Letter Campaigns
A few years ago, letter campaigns-contacting a number of firms which might have openings for someone of your caliber and qualifications-were very popular and productive. But times are different now. It's still an employer's market, and many of the managerial and professional categories may be in oversupply. For example: in the early 2000s, oil, real estate and financial people are in oversupply. Technical, research and development, and accounting executives are in short supply. But if you've been looking quite a while, a letter campaign might prove productive with potential employers in small- and medium- size companies, and in the non-public sector. Below are the two major types of campaigns and a variation.
1. Broadcast or "shotgun" campaigns. In this campaign, you send out a minimum of 100 letters (500 to 600 is a better number) to a variety of companies in the geographical area or industry where you'd like to work. Address the letter to the president or C.E.O. of the company in entrepreneurial or privately held firms, a vice president or a division manager in mid-size to larger companies. In a major corporation, a letter to the chairman of the board or the president will probably not be read, except by a secretary-or at least, will not be answered. Write instead to a vice president (by name) in your area of specialization, a division or department manager or an officer one or two ranks above the position to which you might aspire.
Write a fairly general letter listing several of your accomplishments and give a brief overview of your background. This letter is a sales letter (selling you) and should have some kind of "grabber" that makes you stand out from the crowd as someone to consider further. Since you'll be sending out so many of them, you might consider putting together a mailing list, then using the merge feature of your word processor to "personalize" the letters. If you don't have this feature on your computer, then use a generic salutation, ignore the inside address, and have the letter printed. Then, precisely address the envelope individually.
Don't use the labels feature of your word processor or purchase labels from a mailing company. If you do this, your letter goes into the "junk mail" category, and is guaranteed to land in the file on the floor.
Disadvantages: A broadcast campaign is expensive, both in time and in postage, duplication and stationery costs. It's seldom very effective. You'd need a really dynamite letter to draw more than a one or two percent response (a six percent response would be almost unbelievable).
The lack of feedback relative to the amount of effort expended can also be depressing.
2. Targeted or "rifle" campaign. This letter campaign is similar to the broadcast campaign except that you send your letter to specific people in specific industries. Your letter is much less general and is not "canned." You research the companies to whom you will address the letters so that you can mention something about the company and its products or services and tie that directly to your abilities, back ground and accomplishments. The letters are selling letters, much as they are in a broadcast campaign.
Disadvantage: These campaigns are time-consuming and require a great deal of effort. Each letter is tailored to fit the situation, although a substantial portion of each can be "boiler plate" (canned information). The response rate is better than that of a broadcast campaign, but is still low. A ten percent response would be exceptional.
3. Letters used as part of a combination campaign. The response rate on a combination campaign is better than for either a broadcast or targeted campaign. You send a letter much like what you'd send in a broadcast campaign, but you end the letter with a paragraph saying something like: "I'll call you next week to discuss this further with you."
Then, next week, you telephone and ask to talk with that person. Your chances of at least getting to talk are substantially better than if you try to call the person cold. Should a receptionist or secretary answer when you call, you might say, "This is in reference to the letter I sent Mr. or Ms. last week." You will almost always be put through.
Responding to Advertisements
In the employer's market of the past few years, advertisements in a major newspaper like the Wall Street Journal draw as many as 500 to 1,000 responses. Depending upon the general state of the economy, ads will continue to draw sizable responses. Should you ignore the ads and not respond? No. Most of the job offers are legitimate. But this depth of response does mean that your letters and resumes must be outstanding just to survive the selection process and be read by the people who will be doing the hiring. Begin by analyzing the advertisement for communication style, and then write the kind of letter that matches the style exhibited by the ad.
Letter resume: When the advertisement is very specific and gives exact job requirements, you are looking at a High S or High C ad. A letter resume is generally the best response. Analyze the ad, underlining each requirement. For each requirement, write a statement detailing how your background meets that requirement. If you don't match on a requirement, show how your abilities and experience would equal or exceed that stated need. Follow the requirements/background experience section with a paragraph of additional information, which gives a larger picture of your strength. End by asking for an interview. Tell them that you'll bring a complete resume of your background and experience to the interview. You can write the resume in standard paragraph form. Or you can make a chart, listing the requirements in the left-hand column and matching them to your background and experience, shown in the right-hand column.
