Posts Tagged follow up letter
The Hand-written letter
Posted by Steve in For Job Seekers, Pitch on April 15, 2009
When was the last time you received a hand-written note in the mail?
It has probably been a while. Yesterday, I wrote about the follow-up letter content. Most people assume that you would send that in email. You do. Some people also send it typed.
I send my follow up by email because it is faster and expected these days. I also send a small written thank you note. I purchased stationary (4 x 6 cards with my name on them) and envelopes (with my address on them). If you do not have stationary, just use regular paper. I use the cards as thank you notes for many things. It does not take more than a couple of minutes to write out the note, and then address the envelope by hand.
Writing an email is very convenient and everyone does it today. Sending a letter is rarer, but the most rare of all…sending a hand-written note. It is so rare that people get hand-written notes these days they seem to take particular pleasure in it. People do appreciate it and remember you.
BTW, I learned about it in the Rites of Passage book by John Lucht. Lots of great ideas in there.
The Follow-Up Letter
Posted by Steve in For Job Seekers, Pitch on April 14, 2009
One of the hardest skills to find in people today is good follow-up. When you demonstrate to your future employer or funder that you have the best follow-up then you will stand out.
Whether you are seeking investment or a job, the follow up letter after you meet someone is most crucial. How do you write the best follow up letter?
Make it short.
- Express your interest in the job or getting the funding; but only if you really want it.
- If it is a job then remember your theme – reiterate the key strengths that you would bring to the job. If any revelations occurred during your discussion then repeat them here. Attach your resume.
- If it is funding, then make it shorter by attaching your executive summary. Let the executive summary stand on its own.
- Leave it with an action that you will be in touch in a week.
Send it within 24 business hours of your last discussion. Show them your good followup. However, if you do not send it in 24 hours, send it as soon as you can. Any follow up is better than today’s average: No Follow up!
As you can see, a follow-up letter works in the same way for the entrepreneur as for the job seeker. The elements are the same: reiterate the good impression, show them that you genuinely want to help them achieve success.