News
Labor/Employment
Mar. 1, 2002
Stay in the Running, Proofread Your Correspondence
Employment Column - By Craig A. Blumin - Cover letters and thank-you notes are a compulsory yet often confounding part of the job-search process. Many struggle to write just the right letter and still find themselves unsatisfied with the result.
Employment Column
By Craig A. Blumin
Cover letters and thank-you notes are a compulsory yet often confounding part of the job-search process. Many struggle to write just the right letter and still find themselves unsatisfied with the result.
This difficulty may arise from the nature of cover and thank-you letters. A poorly written letter can sink your chances of landing a job, yet there is no guarantee that even a well-written letter will have any impact at all.
Given this fact, you should spend enough time on your cover and thank-you letters to make sure they are good, but you should not worry too much about them. Reserve that energy for your résumé and interview. While your cover letter is important and you want to get it right, it is not as important as the résumé.
That being said, if you remember nothing else in this column, just remember to proofread carefully. That is the single most important rule when it comes to cover letters and thank-you notes. Make sure the letters you send to a prospective employer are free of typos, grammatical errors or style flaws.
• Cover Letters. Many recruiters will look at your résumé before your cover letter. If the résumé catches the recruiter's attention, he or she will then read the cover letter to see what you have to say and whether you address any questions that had arisen from your résumé.
Because your résumé is often read first, your cover letter should enhance, not rehash, your résumé. At minimum, the cover letter is your opportunity to show the recruiter that you are a competent and clear writer. Don't try to be brilliant, funny or witty. If the employer wants to really evaluate your writing, he or she will ask for a writing sample. So, just keep it straightforward and professional.
A simple formula for writing cover letters is to start with a paragraph stating the position for which you are applying and how you learned about it. The second paragraph should explain concisely how your skills will benefit the organization. Highlight your strengths; explain why you want the job and why you are the right person for it.
The third paragraph should help the recruiter fill in gaps and provide other relevant information. If you are not sure what questions your résumé might raise, ask a friend to read it and tell you. For example, if you are not from the area, explain your interest in the area and, if you plan to be in town, provide the dates you will be available. Briefly explain any significant time gaps in your résumé. Finally, close with a short paragraph making yourself available and saying what you will do to follow up.
Your cover letter must be absolutely perfect. It cannot have any errors. Proofread carefully and then ask a friend to proofread it again. Whether or not your cover letter actually helps you get the interview, make sure it does not take you out of the running.
• Thank-You Letters. If you have interest in a position after an interview, send brief thank-you letters to all those with whom you interviewed. In a close case, a well-written thank-you letter may make the difference. In addition to emphasizing your interest, thank-you letters allow you to clarify an interview response or to say something you forgot to say during the interview.
Some people favor hand-written thank-you notes while others favor typed letters. Either one will do.
Although you should use a thank-you letter to reinforce your strengths and your desire for the position, the act of sending a thank-you letter usually says as much as what you actually say in your letter. Simply taking the time to write and send letters says, in effect, "I want the job enough that I made the effort to send these thank-you letters." It also may help to keep you in the minds of the busy people making the hiring decision.
Even though sending a letter is as important as what you say in the letter, you still want your letter to be well-written. Don't send a form letter. You are better off sending no letters at all than sending the same letter to everyone at the same company. You must write an original letter to each person who interviewed you.
That may sound like a lot of work, but consider this process to make it easier. Immediately after your interviews, jot down one recollection from each interview that made that interview unique or memorable - the one part of the interview that helped convince you that you want to work for that firm or company. Keep the letters simple and brief. Three paragraphs will usually suffice. The first paragraph should simply thank the person for taking the time to interview you. The second paragraph contains the substance of the letter. Your final paragraph should simply reiterate your interest in the position and make yourself available to address further questions or concerns.
The second paragraph is where you use that unique part of each interview to personalize the letter for each interviewer. Use what each interviewer said to re-emphasize the value you will bring to the organization and why you will make a good fit. In this paragraph, you also can clarify a point that was discussed in the interview or add an important item you forgot to mention during the interview.
You should send thank-you letters within two or three days after your interviews, and sooner if you know the decision will be made quickly.
Thank-you letters generally should be sent by mail, although e-mail is becoming more and more acceptable, and in some cases even preferred. When deciding how to deliver your thank-you letters, base your decision on how you think the letters will best be received and not just on what is easiest for you. Of course, if you know a decision will be made very quickly, you should use e-mail to avoid delay.
Like cover letters, thank-you letters must be free of typographical and grammatical errors. Such mistakes can ruin your chances faster than a well-written letter can help them. Again, if you take only one message from this column, it should be this: Proofread everything carefully.
