Writing Letters To Contacts
Everyone you know, no matter what his/her position, has his/her own circle of friends and associates whom
you do not know. Your goal is to tap in to each of these networks, without imposing on anyone. Your friends or acquaintances will be glad to give you a hand if they can, provided you do not ask too much, and you handle your request properly. After all, you would do the same for them were the positions reversed.
OUTLINE FOR A LETTER TO ONE OF YOUR FRIENDS OR ACQUAINTANCES FROM THE OLD DAYS
1. Open by saying whatever you would naturally say under the circumstances. Chat a little about anything at all just as you normally would with him or her. Then tell him/her that after many (or few) happy years where you have been you are thinking of offering your skills in the new field you have chosen in this course (or in a different geographical area in your old field, or whatever). Say that this experience is new and that you would like to have whatever advice and suggestions s/he might care to offer about how to go about such a transition successfully.
2. Then get down to the real purpose of your letter. Explain that after your previous experience elsewhere, your g7reatest need is introductions to officials of the kinds of organizations whom s/he thinks could benefit from your skills, or might already be desperately searching for just what you have to offer. Describe your Specific Immediate Objective at this point, and your preferred geographical area.
3. S/he may not know anyone like this him/herself, but have another friend who could give you just the lead you want. Suggest this possibility, and ask him/her to see what s/he can do for-you.
4. Tell him/her you would be glad to bring him/her up to date on your activities, should s/he deem that would be helpful (if s/he responds affirmatively, you can write up a special edition of your Summary of Where You Are Going for him/her-at that point!).
5. Thank him/her and tell him/her that you would certainly appreciate anything s/he could do for you along these lines.
6. Close by saying whatever you would most naturally say to this particular friend or acquaintance. News about your family, asking about his/hers, etc. Whatever it may be, do what comes naturally to you.
Flesh out the above outline in any way that is natural to you. When his/her answer comes, sort out their advice about how to find a job, from their introductions or leads to other people. It is the latter that you really want, from this type of letter. Don't say so directly, however.
SAMPLE LETTER FOR WRITING A SENIOR OFFICIAL TO WHOM YOU HAVE BEEN SUBSEQUENTLY
REFERRED BY ONE OF YOUR CONTACTS
1124 Maribob Circle
Savannah, Georgia 31406
July 15, 1974
Mr.joseph F. Smith
Vice President
Bear Paw Manufacturing Inc.
5700 Fursman Avenue
San Francisco, California 98412
Dear Mr. Smith:
Our mutual friend, Mr. Charles M. Jones of ITT in New York, has suggested that I get in touch with you because of your familiarity with international activities in the San Francisco area, and your wide acquaintanceship among leading figures in that field.
Charlie knows that I am contemplating a change in my current association, in the fairly near future, and feels that you are in a good position to be aware of those executives among your friends and acquaintances who might be looking for someone with my skills and experience for their own organizations. If you do happen to know of such needs, I would certainly appreciate your arranging introductions to the appropriate people for me.
Should this not be the case, on the other hand-at least at this moment-perhaps you could refer me to someone else whom you feel might be in a better position to have such information.
I have had considerable experience in international operations as follows: [here summarize briefly relevant excerpts from your Functional Summary, or from your Statement of Where I'm Going].
Should you or any of your friends desire additional detail, I would needless to say be happy to furnish it.
I would also be grateful for an opportunity to call on you at your convenience when I am out there next month, to discuss my plans in greater detail and to benefit from your helpful advice in person, should you be able to spare a few minutes for this purpose.
Looking forward with interest to hearing from you soon, I remain,
Sincerely,
WRITING LETTERS TO TARGETS OUTLINE FOR A LETTER TO A SENIOR OFFICIAL AT SOME DISTANCE, TO WHOM YOU HAVE NO
REFERRAL OR INTRODUCTION
You will still not approach him (or her) completely blind. Know the official by name, rather than just by title. Know what section or department s/he is in, and be sure it is the section or department you would be interested in. Inform yourself as fully as you can about his/her operation. Make sure that you know what his/her department does. See if you can dig up some of its recent achievements. Ideally, you will be able to identify some of his/her more serious problems, so that you can come right to the point and offer to help solve them. Acquire as much personal information on him/her as may be available.
Use standard business stationery, 81/2 x 11", and good quality bond paper. Follow standard business correspondence practices and formats. Have each letter individually typed by a good secretary, or secretarial service (see phone book) if necessary.
1 Find something specific for your very opening sentence which will convince him (or her) that you know who you are talking to, and are informed about his firm's or department's activities. Choose some item on which
you can be honestly complimentary to him (or her), and which is also logically related to your own qualifications and goals.
2 Tell him (her) why you are confident that you could contribute to the further success of his/her operation, and by way of example outline a problem area which you could help him/her solve. State that this is the reason why you are interested in joining his/her staff now that you are contemplating a move in the near future.
3 By way of satisfying him/her that you have the skills necessary, summarize a few relevant sections from your Functional Summary, or your Specific Immediate Objective, or your Statement of Where You're Going.
4 Close by suggesting that a meeting. to discuss the possibility of your joining his/her staff might be mutually 4 beneficial, and that you would be happy to arrange to call on him/her for this purpose, at his/her convenience.
You may never need to write such a letter as this, because you may find all of the Ultimate Individual Targets that interest you are near at hand, and you are able to visit them first hand without the aid of any correspondence after, of course, you have done an intensive job of researching them. But occasionally Targets of Opportunity come along, that are in an entirely different section of the country, but which nonetheless look interesting enough to pursue. At such times, a letter such as the above, firmly in your own language and thought- forms, may be the second step in exploring that Opportunity. (The first step, of course, is all the research alluded to, in the introductory paragraph above.)