how to sign off.

When ending a formal letter, it's important to convey the appropriate amount of respect to the person receiving the letter. For example, you would use a different, more conservative complimentary close for an unknown recipient than you would for a business associate you know quite well. Your closing and signature should be as professional as the rest of your letter or email message .

A complimentary close, also known as a complimentary closing, is the term inserted prior to your signature in an email message or a formal letter.

This signoff phrase shows your respect and appreciation for the person who is considering the request in your letter or email.

Although it may seem somewhat old-fashioned, using a complimentary close is still considered important when writing formal business correspondence. When writing or emailing a cover letter for a job or any type of business letter, it's appropriate to use a complimentary close. Make sure to choose one, though, that is professional rather than casual.

The following options are all good ways to close a formal letter:

Here are more examples of letter and email closings and signatures:

All of the options listed above are appropriate for use in business correspondence.

Choose which one to use based on how well you know the recipient and the circumstances behind your letter writing.

For instance, limit options that are some form of a thank you (such as "With appreciation" and "With gratitude") to instances where you are requesting a favor or expressing appreciation.

You can think of "Best regards," "Sincerely," “Cordially,” and the variations on these closers as the little black dress of complimentary closes. You can't go wrong choosing one of these options—they're always appropriate.

Keep in mind that if you are writing someone in the armed forces, it is customary in the military to use the complimentary close, “Very Respectfully” or its abbreviation, “V/R.”

You are not emailing with a friend or sending a thank you note to a relative. Do not use casual signoffs like “Love,” “Cheers,” “Later,” “Ciao,” or “Always.” These options do not match the formality of your letter. Keep the professional tone of your correspondence consistent, from the salutation through the content to the signoff.

Always remember to follow up the close with a comma, as in the examples below. Your typed name will go after the complimentary close.

If you are sending a hard copy letter, leave four lines of space between the closing and your typed name. When you print out the letter, this will give you plenty of space in which to sign your name in blue or black ink between your complimentary close and your typed name.

You can write your title below your name, as well as your phone and email address. In emails, you can include an email signature section with contact information.

Tanisha Johnson Sales Manager, ABC Industries tjohnson@abcindustries.com 555-123-1234

If you're still unsure about what should be included (or not) in a formal business letter , keep these key tips in mind:

Merriam-Webster. " Complimentary Close ."

By Regina P

•

Last updated at May 30, 2022

28 Comments

Ever sit there, just staring at your beautifully worded message, wondering how on Earth you should sign a letter? Maybe you’re writing a delightful thank you card and are drawing a blank on how to sign off? Is option A too personal or too stuffy? Is option B too loosy-goosy?! Not sure if you should say thank you — yet again?! Don’t fret, this ridiculously comprehensive list of sign off options will have what you need.
If your handwriting isn’t quite as lovely as it could be or you just don’t have the time to write 300 thank you notes, easily create and write your cards on Postable . We’ll even mail them for you.
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Much of our communication has been drastically changed over the course of 2020. We’ve gone from seeing our friends and family weekly, if not daily, to coping through months apart. Thankfully we’re in a technologically advanced age and Zoom happy hours will forever be a favorite pastime that we all can look back on. We’ve also been using written communication far more often than before — who knew receiving a friendly greeting card out of nowhere can be such a source of joy (we did)?! And so after you’ve finished composing the perfect friendly letter or delightfully friendly greeting card message, you’ve got to end your letter with a friendly BANG!
Pro tip : You may want to avoid using most (if not all) of the sign off in this section in a professional letter. These sign offs are for friends and family.
Here are some options to help you do just that.
You’ve composed the greatest thank you card that has ever been written… Congratulations, that’s quite the feat! But now you’ve got to seal it off with the perfect gracious gratitude sign off. Here are some options to get your thinking wheel turning.
Use code SIGNOFF and get 20% off personal thank you cards printed, addressed, and mailed for you.
Your existence is greatly appreciated. I want you to know all those cocktails you got me last night were not for naught. I woke up with a mind-blowing migraine and now have a legitimate reason for avoiding that lunch meeting I told you about. By the time I see you I’ll have recovered and can return the favor.
Writing a sympathy card is no easy task. And while we don’t always know what we can do to help, writing a kind sympathy card will help to aid a grieving heart. Use one of these sign offs to let them know you’re thinking of them and are there for them.
If you’re unfamiliar with the recipient and the letter or card is being sent for professional matters — it’s a safe bet that you should keep the ending on the formal side. If you’ve already established a connection with the recipient, you have a little wiggle room depending on the nature of your relationship.
Save your business time & money with real business birthday cards, addressed and mailed for you.
What if you’re writing a letter to someone that’s sort of professional, but also sort of friendly and also something totally nondescript? Well, here you have it… A list of some sign off options that don’t neatly fit into any other category. If you’re not seeing the way you’d like to end your card or letter — have a looksie at the rest of our list and see if the shoe fits!
Here’s a sample of how to end to a letter or card:
Happiest of days to you my lady! How wonderful it must feel to celebrate your special day in the greatest city of all. I expect NYC is treating you kindly (I never for a second believed in all that rude rubbish). Happy Birthday!
A few common answers to a few common questions before you go off sending your letter!
Give your sign off a wee bit of space before plopping it on your card. You want the sign off in it’s own little mini universe. If you’re using Postable to write your greeting card (want to play around with some handwritten fonts?!) the sign off has its own little text box at the bottom right corner. If you’re writing your card by hand, simply give a line break or two between your message and your sign off.
Write your chosen sign off followed by a coma and another line break. Don’t forget to indent it to the far right.
You’ll want to capitalize the first letter of your sign off. If there is more than one word within the sign off (‘Thank you’) — you’ll only want to capitalize the first word. And of course don’t forget to capitalize your name!
If your handwriting isn’t quite as lovely as it could be or you just don’t have the time to write 300 thank you notes, easily create and write your cards on Postable. We’ll even mail them for you.
Use code SIGNOFF and get 20% off personal thank you cards printed, addressed, and mailed for you.
We are sending a card and flowers as a group. Is it.. With Deapest Sympathy. The Smith, Jones, Black and white families. Or with Deapest symothy from the Smith’s, Black’s and White’s
Depending on the context, you could use many of these sign offs listed (Best, Cheers, Sincerely etc.).
How do you sign off a card to a biological family member you’ve never met?
If ‘Genuinely’ feels authentic to you and the relationship than that works! You could also go with something holiday related like ‘Happy holidays!’ or ‘All the warmest wishes’ or simply ‘Seasons Greetings’.
Within a Christmas card on dirty santa gift a coworker will receive, I wrote, ” This gift was thoughtfully chosen with care. May it bring years of joy in your life.”
Would it be good to sign off with, “Genuinely, ______” or should I go with something else, like “……” ??
Signing off with ‘Warm wishes’ is a nice and simple way to sign off a card to your employees. If the environment is more formal you could always stick with ‘Sincerely’ but that loses out on the holiday feel.
Which one is more appropriate for x’mas greetings that is sending from boss to employees? Thanks!
When we end a diary writing to your diary how would it be?
‘Gratefully Yours, Michelle & family’
‘Sincerely, ’
‘With gratitude, ’
‘With thanks and appreciation,’
My coworkers all chipped in to purchase and plant a tree in my yard in memory of my father who just passed away. I planned to sign the card as
“________,
Michelle & family”
But I am struggling with the sign off. Any advice is greatly appreciated!
How do we write
Sincerely his daughters
We’d go with — from your friends at Postable
when signing a card,should you say “from your friends at…” or “from your friends from…”/
How do I sign a card to my son and his girlfriend? She calls me Mrs. ——-.
which is more formal : sincerely or yours truly?
Thank you for providing the perfect salutation for a birthday card. Certainly didn’t want love.
I am giving a birthday card to someone special. Is a proper way to say. With love always name sign underneath
Wow this really helped me write the perfect thank you card for my grandson Jameis. He appreciated it so much, he sent a text message in return! (Darn kids and their technology LAUGHING OUT LOUD)
awesome, this was the best ending for my teacher card

