Beyond the cover letter, there are a multitude of different documents that you may need to navigate through your job search. From reaching out to recruiters to strengthening your professional network, these four letters might just be the key to opening your next career doorway.
- Networking Cover Letter
One of the most effective ways to network your way to a new job is to get your resume in the hands of those people who are in a position to help you. One way to do this is through a networking cover letter. The purpose of this letter is to let your network know that you are currently looking for a position and to ask for some specific help.
Maybe you’ve recently been through a layoff, maybe you and your family are relocating, or maybe you want to break into a new industry. Whatever the reason, it is important to remember these few tips when reaching out to your personal or professional network. Make sure to include a specific request – help them help you. Be specific as possible on what your situation is at the moment and to the type of position you’re looking for. If you’re trying to step into a new industry, ask individuals specifically how they can help you most. You may choose to seek advice, some new contacts, or more in-depth industry insights. And certainly as part of your ask, offer some achievement highlights to help provide the scope of your latest work. Give your network a sense of how it is you might best fit into an organization or a position that they are familiar with.
- Informational Interview Request
A great way to learn about the industry you’re interested in and make connections to help you better understand the careers available in your desired field is to set up an informational interview. Perhaps you have a connection in your desired field and you want to meet for insights and advice. This is where an informational interview request comes in. Your letter (sent as an email, most likely) should be brief and to the point. You definitely want to do your research on the individual and company they work for first – make sure that you have an understanding of how it is that this individual might be able to support you. Always indicate why it is that you’re reaching out to him or her, and it’s a good idea to refresh their memory on how your relationship with them began or will begin for the first time. Finally, go ahead and make the ask! Remember that you are asking this individual for a favor to sit down and talk with you for a period of time, so be clear about what you’re looking for and how much time you may need from them. If they are not available to meet in person, perhaps offer some opportunity for Zoom or phone call.
As a quick note, be sure to follow up appropriately. It is OK if you haven’t heard back from that individual in a week to send a follow up email, but if you still don’t receive a response after that second email, it’s time to move on to the next person on your list. It’s not always because people aren’t willing and interested in helping, but sometimes it may not be the right time for them, or they don’t feel like they have the best information to offer you at this point in their career.
- Interview Thank You Letter
You should always, always, always send an interview thank you letter! Be sure to address the individual you interviewed with by his or her name. Use the formal salutation Mr. Smith or Mrs. Jones, unless the interviewer instructed you to call them by a first name. Next, thank them for the opportunity to interview for the position. When you do this, use the title of the position as explicitly stated in the job posting. I know what you’re thinking: List the title of the position again? They obviously know that I was there interviewing to be an operational project manage, why say it again? This is a great opportunity to send some subliminal messaging by having your name close to the job title. You also don’t know if these individuals interviewed six or seven people that day for a variety of different positions. Make it easy for them to remember you. The third element of a strong interview thank you letter is to mention something from the interview that especially resonated with you. If not a highlight, use the thank you letter as an opportunity to address an issue or unanswered question from the interview. If there was something that you feel you didn’t address properly, then you have the opportunity again to step forward and do it in the thank you letter. Don’t take an apologetic tone, rather you want to say something like “I wanted to clarify what we talked about…” or “I want to emphasize for you…” and then go ahead and indicate what your experience or strength may be. And finally, the fourth element of the interview thank you letter is to confirm the next step from the interview, including what action you will take or what you’re expecting from the interviewer.
- Reference Request Letter
When submitting your resume for a position, the prospective employers will likely ask for at least two references. The advantage of preparing your references ahead of time is that you can take the upper hand and identify the best possible people for you. You’ll want to select between three to seven different people to be your preferred references. Make sure that they are great people who can talk about your day-to-day job performance and overall qualities. You may choose someone who has supervised you, or someone that you’ve worked with closely. Once you’ve decided who you’d like to be on your preferred reference list, always contact these individuals and ask for their permission to use them as a reference. You will want to call them directly, and then follow up with an email reference request letter. In your letter, it is important to verify the reference’s contact information, including the preferred phone number and email address that you should submit to the prospective employer. This letter is also an appropriate time to ask for a LinkedIn recommendation. You may choose to update the individual on things that you’ve been up to, especially if they knew you from a previous job, and let them know what you’re looking for in your next job. After they have agreed to be a reference and you have provided their name to a potential employer, it’s important that you provide them with relevant details about you and the position that you have now applied for because this really helps to prepare your reference for when they receive that call from the potential employer. You want your references to give specific information that may be most relevant to this new job, so make sure you’re providing all the relevant details in your request to them. Make sure that you reach out to these references early, get their permission, provide them with the best possible information to help them to help you. And then of course, always send them a thank you letter after they have taken the time to serve as one of your references.
