Page 223 - 201 Killer Cover Letters

08 6/27/03 9:21 AM Page 210
Be specific about what you thank your readers for; if they don’t know you
personally, they may have already forgotten you! Make your thanks meaningful
to the person who helped you—if positive, mention the results of that help and
the difference it made in your job search. Say, for example, that a colleague rec-
ommended that you contact a Ms. Farrell. You called, scheduled a get-together,
and gained important advice during the meeting. Because your colleague will
want to know how you used the referral and how the meeting went, you might
write:
Meeting Ms. Farrell was invaluable to me. She shared with me her view of the
future of endocrine therapy research, which in turn, led me to refine my job-
search strategy. As a result of our meeting, I will be contacting Stan Whitmore,
an acquaintance of Ms. Farrell’s, who directs product development for Pfizer
Inc.’s pharmaceutical division.
Not only is it a courtesy to inform your colleague of the results of the referral, it’s
good networking. With the knowledge that you have properly handled the refer-
ral—and that Ms. Farrell found you impressive enough to further refer you to a
colleague of hers—your friend will likely be willing to provide additional assis-
tance in the future. (It should go without saying that the next letter you write will
be to Ms. Farrell.)
If you choose not to go into this level of detail—for example, if the results
were less than you expected—state your feelings instead of providing informa-
tion. In this case, the rule is always: say—don’t describe—how you feel. Whether
you’re mildly grateful, very grateful, eternally grateful, or not at all grateful, this
can be accomplished in very few words. Give the necessary information and
STOP.
Your Thank-You Letters should always be brief, direct, and written with a
positive tone of voice. Because they are short and easy to write, there’s no excuse
to avoid sending a Thank-You Letter. So don’t pass on this chance to network! Use
the sample letters provided on the following pages to guide you as you compose
your own.

210