In the normal course of business, a company or a law firm may send out hundreds of letters to clients, prospective clients, vendors or various government agencies. With time running short for managers and professionals, it's not always feasible for the sender to personally sign the document after a staffer or secretary prepares it. For that reason, there's a generally accepted, legal convention for having a third party execute the signature.
It's quite common for someone to prepare a business letter on short instruction from the sender. A law office, for example, may send out multiple copies of a simple letter, such as a request for a call in, to many different clients. If the sender is not available to personally sign it and getting the letter in the mail is imperative, an authorized employee or assistant may sign on behalf of the sender. The legal convention is to include the initials, "p.p.," which stand for the Latin phrase, "per procurationem," meaning "to take care of something," before the employee's signature. Procuration of correspondence means to sign it on someone else's behalf; a common alternative used for form letters is to use a signature stamp.
It's acceptable to either type or write, "p.p." in front of your own signature, above the printed name of the sender. Or, you can place the sender's name above your own signature, which you must precede with "p.p." In the interest of consistency, and to prevent any misunderstandings, a professional or business office will set a standard procedure for signing letters on behalf of another.
The law also provides for an individual with a power of attorney to sign on someone else's behalf. A power of attorney allows an absent or incapacitated individual to carry on legal or financial activities with the assistance of a trusted relative or legal representative. The proper method, if you are authorized to sign by a power of attorney, is to first sign the principal's name and then your own, preceded by the word "by," to the side or underneath the principal's signature, with the phrase "power of attorney" or the initials, POA after your signature, for example, Joe Smith by Mary Jones, power of attorney. In some situations, the notarized and signed power of attorney form needs to accompany the contract, form or letter being signed.
State laws generally provide that minors may not be held to legally binding contracts, with some exceptions. In a situation where a contract involves a minor, such as opening a bank account or drawing up a photographer's model release, the parent or legal guardian may be required to sign on behalf of the minor. In these cases, the parent or guardian follows his signature with the phrase "for and on behalf of," followed by the minor's name. The document may also require either the minor's printed or signed name on a separate signature line.
Founder/president of the innovative reference publisher The Archive LLC, Tom Streissguth has been a self-employed business owner, independent bookseller and freelance author in the school/library market. Holding a bachelor's degree from Yale, Streissguth has published more than 100 works of history, biography, current affairs and geography for young readers.
Whether you are starting your first company or you are a dedicated entrepreneur diving into a new venture, Bizfluent is here to equip you with the tactics, tools and information to establish and run your ventures.
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