Craig A. Blumin is the recruitment manager for Heller Ehrman White & McAuliffe in San Francisco.
By Craig A. Blumin
Cover letters and thank-you notes are a compulsory yet often confounding part of the job-search process. Many struggle to write just the right letter and still find themselves unsatisfied with the result.
This difficulty may arise from the nature of cover and thank-you letters. A poorly written letter can sink your chances of landing a job, yet there is no guarantee that even a well-written letter will have any impact at all.
Given this fact, you should spend enough time on your cover and thank-you letters to make sure they are good, but you should not worry too much about them. Reserve that energy for your résumé and interview. While your cover letter is important and you want to get it right, it is not as important as the résumé.
That being said, if you remember nothing else in this column, just remember to proofread carefully. That is the single most important rule when it comes to cover letters and thank-you notes. Make sure the letters you send to a prospective employer are free of typos, grammatical errors or style flaws.
• Cover Letters. Many recruiters will look at your résumé before your cover letter. If the résumé catches the recruiter's attention, he or she will then read the cover letter to see what you have to say and whether you address any questions that had arisen from your résumé.
Because your résumé is often read first, your cover letter should enhance, not rehash, your résumé. At minimum, the cover letter is your opportunity to show the recruiter that you are a competent and clear writer. Don't try to be brilliant, funny or witty. If the employer wants to really evaluate your writing, he or she will ask for a writing sample. So, just keep it straightforward and professional.
A simple formula for writing cover letters is to start with a paragraph stating the position for which you are applying and how you learned about it. The second paragraph should explain concisely how your skills will benefit the organization. Highlight your strengths; explain why you want the job and why you are the right person for it.
The third paragraph should help the recruiter fill in gaps and provide other relevant information. If you are not sure what questions your résumé might raise, ask a friend to read it and tell you. For example, if you are not from the area, explain your interest in the area and, if you plan to be in town, provide the dates you will be available. Briefly explain any significant time gaps in your résumé. Finally, close with a short paragraph making yourself available and saying what you will do to follow up.
Your cover letter must be absolutely perfect. It cannot have any errors. Proofread carefully and then ask a friend to proofread it again. Whether or not your cover letter actually helps you get the interview, make sure it does not take you out of the running.
• Thank-You Letters. If you have interest in a position after an interview, send brief thank-you letters to all those with whom you interviewed. In a close case, a well-written thank-you letter may make the difference. In addition to emphasizing your interest, thank-you letters allow you to clarify an interview response or to say something you forgot to say during the interview.
Some people favor hand-written thank-you notes while others favor typed letters. Either one will do.
Although you should use a thank-you letter to reinforce your strengths and your desire for the position, the act of sending a thank-you letter usually says as much as what you actually say in your letter. Simply taking the time to write and send letters says, in effect, "I want the job enough that I made the effort to send these thank-you letters." It also may help to keep you in the minds of the busy people making the hiring decision.
Even though sending a letter is as important as what you say in the letter, you still want your letter to be well-written. Don't send a form letter. You are better off sending no letters at all than sending the same letter to everyone at the same company. You must write an original letter to each person who interviewed you.
That may sound like a lot of work, but consider this process to make it easier. Immediately after your interviews, jot down one recollection from each interview that made that interview unique or memorable - the one part of the interview that helped convince you that you want to work for that firm or company. Keep the letters simple and brief. Three paragraphs will usually suffice. The first paragraph should simply thank the person for taking the time to interview you. The second paragraph contains the substance of the letter. Your final paragraph should simply reiterate your interest in the position and make yourself available to address further questions or concerns.
The second paragraph is where you use that unique part of each interview to personalize the letter for each interviewer. Use what each interviewer said to re-emphasize the value you will bring to the organization and why you will make a good fit. In this paragraph, you also can clarify a point that was discussed in the interview or add an important item you forgot to mention during the interview.
You should send thank-you letters within two or three days after your interviews, and sooner if you know the decision will be made quickly.
Thank-you letters generally should be sent by mail, although e-mail is becoming more and more acceptable, and in some cases even preferred. When deciding how to deliver your thank-you letters, base your decision on how you think the letters will best be received and not just on what is easiest for you. Of course, if you know a decision will be made very quickly, you should use e-mail to avoid delay.
Like cover letters, thank-you letters must be free of typographical and grammatical errors. Such mistakes can ruin your chances faster than a well-written letter can help them. Again, if you take only one message from this column, it should be this: Proofread everything carefully.
Craig A. Blumin is the recruitment manager for Heller Ehrman White & McAuliffe in San Francisco.
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