Follow Up Business Letter: For Resume Sent On Job Interview

If a week or more has passed since you submitted your resume for a job interview, go ahead and follow up with a letter or email. Here are some basic guidelines about what to include.

GREETING

Keep the greeting formal, unless you had already established a more friendly tone. Generally the preferred titles other than professional ranks and educational ones (Professor, Doctor) are Mr. and Ms. (unless you know a woman's title for sure to be Miss or Mrs.).

Then follow with a colon (or comma if the tone is more familiar).

REMINDER

Briefly remind the recipient of the date / events surrounding your resume submission. Then include a reminder about your interest in a position (the specific one you applied for, if possible) with the company, your interest in joining the company's team and your qualifications.

FRESH CONTENT

Now add a couple of lines or small paragraph or two with fresh content. This gives the reader a second chance to learn more about you.

Include a statement about your continued interested in the company's current concerns and opportunities. And then discuss how you have something specific to contribute that would benefit the company. Jot down a point or two that you did not mention before. For example, maybe you attended a class or read a recent article about something that you think could contribute to their bottom line.

CLOSING

Close with a comment that you would like to hear from them soon. And say, “Thank you” for time and consideration.

PS: Don't forget to include your own contact information!

TIPS:

•  Personalize the message, if possible. Perhaps you could make a comment about the company website or one of their newsletter articles you read recently on the Internet. If you visited the offices in person, maybe you could mention something about the work environment or the visit in particular. If you spoke with someone over the phone, mention something from your conversation.

•  Add link to online version of your resume and online portfolio, if you these are available. Many sites like Freeservers.com offer free hosting if you keep their banner ads at the top. Or for under $10 per month they can be removed. Simply type, “free web hosting” in your favorite search engine and check out what is available in your budget. Many of these also come with templates so all you have to do is click and load a resume from a Microsoft Word file or cut and paste your text.

There are also some sites that post resumes online for you. Type, “post resume online free” and many will come up like CareerBuilder.com. Then include a link to this page in your letter or email.

•  Use headings, subheadings and bulleted points to make your letter attractive and uncluttered.

SAMPLE

John Hector, Director
Martin Workshop Series
1234 Southern Cross Drive
Toledo, Ohio 43224

Dear Mr. Hector:

Thank you for your confirmation letter last week for receipt of my resume and work samples. I received your new schedule of classes for Summer 2003 in the mail yesterday and would enjoy teaching as soon as you can find an opening.

As a reminder:

In a nutshell, I am a graduate student working on my an MBA eCommerce & Technical Communication with Honors, am a past Spanish teacher at OSU (Ohio State University), am bi-lingual (in case you would ever need Spanish) and have many materials published and won several awards - all listed and with testimonials for verification on my website portfolio at http://movingaheadcommunications.com . I have taught courses locally in groups and association settings, formally at The Ohio State University and in Mexico .

Currently, I teach a course at Word Museum : http://www.wordmuseum.com/marketing.html .

For reference:

Here is a link to my resume: http://www.movingaheadcommunications.com/resume.html

Additional links to some of my work: http://www.movingaheadcommunications.com/worksamples.html

If you would like additional information, it can be sent as soon as possible. Thank you for your time and consideration. I look forward to placement in your Fall term.

 

Sincerely,

 

Diana Barnum, writer
3288 Darby Glen Blvd. / Hilliard, OH 43026
Phone: (614) 529-9459 / Fax : (909) 363-7726 db@movingaheadcommunications.com

Brian Maroevich