What stands out to you?
Discussion
When you receive a speculative letter from a potential employee, or indeed if you were reading a supporting letter alongside a formal application for a post, what are the things that stand out most in a positive way?
(And what are the things that immediately lead to waste paper basket filing...?)
A few thoughts from me:
- CEOs don’t get many actual letters. My PA will filter emails but would always give me a letter, especially if hand signed
- it is a bit old fashioned to use the post so would acknowledge that in the letter so you don’t look dated eg ‘I appreciate you’ll get a lot of emails, so thought I’d send a letter by way of a change’
- keep it short (two thirds of a page, 3-4 short paras) and clear: here’s why I am writing, here’s what I’ve done (top 3 most impressive achievements as bullets), here why it’s relevant to your company
- Make sure there’s evidence in there of what you’ve achieved, and something that shows you understand what the firm does and how you could help.
- Get the basics right: decent spelling, your contact details, and a clear call to action eg “I’d welcome a chance to meet and hear about any opportunities in your business“
- Don’t be too pushy or too boastful. It’s an invitation not an order.
Hope that’s of some help. Given all of the above, the biggest factor for me would still be whether I actually have a role I am hiring for or a skill set I need. If they’re relevant though, then the above points would come into play.
- CEOs don’t get many actual letters. My PA will filter emails but would always give me a letter, especially if hand signed
- it is a bit old fashioned to use the post so would acknowledge that in the letter so you don’t look dated eg ‘I appreciate you’ll get a lot of emails, so thought I’d send a letter by way of a change’
- keep it short (two thirds of a page, 3-4 short paras) and clear: here’s why I am writing, here’s what I’ve done (top 3 most impressive achievements as bullets), here why it’s relevant to your company
- Make sure there’s evidence in there of what you’ve achieved, and something that shows you understand what the firm does and how you could help.
- Get the basics right: decent spelling, your contact details, and a clear call to action eg “I’d welcome a chance to meet and hear about any opportunities in your business“
- Don’t be too pushy or too boastful. It’s an invitation not an order.
Hope that’s of some help. Given all of the above, the biggest factor for me would still be whether I actually have a role I am hiring for or a skill set I need. If they’re relevant though, then the above points would come into play.
For speculative applications, in addition to the great insights already provided; for myself it’s whether you’re providing any understanding (the deeper the better) of my organisation and what I’m trying to achieve. This will confirm that you’re genuinely interested in my outfit and that it’s not just a standard letter sent to half a dozen other organisations too. Any whiff of that, and it will go straight in to the recycling.
You’ll be telling me in no uncertain terms how you’re going to add value to what I’m trying to achieve, making it impossible for me to not want to follow this through and speak to you.
And remember that a speculative application is just one example of networking; conferences, LinkedIn, friends, family and previous workplaces can all be exploited when looking for new roles.
Happy to look over any speculative letter or CV.
Good luck!
You’ll be telling me in no uncertain terms how you’re going to add value to what I’m trying to achieve, making it impossible for me to not want to follow this through and speak to you.
And remember that a speculative application is just one example of networking; conferences, LinkedIn, friends, family and previous workplaces can all be exploited when looking for new roles.
Happy to look over any speculative letter or CV.
Good luck!
Sterillium said:
Great points so far, thank you.
I'm actually on the other end of this, hoping to support a friend and colleague in the swift separation of wheat from chaff.
That’s good context. Turning it that way round, what I do is a 3 stage triage for any kind of unsolicited approach (person or supplier). I’m looking for:I'm actually on the other end of this, hoping to support a friend and colleague in the swift separation of wheat from chaff.
1). Clear: I give it a quick skim and if I cannot tell what they are offering then I bin it. Especially true of suppliers, but if they cannot be bothered to make it clear and simple what they do and why it is good, I won’t waste time trying to translate it. Give me simple words rather than jargon and cliche any day
2). Relevant: I look for whether they’re offering something I need, and proof they’ve got it. Lots of people make big claims, very few show something that proves it. This also rules out ill-judged approaches (overly familiar, boastful, aggressive) as don’t need people like that
3). Standout: I look for whether there is something that separates them from the crowd. Have they done something unusual or impressive, put a lot of thought and effort into their pitch, or are they saying something I’ve not heard before? I get so much that something needs to be special and interesting to merit time.
Pass those three and someone gets through the door. The one that comes to mind was a student who wrote to me about 10 years ago wanting to interview a leader for a project. Lovely clear email that showed he was interested in the specific work I do, made clear what he wanted (30 minutes, no more) and why. Wasn’t looking to talk to a student, but this cut right through, and I called him. Shows it can be done.
(Amazingly, last year he approached me in the office as he heard my name. By coincidence he’d just joined the company, and was so nice to find out what he’d done since. Bright lad, will go far).
Edited by 67Dino on Sunday 1st March 10:26
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