Writing That Works, 3e_ How to Communicate Effectively in Business - Kenneth Roman [56]
At this stage you should volunteer to telephone. A phone call now makes things easy for the person at the other end. If you don’t call, then someone has to go to the trouble of calling or writing you.
Or you could end your letter like this:
If you’d like me to come in for an interview, you can reach me at (999) 438-6688, extension 276, from 10 A.M. to 1 P.M, and from 2 P.M. to 6:30 P.M. on working days. I can arrange to get away for a couple of hours any day but Monday; best for me would be Thursday morning.
The idea is to make it as simple as you possibly can for your prospective employer to set up a mutually convenient appointment.
8. Send different letters to different readers
With the exception of the cases noted in our earlier discussion of the resume, you will probably want to send the same resume to all potential employers. But you may not want to approach all of them exactly the same way in your covering letter.
Certain of your qualifications may be more important to one employer than to another. Take the trouble to tailor your letter for each of them.
Send lots of letters. Finding the right job in the shortest time is in part a numbers game. Send your letter and resume to as many different people in an organization as you can; it is impossible to predict where the opportunities lie. And mail to lots of companies. The more people who see your resume, the greater the odds that one of them will have an open job and invite you to come in for an interview.
Send a second letter if you haven’t had a response after a few weeks. It’s possible that the addressee was traveling, that your application was mistakenly screened out and never seen, that it was forgotten, or that a job has opened up that wasn’t there when you first wrote.
9. Follow up an interview in writing
You will stand out from most other candidates by the simple act of sending a follow-up note confirming your interest and expressing appreciation for the interview. So few people do it that it will put you high on the interviewer’s list, at least in terms of interest and courtesy.
Try to find something specific to comment on, something beyond a perfunctory “thank you.”
Dear Ms. Oldham:
After I left your office, I realized that we’d talked for more than an hour. It was stimulating — and made the job seem most attractive.
You mentioned your need for someone who truly understands the consumer. I hope you’ll keep in mind that I spent three years selling stoves door-to-door plus five years in a research firm. I figure that I’ve spent five thousand hours talking person-to-person with some three thousand consumers in twenty states.
Whatever you say, don’t gush or grovel. Don’t exaggerate your appreciation for the interview or your interest in the job. Here, as in everything you write, candor and sincerity will serve you best.
If you don’t get the job, don’t give up — especially when you feel you’ve made a favorable impression. Find ways to stay in touch with anybody who already thinks well of you. A letter from time to time can make sure you come to mind in case a suitable job opens up, or in case your interviewer hears of one in another company. You might fire off an occasional clipping on some subject of mutual interest, accompanied by a brief note. You could report on some activity that’s new since the interview and bears on the line of work you’re looking for. Or you can simply reaffirm your interest.
If nothing works, maybe what you need is more relevant training or other experience. A sign in a college placement office said:
YOUR RESUME IS FINE
(Change Your Life!)
When Michael Capellas was elected CEO of Compaq, he noted that he had never written a resume in his career. The best way to get a better job is to do a great job where you are.
THE E-RESUME
“Digital resumes, digital employment advertising, digital resume searches — it’s a rebuilding of the