If you can't get a job, get a lead. It's a good rule to keep in mind, and it's not as difficult as it sounds. Good people, believe it or not, are still hard to find. Even if there is no opening at the firm you contact, you can begin a very positive relationship and generate new openings - or perhaps even create a position for yourself? (It happens more often than you might imagine.)
The Exploratory Letter focused on generating leads now that you've moved on to the Challenge Letter, there's no reason on earth to ignore potential leads, even though our objective has changed somewhat.
The Challenge Letter is usually longer than the Exploratory Letter, simply because there's more to say. However, you should try to keep your paragraphs short, each one a single idea or statement.
In the first part of the Challenge Letter, concentrate on the reader's business and your insights into it. Then focus on your qualifications in the second part. Finally, conclude by setting up the possibility of a mutually convenient meeting, and assure the reader that you will make the initial contact.
This letter may, in exceptional circumstances, extend beyond a page; but if it does, be warned: it must still read like a one pager. In other words, your reader must not even realize that you have written a two page letter. Your content should be simply too engaging for him or her to even realize ts length!
This paragraph is designed to make the reader ask, "Who on earth is writing this?"That's the question you want to plant, because in order to answer it, your potential employer is going to have to keep reading!
Your second paragraph is going to get the reader even more interested in what you have to say:
The Ace Shoelace Company has always been the favorite of shoe manufacturers nationwide. Your net profits last year exceeded industry averages by fifteen percent. However, as mentioned in your recent annual report, this was two percent below last year's performance.
Now you've got the reader a little bit on the defensive. That's okay in the next paragraph you're going to let him or her feel a whole lot better.
Net sales, however, are misleading. Reports indicate that your firm incurred major capital expenditures due to a new Velcro plant recently completed in Seoul, Korea. Once functional, the new plant will allow you to recapture virtually your entire previous market share for both styles of shoe fasteners.
Now the reader feels great, and is certain that whoever you are, you know your stuff.
Now, after reading that letter, wouldn't you want to meet you? There are four important "musts" to keep in mind about the Challenge Letter. You must be aggressive, but in a subtle way: remember how little most people like a "hard sell."(Use your knowledge as the tool, not bull headedness.) You must never exaggerate your qualifications: doing so will almost always remove you from serious consideration when your subterfuge is exposed. You must always state facts. And you must always give the reader what he or she is hoping to read: a letter from an intelligent, well spoken professional.
Just let your best qualities come through and you'll find some very receptive people at the other end when you make your follow up phone calls.
The Direct Response Letter
The key word to remember here is "direct."Get right to the point, no matter what else you do.
Once again, you should keep the employer's perspective in mind. Let's say someone has gone to the trouble of writing a lengthy job description, and states very clearly in it that a certain job requires typing skills of 45 words per minute. How will that person view a cover letter that goes on and on about how willing an applicant is to work to improve his or her current four words a minute pace? What would you think of such a letter?
Not much. Admit it. The reader will be looking for responses that come as close as possible to the requirements of the published job description. In both your cover letter and your resume, you must always remember this.(Yes, it is advisable to send are some with a Direct Response Letter we'll explore resume writing techniques as well.)
Of course, in most cases, the employer will not end up with someone who fits the description exactly. Furthermore, employers are frequently somewhat unsure about what is required for a position, due to the departure of an employee with unusual know how or extensive experience with the firm. In a strict sense, such a person is "irreplaceable;" the next person who holds the post will almost certainly fail to provide the exact set of skills and "gut feelings" for how to get things done in that particularorgani2ation.
Keep in mind, too, that you may be writing to a search committee rather than an individual. Search committees usually consist of a group of four or five executives who collectively make hiring recommendations the final decision, however, is almost always made by a senior member. Having your application reviewed by the search committee is to your advantage. Why? There is a greater chance that you will appeal to at least one of the people on the committee. And if there's a difference of opinion among committee members, there's an excellent chance it will be resolved by scheduling an interview with you. Getting an interview, of course, is the whole idea!
Let's take a look at how the Direct Response Letter works. You've just heard from your friend at the Ace Shoelace Company that there is an opening for a sales manager at Tie R Less Shoelace, Inc. You have the name of the contact person because of your top notch networking efforts. You also have a basic idea of the job description's requirements. The company is looking for someone with a strong sales background, at least five years of experience, three of which must be in the shoelace industry. Finally, you know that Tie R Less wants to hire someone within the next three weeks. How do you proceed?
You should begin your first paragraph by mentioning your contact and explaining why you're writing.
Your second paragraph should respond to the unspoken demand the reader will be formulating after that opening paragraph: "Oh, yeah? Prove it."So prove it
At this point the reader may well be ready to call you in for the interview, but just in case more information is needed, continue the third paragraph along these lines:
I received a BA in Economics with honors in 1984.While in college I spent all my summers in retail sales working in the family shoe business. Upon graduation soon became the leading sales rep for Sell right Shoes. The position you offer appeals to me because you produce two shoelace in the country. I feel there is no better place for me to realize my management potential.
Some of this writing is a bit vague. That's fine: you're writing a sales letter, one that will highlight the points where you meet the requirements of the job description (in this case, strong sales background and five years of experience, three in the shoelace industry) and get you an interview. You still need to have something to say at the interview!
Note that in this letter, the applicant may not technically "meet" the literal requirements for the job, but has done a good job of putting the best "spin" on the credentials he does possess with an eye to the job description that may be lying alongside his letter on the reader's desk. The point is to dazzle the reader with your overall suitability as an industry wise employee, then throw spotlights on the elements of your background that are in greatest agreement with the description.
The 'More Than A Thank You' Thank You Letter
It goes without saying that you should write a note to each contact you meet, thanking the person for the time spent a way from what is, undoubtedly, a busy schedule. You can, however, use that letter in a dynamic, positive way to sell your strengths as a potential candidate either at the contact's firm or elsewhere in the industry.
In most cases, the meetings you have will leave you with new questions, issues, and ideas that you'll want to follow up.
Assume, for instance, that you've had your interview with Tie R Less Shoelace, and the meeting ended with Mr. Doublek not saying, "Well, you're a very interesting candidate. Unfortunately, though, we're looking for someone with more shoelace experience."Now you mentioned quite clearly in an earlier letter that you grew up in the shoe business; apparently that didn't leave as strong an impression as you'd hoped. Many applicants would, after the interview, dash off three or four sentences thanking Mr. Doublek not for his time, then hope that the interview gods would somehow intervene and show the employer the error of his ways. You're writing a letter anyway why not give yourself another chance?
Take the time to compose an interesting letter. The one that follows can serve as a good model.
With any luck, you'll have the employer thinking, "Here's a person who really wants that job. Hunter seems competent, energetic, intelligent... maybe I should take another look at her."
Whether you consider that likely or not, remember: you have everything to gain and nothing to lose from writing such a letter. Even if the answer is still "no," Mr. Doubleknot maybe so impressed by your initiative that he'll recommend you to someone else in the industry!
