Answering A Job Posting.

I have read many articles and blog posts dealing with this subject, but now that I am offering small jobs here and there, I am surprised at the lack of...well...something that writers who are responding to these ads have when writing their emails.

I tried to be clear in my ad, say exactly what I was offering and for how much. I'm still getting people asking me how much I am paying and what the job is for. Or even emails that have no welcoming speech in them.

I am not the queen of all writing knowledge, but I just have to say something here. If you are going to answer an ad, don't ever, ever forget to address the person who placed the ad. If you do not know if they are an Editor or not, still assume that they are. I would prefer to see 'Dear Editor:' over nothing at all. Even if I am a webmaster, it is still nicer than 'Hey I am replying to your ad'

If you are writing me, I know you are replying to my ad. Easy enough, huh?

It's all about manners and careful reading of the ad. Give me a catchy subject line or just make sure to put the position title in the subject line. No subjects and snarky ones are likely to get deleted. No subjects might get a look, though, because all of us have made that mistake before.

If you are sending multiple emails, state 'resend' in the subject and WHY in the very first sentence. The first sentence shows up in most emails, giving the editor a chance to scan their email and see what catches their attention. That also means, make your first line in a cover letter SNAPPY. Get that editor to open your email!

Always, always send a nice cover letter. Your email is selling yourself and no matter what someone else tells you, the email answering a job post IS a cover letter. Whether you paste in your resume is another question. I only do it if the job calls for one or is tasty enough to make me really, really want to give that extra OOMPH.

So, give it your best when you send an email answering a job ad. It might well land you that job everyone else wants.