Compiling Information for Your Letter of Interest
Research the company or organization you're interested in. Peruse the organization's website and look at their major divisions. Get a feel for what it does well, as well as its main goals. Try to find the "About Us" page and dig around for a mission statement. To convince someone you should work at their company, you must first know as much as you can about their company. That way, you can match your skills with what they need. For instance, you might notice that the company is mid-sized, but that it seems to be run more like a family business. Alternatively, maybe you notice their primary mission is to produce high-end products, which drives all their decision-making.
Examine the company's social media accounts. While the website will show the main projects the company is interested in, social media can show you the kind of company they present themselves as. It also speaks to the potential work environment. They may lean towards a traditional and professional environment, or they may present themselves as hip and up on new trends. Be sure to check out the corporate blog, too, if you can find one. For instance, if the company posts quirky memes and responds with a little bit of snark and humor to their customers, they are likely fairly laid back.
Check the company's current or past job listings. Even if they don't have a job listed that you want, the wording they use in their listings gives you an idea of the kind of employee they want. You may need to make inferences based on what they say. For instance, maybe they ask for a "team player," which means they want someone who communicates well and is able to work together with people on projects.
Look at the recent press releases and news updates. You can find this on their website. You can also use a search engine if it's a large company. Basically, you just want to know what the company has been focusing on recently so you can use that in your letter of interest. For instance, if the company is creating a new line of products, that tells you where the company is headed. Alternatively, if they are pulling back from products, that could indicate they're in a slump and need a push in the right direction.
Check out what past or current employees have to say. Many sites have areas that allow employees to review a company. You can glean a lot of information about the company from these sites, including what they expect from their employees. If you know someone from the company, ask them a few questions. For instance, if you notice the company is moving in a new direction, ask the employee what led to that change.
Organizing Your Letter
Highlight your most important skills on your resume. Spend some time poring over your resume. Pick out the skills that make you a good fit for the company, and write them on a separate page. For instance, maybe you want to include things like, "Excellent at managing people," "Great communication skills," and "Adept at technology." You can also include your education in this section.
Consider the jobs and experience that gave you those skills. Under each skill, list how you became proficient in it. Maybe you learned on the job or took a course in it. Maybe you taught yourself the skill. For example, maybe you're great at managing people because you've been in a management position for 5 years, as well as took continuing education courses.
Connect the skills you choose to the company. When writing a letter of interest, your goal is to present yourself as a person who would fit well in the organization, not for a particular job. That means that you need to figure out how the skills and experience you have make you a good fit. Go back to the research you did on the company. Consider what kind of person they're looking for based on what you know about their culture and their job listings. Make the connection for the company between your skills and the company's need. Basically, establish why the company should consider you for an open position. For example, if the company seems to like team players, emphasize how you work well with others because you've been in team-centered companies for the past 10 years.
Writing the Letter
Begin with the heading. Put your name, address, phone number, and email at the top, all on separate lines. Skip a line, and then write out the date. Skip a line again, and write the name, title, organization, and address of the person you're writing, also on separate lines. You can include your title under your name on a separate line.
Address the letter to a specific person if possible. Typically, you want to address it to the person in charge of hiring new employees. If it's a large company, that will be different across departments, but try to dig around until you find someone you can address it to. Use "Mr." or "Ms." and the person's last name. If the person has a doctorate, use "Dr." instead. If you can't find anyone, try "Dear Hiring Committee:"
Introduce yourself and your purpose in the first paragraph. You are writing this letter to someone out of the blue, so you need to explain why you're doing so. Start by giving a brief explanation of who you are. Then, state why you are writing the letter. For instance, you might write, "My name is Lucy Wright, and I am a mechanical engineer with 12 years of experience in the field. I have always been fascinated by the work your company does, and I am writing to inquire about open positions."
Lay out your skills in the second paragraph. This paragraph is to show off the skills that would make you a good employee. Make sure to connect those skills to what you learned about the company in your research. For instance, you might write, "I have worked at the Engineering Company for the last 7 years as a team manager in research and development. While there, I led a team that designed and built a new machine that increased efficiency by 15 percent. I am always working hard to make the production line more efficient while maintaining high safety standards, something I know your company values. It is important to me that anyone under me work together well, and I have taken management courses to learn how to assist with communication problems. From what I have learned about your company, good communication skills and team cooperation are essential to running the company well."
Emphasize your flexibility as an employee. In the body of your letter, make sure to let the company know that you're willing to work in a variety of positions. That way, if something opens up, they will ask you to apply. For example, you may say, "I am proud to say I am very flexible. I have worked in a number of departments both at my current job and in my previous positions. I've worked in management, safety testing, research and development, and customer service, just to name a few. If a position should come open at your company, I hope you will consider me for it, no matter what department it is in."
Finish with a reminder of why you're writing and what's next. Conclude the letter by stating again that you're looking for open positions. Then, let them know you'll be in touch and how they can contact you. For instance, you might write, "Thank you for your time and consideration. If a position becomes available, please keep me in mind. I will be in touch in the next week or two by email, and you can contact me by email at [email protected]."
Use a professional closing and sign the letter. Skip a line, and then write a closing like "Sincerely," "All the Best," "Thank You Again," "Kind Regards," or "Respectfully." Skip 2 lines to leave room for your signature and type your name underneath.
Using Letters of Interest for Other Purposes
Gain a promotion at work with a letter of interest. This type of letter is similar to a letter you write to a company you'd like to work at. However, in this case, you're writing to someone in your own company about an open position or possible promotion. Research the position to learn exactly what will be expected from you. Talk to friends in the department if you can or ask your current boss about the position. You already know a lot about your company, so use that to show why you're a good fit for the promotion. Highlight the things you've done for your company in the letter.
Send a letter of interest when you're placed on a college waitlist. When you're placed on a waitlist, a letter of interest can let the university know that you're still very interested in attending school there. Use the letter to demonstrate why you would make a good candidate for the school. Show your enthusiasm for attending, but also discuss anything that may have been perceived as a weakness in your application, especially if you've changed it somehow. Also, you can add anything new that may have happened since you applied, such as new awards or honors. The waitlist is the second tier of potential students for college admissions. In other words, the university has sent out acceptance letters, and they are waiting to hear back to see if all their spots are filled. If not, they will accept people from the waitlist.
Treat letters of interest for funding like mini-grants. In the fundraising world, a letter of interest is basically a short version of a grant. A 1-2 page letter makes it easier on the funding organization to make decisions about who they will and will not support. Your letter of interest should contain the same major sections that a grant would. Establish what the charitable need is and how your organization fills it. Discuss your target population, including age, gender, socioeconomic status, and education level. Provide information about your organization, such as a brief history and your primary mission. Discuss how you measure outcomes, as well as how the funding will directly benefit the target audience. Establish how much you want from the funding organization. A letter of interest for funding is part emotion, part story, and part data. You want to move them to help your charity with your story but also back up what you have to say with data.
Write a letter of interest to sway a seller to let you buy a property. If a seller has multiple similar offers from buyers, it may be difficult for them to choose. A letter of interest lets the seller know why you want the property and what it would mean to you. For instance, if you love a home in a cozy neighborhood and you know the seller raised their kids there, you might write a letter about how you'd love to raise your family in such a wonderful house with special touches.
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