FINISHING TOUCHES
The things that make employers remember you!
You have now, at your disposal, several tools in your portfolio. The tools that you
have developed so far focused on marketing you and your skills.
The next tools you are going to develop will be the finishing touches – the little
“extras” that will help you in your quest for employment.
The little “extras” that you will be working on developing are the thank you note,
letter of acceptance and letter of resignation.
These are the types of things that make employers remember you, even if you
did not get the position.
You never know when your extra effort will pay off!!!!
The Thank You Note
Thanking people is probably the most important factor in the category of
good manners.
Did you know that focusing on the other person , that is treating them with
courtesy, manners and thoughtfulness does wonders for increasing the
opportunities for success in your job hunt?
What do I thank the interviewer for?
* The
time of the interviewer
* The
hospitality of the receptionist, interviewer and others
consideration of the organization to be hired as
* The
an employee
* The
information you received in the interview
opportunity
* The
to possibly be hired and take an
important step in your career.
Is there any specific way to write a thank you note?
* Thank you notes should be written personally. If you have
poor handwriting, then print.
* You should write a short message on the bottom part of the
inside panel of the card. ( Do not write on the back side)
* Choose a conservative style paper.
* Choose a plain color (white, off-white, cream, ivory or very
light gray). Dark colors are not considered professional.
* Thank you notes are smaller than personal size stationary and
much smaller than business size stationary. ‘
* Address the note “ Dear Mr. or Mrs. “ rather than by the first
name.
* Spell everything correctly.
* Write about something special, something which may not relate to all
other applicants.
* Time your thank you note to arrive on a good day ( Friday for
example)
* Put a return address on the envelope.
* Use an attractive commemorative postage stamp.
* Don’t use politically controversial stamps for postage or decoration.
* Use a good quality pen with business color ink.
* Don’t oversell yourself.
* Sign your formal name.
September 17, 2009
Dear Mr. Hasjob,
Thank you so much for the interview and the market
information you provided. I was most impressed with the city, your
station and everyone I met.
Working at WRJV with you and your team would be both
interesting and exciting. I look forward to your reply and to the
possibility of helping you set new records for the next year.
Sincerely,
Anne Wantajob
The Letter of Acceptance:
An acceptance letter acknowledges the job offer. This letter should express
appreciation for the job offer, restate the terms of employment, and indicate the
date you are available to start.
Example:
The position you offered me as clerical and sales trainee
sounds very appealing. I am impressed with AB&C and would be
pleased to accept.
On Monday, June 17, I will report to work as requested. I
am looking forward to learning how I can be of service to your station.
The Follow Up Letter:
Sometimes we do not get a position that we wanted.
Even though we may be disappointed and want to forget the situation, we still
need to follow up.
You never know where it could lead !!!!
You should thank the employer AGAIN for the interviewing process. You should
also restate your interest in other opportunities within the organization.
You should close your follow up letter with a “statement of possibility”. State
that you would like the opportunity to stay in touch with the interviewer over the
next few months.
The Letter of Resignation:
When you have an opportunity to advance sometimes it is necessary to
resign your position in one organization to accept one in another.
It is always polite to write a formal letter of resignation.
The letter should state that you are leaving the organization and the
date of your last working day.
You should also make a statement mentioning that you enjoyed your
time at the organization.
It is also acceptable to comment on something you learned during your
time as an employee with the organization.
Finishing Touch Assignment
1.
Pretend that you have just interviewed with a company called BandAid Inc. The company specializes in the manufacturing of medical
supplies. Your interviewer is Mr. Sam Computer.
2.
Write the following letters/notes in reference to your pretend
interview:
a.
b.
c.
d.
Thank you note
Letter of acceptance
Follow-up letter
Letter of resignation
3.
Save your letters/notes to your flash drive or hard drive.
4.
Turn a copy of the letters in to your teacher.
5.
Once your teacher has proofed your letters/notes , put them in your
portfolio.
Every job is a self-portrait
of the person who did it.
Autograph your work with
excellence!