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Looking At Various Types of Job Search Letters and Their Uses

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Summary: One of the most common often used types of letter is your cover letter. Here you are trying to sell yourself and asking for an interview. Other uses of letters are letters of transmittal which are used by potential employers to gather more information about you. A thank-you letters are those where you thank your prospective employer for devotion some time to read your letter and having an interview.

Looking At Various Types of Job Search Letters and Their Uses

Selling letter: Many ads don't give much information about the job in the advertisement. They may list only the job title and a little bit about the company. (This might be a High D ad.) They may spend the entire ad selling you on the company. (These are High I ads.) Or, all you get in the ad is the job title. (Ads placed by executive recruiters are often like this.) Write a letter which presents yourself in the best light, giving a few of your major accomplishments, a brief description of your strengths, along with a couple of reasons why the company should consider you. You can include an accomplishment resume with your letter or you can omit it. In either event, mention that you'll bring a detailed resume with you when you have your interview (which you request strongly).



Sometimes, the ads are vague and include only some "insinuations," or include phrases or suggested requirements that are ridiculous. One ad for an accountant, for instance, asked that the applicant be a CPA and have a sense of humor!

If you're interested and many of these ads are titillating-go ahead.

Cover Letter for a resume: Many ads ask that you send a detailed resume. When the ad asks for a resume, send your Chronological Resume or a combination Chronological/Achievement Resume, if the ad seemed to be a High S or High C communication. If the ad was terse and to the point (High D), or a "selling" ad (High I), send an Achievement resume and write a cover letter addressing any points mentioned in the ad that aren't in the resume. And, of course, ask for an interview, Ads now frequently ask for a salary history. Some ads even say that no one will be considered for an interview if that information isn't included. Most employment experts say that you can omit this information; but cover yourself by saying that you'll bring your salary history to an interview, or that your past salaries were competitive with those generally paid in the industry. You may even combine the two by saying: "My past salaries were competitive with those generally paid in the industry. Till bring a complete salary history to an interview." Put together as good a cover letter as you can, as fast as you can. Be very direct and straightforward-and watch the "weasel" words-the words you might use to denigrate yourself. Do not be self-effacing, and include no negatives. The cover letter has to be positive and upbeat. Letters of Application, The Letter of Application and the Cover Letter or the Letter Resume in response to an ad are very similar in appearance. If you are writing a letter to cover your resume as your first correspondence with a potential employer, use a letter of application instead of a letter of transmittal because of its sales possibilities. In a letter of application, you write a detailed letter which signals that you are genuinely interested in working for the company. You explain how your qualifications meet their company's employment needs. This shows them that their company is not just one of many organizations on your potential employment scorecard. Finally, a well-written application letter enables a prospective employer to begin judging how well you might mesh with the company's work force. The letter gives you an opportunity to allow your personality to come through, which the resume, in its third-person style, does not.

Ronald E. Dulek and James A. Suchan, writing in the November-December 1988 Business Horizons suggest four credos to follow in writing application letters:
  1. I will always keep in mind that employers want to examine my credentials and get a sense of the kind of business person I am. I will therefore avoid manipulative organizational strategies such as gimmicky opening paragraphs and the transparent hype that characterizes many application letters. Instead, I will stick to clearly and precisely presenting my qualifications.
     
  2. I will remember that employers are busy readers who don't have time to leisurely peruse my letter. I will therefore state in the first paragraph why I am writing and what my major qualifications are. Also, I will do everything I can to make the letter as easy to read as possible.
     
  3. I will remember that employers are intelligent, shrewd readers of application letters and not easily susceptible to insincere flattery. I will therefore not patronize them or massage their egos.
     
  4. I will have confidence in my own qualifications; consequently, I will not feel compelled to rely on exaggerated language and complex sentences to showcase my talents.
Advertisements list only the job title or give little information about a position. Read the ad for whatever information you can get, then write the agency exactly as you would a potential employer. However, always include your Chronological or combination Chronological/Achievement Resume. Don't send an Achievement Resume. Your response is guaranteed to hit the wastebasket or be ignored. It doesn't have the detail these people want and need to even consider you. Employment agencies and headhunters, because they are providing a service, are almost by definition High S.

Other Uses of Letters in Your Job Search

Letter of transmittal

Sometimes after your initial contact, potential employers contact you asking for more information or for a more detailed resume. They may send a company application, a survey or a test of some kind for you to complete and return. Write a letter stating simply what you are sending. Include other information in the letter only if it's germane to what you're sending. Restrain your fingers. The letter of transmittal could be as simple as: "Enclosed is the application for employment you asked me to complete. I have listed all my past employers and included the references you asked me to supply. If you need any further information. I'll be happy to send it."

Thank-you letters: Job-hunters all too often fail to thank those who have helped them. Resolve not to fall into this category. Write thank-you letters in the following instances:
  1. To people who have helped you. Send them to friends who have given you leads; to executives who have been willing to give you suggestions for your job campaign; and to receptionists, secretaries and/or assistants who were especially nice or helpful to you when you went on an interview. These letters should be short, should mention what they did that you appreciated, and should be sincere.
     
  2. To interviewers after an interview (especially if you had a good interview and you really want the job). Thank them for their consideration, summarize the main points you made during the interview. If you thought of something that you should have covered during the interview, but didn't, include that. Close the letter with a positive statement that you would really enjoy doing the particular job for them, and look forward to hearing from them soon.
If you don't want to be considered further, write the interviewer and thank him or her for interviewing you, and graciously remove yourself from contention for the position.
  1. 3. If you felt your interviewer didn't think you were qualified for the job, or the interview was generally unfavorable, you may not want to spend the time to write the interviewer. However, if you are still interested in the position, take advantage of a thank-you note to say you're still interested in the job and bring out additional reasons why you could provide the kind of services the company wants and should be considered. In the following letter, a human resources manager made several points which she felt might gain her further consideration, even though the interviewer had obviously been looking for someone with a very Letters of acceptance. You've received a job offer. A formal notice of acceptance simply states your willingness to accept the position at the salary offered, and lists what that amount is as well as what other perquisites were offered. It should also state when you can begin work. If you have negotiated the job contractually, the letter of acceptance should include the signed contract.
Letters of rejection: Write these when you can't or don't want to accept a job offer. The key is to refuse the position graciously so that you don't antagonize the person who made the job offer. Things might change in the future, and you might want them to consider you again at a later date.

Informational letters: These run the gamut from letters giving names and addresses of references to information on your plane schedule when you're flying in for an interview. Keep the letters short and courteous; include only necessary information; and don't try to write an omnibus letter.
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