Throughout my job-search journey and more recently through growing my business, I have gained practical experience and insight on how to connect with potential employers and clients. I find that networking comes down to clicking with someone and finding a common ground to start the conversation. This is not as easy through electronic means, where it is common for a tone to get miscommunicated. I find it best to keep in mind who I am writing to and adjusting the tone accordingly.
Using the web is a great tool, and nowadays it is essential when communicating. When you are searching online, more often than not, businesses do not have a point of contact person listed. Instead, they might have a general email that says something like info@companyname.com. In this situation, I use the salutation “Greetings!” to get the ball rolling. This has been effective on several occasions and is friendly but still professional. Of course, if there is a contact person, you can use that person’s name. After writing literally hundreds of emails to people I do not know personally, I have learned some things along the way to make that extremely important first impression. This is a process and like everything, it takes practice. Here are some pointers to keep in mind when you are networking through emails:
Study the website of the company.
Pick out a few things that you identify with or admire about the company; this is a great opening to an email.
Keep it direct.
Make sure you state clearly how you can help them with your skills and services, and that it is appropriate to whom you are sending the email. You do not want to list your amazing wedding planning skills to a company that does not specialize in that area.
Make them come to you.
This is important for the closing. Keep all of your contact information in your signature, not in the body of the email. For example, instead of “You can contact me at my email, phone number, and Facebook/LinkedIn account at any time” say, “I look forward to connecting with you.” Then list all of your information in your signature.
Attach your resume.
Save your resume as a PDF file, not a word document, unless it is stated that they need a word document. Name the resume something simple, for example FirstNameLastName_Resume.pdf.
In my experience, for every 100 emails I have sent out I have received 10 or so responses. It is easy to get discouraged if you do not get the response you want, and it is very important to not take this personally. There are a numerous reasons why you will not hear back and absolutely none of those reasons are based on you as a person. It is possible they might not need your services at this time. This is what I call “planting the seeds” and while they might not need you now, they could be looking for you at a later date.
With these tools you can build your business, discover a new path, or gain a new career opportunity.
Jamie Arlin is a graphic designer specializing in custom wedding invitations and stationery. In addition to designing, she enjoys networking and helping others build connections. She can be reached at jamie@jamielynndesigns.com.