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Subject:Case study: how to get a job From:Dick Margulis <margulisd -at- comcast -dot- net> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Thu, 24 Jun 2004 07:25:47 -0400
Gather 'round, children ...
Context: Last week I posted a query under the subject "Web animation
technology question." I eventually posted the project on a bid site, as
I said I would.
What happened: I didn't get any bites at first (well, one from somebody
who had taken a course and wanted a practice project); but I reposted it
yesterday and got eight bids.
Of those eight, seven were boilerplate cover letters. These individuals
and firms would appear to send the same I-can-do-it-good-fast-and-cheap
letter in response to every job posted that even has a whiff of being
something they might be able to do. The attached portfolios in some
cases included zero examples of the technology I requested. A few had
one or two decent examples, but it was unclear whether those examples
involved the technical characteristics I asked for.
The eighth response, although the Web client medium is not conducive to
formatting a T-letter, was essentially a T-letter in content. It
addressed the requirements _I_ identified in the job description with
_explicit_ answers directed at _my_ questions. The linked samples
_demonstrated_ that they embodied the technical features I'm looking for.
The proposal was a concrete demonstration of the person's ability to
understand my needs and address them directly and skillfully.
This is a no-brainer. I awarded the job immediately to that bidder and
closed the listing. I don't need to hear from anyone else.
If I were filling a full-time position and received that convincing a
letter, I'd be certain to interview the candidate and likely to hire the
person at its conclusion.
So when you're out there looking for work--as an employee, a contractor,
or an independent vendor--can _you_ be that persuasive? If so, I don't
think you'll be whining about the lousy economy to your friends.
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