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Optimizing Your Follow-Up
Letter
Also: Five Cover Letter Mistakes,
How
Beneficial is a Sample Cover Letter?, When
Cover Letters Get Personal
A
follow-up letter seems like a last-ditch effort on the part
of a jobseeker, am I right? Ah, but wait! The act of sending
this kind of letter can actually sway a company in your
direction.
Companies don’t always make hiring decisions when expected.
Sending your follow-up letter a few days or a couple weeks
after the interview can actually reflect your ambition and
dedication to the employer. In some cases, it will reflect
you as a more viable, dedicated, and persistent option to
employers.
List new
and unique content, and avoid regurgitating exact details
contained in your original cover letter or those spoken in
the interview whenever possible. Instead, keep it fresh by
expanding in directions that put new angles or views on your
work history.
A
follow-up letter is referred to as a reintroduction or
thank-you letter — although a thank-you letter is oftentimes
only a few sentences versus the typical 2-3 paragraphs used
in a follow-up letter.
Keep in
mind that few jobseekers actually send a thank-you or
follow-up letter. Therefore, when it actually occurs, it can
sway a hiring manager’s decision in your direction.
Remember, it’s all about who looks the best in the eyes of
the employer. Here are just a few reasons for sending a
great follow-up letter, along with suggestions on what to
include in it:
The
20-Minute Cover Letter Fixer
A nuts-and-bolts resource that will open your eyes to new
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-
"The 20-Minute
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transform your
letter from "traditional" to "wow."
That's what you
want, or should I say *need*, right? Since yesterday's
letters don't work in today's marketplace, adding a splash
uniqueness and flair to your career marketing material will
go a long way.
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The book
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The tips
contained in The 20-Minute Cover Letter Fixer are pivotal
and will transform how you write every cover letter
throughout your job-search existence.
Click
here to learn more about this cover letter "how to" guide.
(1)
Thank the interviewer for his time. Everyone likes to be
recognized and thanked, even if the “tree fails to bear
fruit.” Send a follow-up letter even on those occasions when
the interview didn’t go as well as expected.
(2)
Refresh the interviewer’s memory concerning a particular
topic you talked about in the interview. It helps to relate
to the interviewer; and by bringing up a previously
discussed topic, you can draw the interviewer’s attention on
to you … even if only for a minute.
(3)
Forum to reinforce knowledge, skills, and abilities
brought up in the interview. Don’t be afraid to restate what
makes you a prime candidate for the position. It doesn’t
hurt to mention it, because maybe the interviewer missed
something relevant about your skill set.
(4)
Address new information that wasn’t originally brought
up; e.g. you may have recently learned the company plans to
expand marketing efforts in France. If you speak French,
noting that in your follow-up letter would definitely be a
smart move.
(5)
Sometimes small gestures open a door to bigger rewards,
such as a second interview. Receiving follow-up
correspondence from a jobseeker can keep the line of
communication open between the hiring company and the
jobseeker.
(6)
Spell out transferable skills not brought up in the
interview. If you sat through the entire interview and
left with a less than favorable feeling about the outcome,
then detailing how your current skill set is relevant to the
open position can build a bridge between your current, or
most recent, position and your target position.
Don’t
overlook any opportunity you have to increase your chances
for employment. The hiring process is much like a dance.
Fail to dance (and dance properly) in order to woo the
judges, and your chances of winning diminish. It’s always
best to stray from what the bulk of jobseekers are doing, so
that you draw attention to yourself whenever the opportunity
arises.
Also:
Five Cover Letter Mistakes,
How
Beneficial is a Sample Cover Letter?, When
Cover Letters Get Personal
Editors and
publishers are welcome to reprint articles
found on Job Interview Advice as long as
the author's byline appears intact and the email
and web address are hyperlinked. In addition,
the phrase Source:
Job-Interview-Advice.net
should appear after the author's byline
and should be hyperlinked as well.
Teena Rose is a top cover letter writer with Resume to
Referral. She’s authored a couple great cover letter books,
including "20-Minute
Cover Letter Fixer"
and "Designing
a Cover Letter to "Wow" Hiring Personnel … book includes 50+
cover letter samples."
Source:
Job-Interview-Advice.net
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