Finding a Job: Prospecting Letters/Letters of Interest/Inquiry Letters

Cover Letters: Letter of Interest (creative commons)

Alright continuing on my job search series. Previously I wrote about writing effective cover letters, and I analyzed one of my own cover letters. What I had written about before only discussed cover letters that were in reference to a specific job posting. Here, I am going to talk about Prospecting Letter AKA Letters of Interest or Inquiry Letters.

So I already told you what a cover letter is:

A cover letter is a letter that precedes your resume. It is the first thing a potential employer sees. So it’s your first impression, and you most certainly want to make a good one. A cover letter should (ideally) not only make you sound like a talented writer, but it also needs to explain to the reader exactly why you are a perfect fit for the position. Even though a cover letter is not required by many job applications, it is a mistake not to write one. Your resume contains a lot of information about you, but it will not adequately show employers yours writing skills, nor does it perfectly detail how you fit their job. Yes, whenever you apply for a job you should edit your  resume to cater to the job posting as well. But you should also include a fabulous cover letter.

A prospecting letter/ letter of interest/ inquiry letter is still a cover letter. It precedes your resume; it’s your first impression; it should be catered specific to the company you want to work for. The main difference between this kind of letter and the cover letters I previously discussed is that prospecting letters are used when the company is not advertising a specific position. So it’s a letter that basically says “I love your company (as opposed to I’m perfect for this job), and I would be a perfect fit for it (here is why). If are looking to hire, please consider me.” Granted, it should be much longer than that, and more specific. But that’s the general gist.

Prospecting letter should still follow the same guidelines I outlined earlier. But notice I order the list differently because certain steps are more important to these kinds of letters.

Tips for Writing Prospecting Letters:

1. Do your research. This is the most important tip concerning prospecting letters. Because there is no job posting, you need to do lots of research about the company. Look at their website; talk to former/current employees; research news articles about the company. Look anywhere that will find you pertinent information about them.
2. Be as specific as possible.  You still need to include specific details in this letter. It, however, is going to be harder to determine what specific things to respond to since you will not be referring to an actual job posting. This is why research is extremely important. What you pull up in your research is how you will find things to specifically refer to, and show how you would be a best fit for the company. My favorite things to refer to are examples of the company’s current work, and their mission statement.
3. Edit, edit, edit. Once again, the letter needs to be edited perfectly. Have a friend look over it, or use a web-based software such as Paper Rater.
4. Be concise. Short and sweet is the way to go. Get to the point. Delete anything unnecessary.
5. Write to an actual person. It’s much more important to follow-up after sending a prospecting letter, so writing to an actual person is going to help you determine who to follow-up with. Also, it shows you’ve done research.

Ok, concerning the actual content of the Letter. In most cover letters your opening line states how you found the job ad. In this letter your opening line should indicate how you came to know about the company, and particularly what area of the company would like work in. Some examples:

• I first because acquainted with your company’s writing center after reading about it in The English Journal.
• I heard about (Insert Company’s Name Here)’s after meeting your Saint Louis Branch Manager at the (Insert Convention Name Here).
• I learned about your district’s inspiring curriculum after taking a graduate class at the University of Missouri with (insert teacher’s name here) who works at (Insert school’s name here).

Notice that these openings are specific, and they allow you to further elaborate on the item that you mentioned (such as the writing center, the curriculum, your graduate schooling, etc.).

The letter should again outline your qualifications (hopefully by mentioning things that are not otherwise implied or stated in your resume). These could be in reference to the information you gathered in your research. For education jobs, I sometimes include a very brief description of my teaching philosophy and classroom management style in order to show how it aligns with their district’s work/mission statement/etc.

The closing in this letter should indicate how you will  follow-up.  I don’t like doing this in cover letters that respond to job posts because I feel too pushy, but I would absolutely do this in a letter of interest. If you don’t follow-up, you are hurting yourself. Here are some examples of how to close the letter:

• Whether or not you have a current opening in your organization, I would love to meet with one of your high school English teachers in order to set up a classroom observation. I know that I would learn a lot. I will call you next week to determine the best time and date.
• I would welcome the opportunity to discuss how my skills could benefit your company. I will call you on Wednesday to see when we can meet.
• I would appreciate the opportunity to further discuss your company’s training program, and to provide further information on my qualifications. I will call you the week of August 12 to discuss possible employment opportunities.

Stay tuned for a sample letter of interest that I have used before, and a break down of it. Still to come in the job search series: Thank You Letters, Rejection/Acceptance Letters, Portfolios, and Letters of Resignation.

photo credit: Tax Credits via photopin cc

Related articles

• Writing Effective Cover Letters (caitmonsterq.wordpress.com)
• Anatomy of a Cover Letter (caitmonsterq.wordpress.com)