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Chapter 8 M
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The Make Something Happen Letter
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T
It never fails. You send in your resume, schedule an interview, ace it, and then you H
wait...and wait...and wait. Who knows why? The firm might have hired another I
N
candidate without informing you (as rude as this is, it happens all the time). The G
hiring process may have been interrupted for any number of reasons: budget cuts,
a hiring freeze, downsizing, the company was put up for sale. Your interviewer H
A
may be experiencing difficulty choosing from a strong field of candidates. Perhaps
P
the person responsible for hiring has simply taken a three-week vacation. P
Whatever the reason for the unnerving quiet, you should consider yourself a E
N
viable candidate until you hear otherwise. If you haven’t heard anything, you
haven’t heard “No,” so take advantage of the uncertainty. Whip out that pen, turn L
on that computer, and keep that motivation flowing. Try and get the hiring E
process moving in your direction. Writing and sending a well-planned Make T
T
Something Happen Letter demonstrates your eagerness to work for the person or E
firm, and your ability to follow through on an endeavor to completion—both of R
which are impressive qualifications to most employers. S
The Make Something Happen Letter is aptly named. Its purpose is to make
something happen. It is meant to rev the hiring engines and to re-present yourself
as a sterling candidate for the open position. This letter also helps to sway the de-
cision maker’s opinion away from your competition, and towards you. In writing
this letter, your primary goal is to promote yourself. Your secondary goal is to jump-
start the hiring process. And with a little preparation, you can accomplish both si-
multaneously.
Before you begin to write, take a moment to reassess the situation. Be certain
that you have not been rejected so graciously, in fact, that you may have misun-
derstood. Be sure that you are a viable candidate, with relevant skills and experi-
ence; if you are irrefutably unqualified, there may be little point in pushing now.
Most importantly, try and discern whether the person to whom you’re writing
will be receptive to your assertiveness.
If you determine that you are a reasonable candidate and that an active, ag-
gressive step is called for, the Make Something Happen Letter can often do the
trick. If you’re unsure but figure it’s worth a shot, lessen the risk by matching the
tone of voice you use in your letter to that of your reader or the position you seek.
Many of the sample letters that follow in this chapter involve sales positions, for

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