Career Doctor Articles

With the kind permission of the Career Doctor, jfo is able to bring you a series of articles to help you in your work situation and longer term career management

Writing Successful Career Letters

Throughout our working life we have to occasionally write letters that will, if the letter is well written, affect our career. Obviously many of us write letters on behalf of our employer, and there are a number of books which advise the reader how to write business letters. I do not want to advise you on how to do your job, but how to get a job, and how to correct things if they go wrong so that you keep your job.

In this article I will concentrate on letters that you may want to write to a company, or your employer, in connection with something about your career. As with all things, there are right and wrong ways of writing letters, especially if the writer needs something important from the company / employer.

Having been on the receiving end of many letters written to me when I was an HR manager, I am amazed at the way some people go about writing letters that they hope will advance their career in some way. So the way not to write career-affecting letters is very obvious. Firstly the paper. Do not tear out a sheet from a shorthand pad, leaving scrappy holes at the top. So obvious, but I’ve had letters sent to me on little scraps of paper, which says so much (or so little) about the writer.

Secondly, the wording. If you can’t spell or do not fully understand English grammar then get some help. Ask a friend to correct your spelling and grammar, or use the spell-checker on your wordprocessor. A poorly written letter will not endear the writer to the reader.

Thirdly, if you do hand-write the letter, make sure your writing is legible. Lots of people think that a hand-written letter adds a touch of class and makes their letter stand out from all the other applicants. Yes it may well stand out, but often for the wrong reason. If the hand-writing is poor, the reader may not bother to waste his / her time in trying to decipher the writing. Into the wastepaper bin, unread. What a shame.

All my consultants advise our clients to stick to a well composed wordprocessed letter. Its easier on the eye and easier to read, making it more likely to be read.

Having dealt with what not to do, let us now turn to what you should be doing in order to achieve your objectives

RESPONDING TO AN ADVERT

So you’ve spotted an advert for a vacancy you would like to apply for. You’ve got your nice white sheet of A4 in your printer, and then what do you type? Most people think that a covering letter should simply say … “I’ve seen your advert for an XXX and would like to apply. I enclose my CV and look forward to your reply …”

Many other people add a few more paragraphs after that opening sentence, to the effect of “… after I left school I became a BBB and went on to become a CCC before getting my present job as a DDD …” They write a narrative of their career, duplicating their attached CV. Why?

The correct way to reply to advertised vacancies is to draw the attention of the reader to the skills and experiences you possess that are relevant to the vacancy. In my career consultancy we spend several hours working on personalised covering letters for each client, and the end result is always something the client would never have produced, left to his / her own devices. “Amazing, I would never have thought to do it this way” is a frequent comment we hear from our clients.

SPECULATIVE LETTERS

If you cannot spot any adverts for the sort of work you are seeking, it is a good idea to write a speculative letter to appropriate companies asking if they have any vacancies. So you quickly pen a letter to these companies, perhaps on the lines “… I am looking for employment and enclose my CV. If you have any suitable vacancies I would be pleased to attend for an interview …” If this is the best you can do, your mailshot will be certain to fail.

Now believe me, a speculative mailshot is a real art form and it represents a great challenge to your letter writing skills. Get it right and the recipient will invite you in for an interview, but get it wrong and your letter will end up very swiftly in the wastepaper bin.

I compose such mailshots for my clients every week, and have generated some really spectacular results for them. One of my clients got six interviews from a 60 letter mailshot, which is a 10% hit rate; whereas anyone in marketing will tell you that most mailshots are considered successful if they achieve a 1 or 2% hit rate.

Even with my considerable experience it takes me an average of three hours to write a speculative letter mailshot for a client. On one occasion I spent up to 12 hours producing a speculative letter for one unemployed client. He sent it to just eight companies, got an invite from the chairman of one of these, went to Paris for his interview, and came back with a job paying £185,000 pa. Prior to being made redundant he was earning £60,000 pa.

Speculative mailshots also work at more modest salary levels and I have helped many clients mailshot their way to a new job where the salaries were just £20,000 or so.

As to how to write a speculative letter mailshot, the only advice I will give away for free is to ask yourself the “so what?” question about every sentence you write. If your sentence passes that test, then maybe the recipient might read your letter. But remember, even the most professionally crafted letter will fail if the company has no vacancies, so you will need a lot of luck and good timing.

ASKING FOR PROMOTION / PAY RISE

So you have now been in your job for a while and feel its time to ask for a promotion or a pay rise. Appealing to your boss’s tender mercies and giving him / her a sob story will almost certainly fail. If you need a bigger salary because you are in debt, then your boss will most probably say that is your problem, deal with it. No, the right way is to think like your boss.

The vast majority of managers only think in terms of costs, efficiency, productivity and profit. In a word, money. That is their key, their hot button. Asking for a pay rise because you have been there some while is unlikely to work, nor will claiming that you are better at your job and are therefore worth a greater salary.

Instead, back up your claim with facts. If you can demonstrate convincingly that you are more measurably productive than others, have brought in more new business, or saved the firm £thousands, then you are more likely to be successful in your claim. Presented with undeniable facts, couched in financial terms, your boss will be more likely to promote you or increase your salary. Don’t blame The Career Doctor if he doesn’t though!

LETTERS OF COMPLAINT

If things are going wrong and you feel compelled to complain, think it through long and hard before putting pen to paper. I recently received a heartfelt email from a lady who had read one of my articles where I suggested it is sometimes better to turn the other cheek. She wished she had seen my article before she took a strong line against her employer, and is now going through a lengthy and expensive law suit she regrets she ever initiated.

If you do wish to complain to senior management, then use facts and not emotion, keep the language calm and reasonable, and do not box them into a corner which forces them to fight you. In a straight fight between you and them, the company almost always wins. It is more powerful, has the money and the manpower to crush you. And crush you it will, if you pick a fight on flimsy terms.

When I was an Employee Relations Manager I learned it is better to start off a discussion on a low key, using careful and reasonable language, and being empathetic to the complainant’s views. This gentle approach often defused potentially heated arguments, and a negotiated settlement was invariably found.

The heat can always be turned up later, if the reasonable approach falls on deaf ears. By starting low key you leave yourself the option of getting tougher when it suits your purpose. If you start the proceedings at full volume, like some deranged bully, then there is no escape route without losing face. And nobody wants to lose face, especially senior management.

In my early years in HR I was once advised that it is better to control your temper and then make a decision when is the most appropriate moment to lose it. More effective that way. So that’s losing your temper when it suits your purpose, not when you can’t control your emotions. I have followed that good advice all the time I worked in HR, and I pass it on here, as advice to you as an employee. A tip from the gamekeeper to the poacher.

LETTERS OF RESIGNATION

At some time we have all written a letter of resignation, and when I worked in HR I received many such letters. Some were short and sweet, others used the letter to tell the company and the manager exactly what they thought; both barrels. Getting it off your chest may make you feel good, but is that a wise move? I think not.

You never know when you might want a reference from your former employer, so keep it sweet, even if you feel glad to have escaped from such a poorly managed and nasty company.

Of course, if you intend to make a claim for Constructive Dismissal (see my earlier article), then your letter of resignation should make reference to your intention to lodge such a claim with an Employment Tribunal.

Finally, if you are monthly paid, always make your last date of employment a Sunday date. Get that last weekend’s pay out of them!

Good luck!

The Career Doctor is Eric Hearn, Chartered MCIPD and Managing Director of Milverton Career Solutions Ltd, Ascot, Berkshire, UK.

Contact details:
Tel: 01344 624383
Email: milvertoncareers@btconnect.com
Website: www.careerdevelopment.co.uk