Speculative covering letter advise

[Hom3r]

I'm in the process of sending out a Speculative covering letter to about 30 companies.

Is there any advise on what to put, and have examples of what you may have written?

Has anybody here done so and did it work for you?

[papa smurf]

http://careers.guardian.co.uk/covering-letter-examples

this sort of thing ?

[Hom3r]

Yes like that.

The only annoying things I find in the examples I have found, and the one in the link you provided has it

I also have lots of ideas and enthusiasm.

How can I have ideas if you don't now the job (if there is one)

I'm keen to work for a company with a great reputation and high profile like [insert company name].

The companys I'm applying for are in the aviation industry (part 145) so are CAA approved so could that be a good enough reputatuon, plus they are not nessecary high profile.

[Hugh]

You could amend the first example to read "I am enthusiastic, and in previous employment have put forward ideas to increase productivity" (you might need to think of some, if asked...), and on the second one, amend it to include anything that has been in the press (business or otherwise) about it.

[cookie_365]

Originally Posted by Hugh

You could amend the first example to read "I am enthusiastic, and in previous employment have put forward ideas to increase productivity" (you might need to think of some, if asked...), and on the second one, amend it to include anything that has been in the press (business or otherwise) about it.

I'd go further than that - don't put ideas to increase productivity - put actual examples of what you did to increase productivity. Just a single sentence in the covering letter - if they want to find out more they'll have to invite you to an interview

[MadGamer]

This is my covering letter:

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am writing to enquire as to whether you have any suitable vacancies within your organisation at present. Please find enclosed a copy of my CV.

As you will note, I have 7 months experience working in Customer Support and have excellent computer skills. I have also gained a BTEC National Diploma and a NCFE Computer Maintenance certificate, I am polite, well mannered and use my own initiative as well as being hardworking, enthusiastic, flexible and adapt well to new environments.

Thank you for taking the time to read my letter. Should any vacancies arise that match my skills and experience. I am available for interview at short notice.

Yours faithfully

[Hugh]

My only comments on that, MG, is that it is very general.

If you make it a bit more specific to each application, it will show more effort/interest was input, which makes it stand out a bit more.

For example, mention that you read about "fill in information here" about the company in "fill in newspaper/magazine/website namehere", which is what made you interested in working for the company, etc etc, so you thought you would write in and see if there were any opportunities.

[Osem]

Speculative letters rarely work well unless they're carefully targeted to suit the companies being approached. The more you can avoid your letter appearing to a yet another standardised MS Word clone the more impact it will have. In another thread about job hunting I made the point that the majority of people seem to adopt a quantity as opposed to quality approach to job applications, sending out as many CVs as possible to as many companies as possible. My advice is to reduce the number of applications you're considering so you can ensure those you do make are properly researched and include a covering letter designed for the purpose and based on something tangible if possible. If you can show that you've done your homework on the company and have thought about what you may have to offer your prospective employer your letter will be taken far more seriously and will set you aside from a great many of your competitors who'll be relying on the sort of standard template letter mentioned above. One final piece of advice, don't forget to address the letter to a named individual if at all possible (it's really not hard to find this information but most people don't seem to bother) and follow it up politely after a reasonable period of time to make sure it's been received.

[Hom3r]

Thanks for all you inputs, all the company's I'm sending to are in the same field.

This it what I have so far.

The Bold part I'm not sure about.

Dear Sir/Madam

I am writing to enquire if you have any suitable vacancies in your company. I enclose my CV for your information.

As you can see, I have had extensive work experience in office environments, giving me varied skills and the ability to work with many different types of people. I believe I could fit easily into your team.

I am a conscientious person who works hard and pays attention to detail. I'm flexible, keen to pick up new skills and eager to learn from others. I also have lots of ideas and enthusiasm. I'm keen to work for a company like yours

I have excellent references and would be delighted to discuss any possible vacancy with you at your convenience. In case you do not have any suitable openings at the moment, I would be grateful if you would keep my CV on file for any future possibilities.

Yours faithfully

[Osem]

Originally Posted by Hom3r

Thanks for all you inputs, all the company's I'm sending to are in the same field.

This it what I have so far.

The Bold part I'm not sure about.

To add to what I wrote earlier, this is where tweaking the letter comes in. Try to get across something relevant to the particular company. They may all operate in the same field but they won't all have the same issues, problems or requirements. Having some current knoweldge of the particular company is, therefore, very important. Picking names out of a phone book is easy but if that's all they are you'll never be able to create a speculative covering letter with any real impact. The key to success is showing the potential employer that you have a good understanding of their operation and skills/experience which could be of use to them.

Speculative job hunting isn't easy but can be very productive if done properly with the benefit of research. So, rather than picking names out of a directory, be a detective, read around, check out relevant professional websites, magazines, contacts etc. for information about potential target companies. If you can find out what's going on, who's likely to be doing what and who, therefore, may be in need of staff then you have a much better chance of putting yourself in the right place at the right time. Commenting on some current news or relevant event is another way of showing you're not just another desperate no hoper firing off standardised letters and CVs to all and sundry. Giving some relevant and specific examples of what you can do or have achieved elsewhere is another means by which to personalise your application whether that be in the CV, covering letter or both.

Above all, avoid what are obviously a bog standard CVs and covering letters as a) they don't work at all well and b) there's nothing quite as frustrating and bad for the morale as sending off dozens and getting no response.

When it comes to job hunting favour quality over quantity every time. Be different from the crowd, not part of it.

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ps your post in Arthur's latest rant thread demonstrates the problem I referred to above. What you're doing isn't working and is unlikely to work anytime soon because it's what so many other people are doing. You obviously and understandably feel frustrated and negative but you cannot afford to let any feelings of desperation come across in your applications and must concentrate your efforts wisely. Resorting to what amounts to a mail-shot of bland, generalised CVs and letters conveys all the wrong impressions and will only make your job hunt harder. If you've been given any advice on CVs etc. from the job centre or similar it's well meaning but likely to be utterly useless and best disregarded. The reason for that? Well it's the same problem, it tends to be very simplistic and standardised - not at all designed to suit your individual circumstances.