Today I learned a valuable lesson about keeping appointments and how to write a proper apology. Earlier I had scheduled a Zoom meeting with a Praxis advisor but I forgot to show up. Big mistake.
So how did this even happen? I let things slip through the cracks and I put other priorities before this meeting. When I realized I had missed my meeting it was too late to do anything else other than write an apology email. My advisor sent an email 20 minutes after our scheduled meeting about me not showing up. He gave me a valuable tip and said if this was a future employer I would’ve lost an opportunity.
I promptly wrote back addressing what had happened and owned up to my mistake. Then I acknowledged how I prevented my advisor from being productive and offered a solution.
Here is the email I wrote:
Hi Austin,
I apologize for not showing up on time. I shouldn’t have scheduled this call if I couldn’t keep it and clearly I wasn’t able to. Please understand I don’t want to make any excuses for my actions. I shouldn’t have wasted 20 minutes of your time and I rudely interrupted your productivity. Your time is very valuable and I should’ve been more considerate and mindful. I completely own up to my carelessness and the inconveniences I’ve caused you. Next time I’ll set a reminder on both my phone and computer about an upcoming call.
I’ll let you know when I can reschedule the call.
Please accept my sincerest apologies,
Lena Wang
I learned how to write an apology and these are some important things to consider when writing one:
- Address what happened in an objective manner without emotional responses and without leaving any important details out. This will help you express your apology better because you recognize the inconveniences you’ve caused.
- Always take full responsibility for your actions. It will signal to the person you’re apologizing to that you set yourself to a higher standard out of your own initiative. It also says you don’t make excuses.
- Acknowledge their situation so they know you aren’t selfish but instead mindful and considerate.
- Offer a solution to the problem you caused. This is one of the more important points to include when you write your apology. Do not leave this out. If you can’t come up with a solution ask friends or family for suggestions.
- Write the apology ASAP. Timing is also important because the longer you wait it’ll seem as if you don’t care.
You now know what to do if you need to write an apology. It’s more impressive if you send a handwritten letter but that’s assuming you can mail it fast enough. But a well thought out email works fine. Just avoid sending it through text because it shows you’re too lazy to make a genuine effort.
Although I feel bad about wasting my advisor’s time, I feel confident to actively address my situation and take personal responsibility for my actions. I don’t plan on making similar mistakes in my professional life again.