Speculative Letter Writing

[ToothbrushMan]

I know writing letters is so last century but what are the thoughts of you guys here when it comes to putting together brief well thought out letters and attaching your CV and sending them to companies speculatively (after obtaining the name of an actual person to make it for the attention for rather than just sending it to "the company" blind)?

I am thinking of buying a wad of stamps window envelopes and some new ink cartridges and getting down and dirty with some letter writing (well typing).

Has anybody had a positive experience from doing the same?

Also the way I see it is that as far as the youngsters are concerned there is no way on earth you will catch them sending off speculative letters so that could get you an advantage over the myriads of sometimes waste of time faceless online applications.

Might send a few off as a tester and see what replies i get if any.

[untakenname]

With the cost of stamps I'd think it's not really value for money, it's from a bygone era before email.
Most unsolicited mail I receive at work isn't acted upon, lots of recruiters try it on via the phone and email but can't remember ever recieving a letter.

[designforlife]

I have my current job due to a speculative email that I sent.

I've also had 3 or 4 interviews down the years from contacting companies directly who haven't advertised vacancies.

Crack on, it will probably pay off.

[MYOB]

There's no harm in doing so if you're desperate to get a job. Yes, a lot of letters get ignored but if there's a chance, albeit a slim chance, then do it. Personally I haven't bothered. Just remember to tailor the letters per company and make it clear what you're looking for.

[CzechItOut]

What sort of jobs/companies are you aiming for?

[ToothbrushMan]

insurance sector

[rog007]

My experience tells me that mode of delivery is irrelevant if the product is poor.

Ensure the product (CV and covering letter) is fantastic and worry about mode of delivery second.

Good luck!

[xx99xx]

I can only speak for public sector organisations, but if you send such letter to them, it will be instantly ignored. If they have a vacancy, it would be advertised and they'd expect you to apply like everyone else. If they don't have a vacancy, even if they think you're amazing, they can't create a post especially for you so letter is ignored.

I would imagine, only small companies would feel special by receiving a letter. Large companies probably outsource their recruiting. So whilst I admire your effort, I suspect there are more effective ways to bag a job.

[Integroo]

xx99xx said:

I can only speak for public sector organisations, but if you send such letter to them, it will be instantly ignored. If they have a vacancy, it would be advertised and they'd expect you to apply like everyone else. If they don't have a vacancy, even if they think you're amazing, they can't create a post especially for you so letter is ignored.

I would imagine, only small companies would feel special by receiving a letter. Large companies probably outsource their recruiting. So whilst I admire your effort, I suspect there are more effective ways to bag a job.

I secured a meeting with a partner at an international law firm simply by e-mailing and asking to meet him. It's important that speculative approaches bypass human resources, imho. It also depends on the type of role - I imagine it is less likely to be successful for jobs at the lower end of the scale.

[BrabusMog]

Integroo said:

xx99xx said:

I can only speak for public sector organisations, but if you send such letter to them, it will be instantly ignored. If they have a vacancy, it would be advertised and they'd expect you to apply like everyone else. If they don't have a vacancy, even if they think you're amazing, they can't create a post especially for you so letter is ignored.

I would imagine, only small companies would feel special by receiving a letter. Large companies probably outsource their recruiting. So whilst I admire your effort, I suspect there are more effective ways to bag a job.

I secured a meeting with a partner at an international law firm simply by e-mailing and asking to meet him. It's important that speculative approaches bypass human resources, imho. It also depends on the type of role - I imagine it is less likely to be successful for jobs at the lower end of the scale.

Sort of similar, I had heard of a role at a competitor that I wanted to go for but they'd already hired. I knew the MD's name, so I sent several copies of the same´email to variations of his [e-mail] and got a reply two days later asking me to come in for an informal chat which led to a job offer.

[hornmeister]

Your best bet is to get your details out on all the www sites.

You'll need to fend off the recruiters with a big stick but when any company I've worked for has had an opening they've always looked there first before advertising. I;m currently in a job which I didn't apply for, they contacted me.

Also if you're in or looking at a specific industry then it's worth getting in touch with a decent specialised head hunter. Avoid the job agencies like the plague.

Good luck.

[OMITN]

ToothbrushMan said:

insurance sector

Where are you located and are you interested in an in-house insurance manager role?

As it happens I have one vacant in my team....

PM me if that's of any interest.