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I don't write a selling letter after every interview. I only write them when
I can spin a negative, or extend the conversation. I wouldn't waste my time
or the recipients time reiterating what the cover letter said, what the
resume said, or what I said during an interview. If you received one, you
probably wouldn't think it was cheesy or a waste of your time. These letters
are not easy to write correctly, but then they do represent another skill a
writer needs if they want to make a living as a writer. I have succeeded
often enough with these selling letters.
And, as far as having an ulterior motive, I have never gone to an interview
without one. I don't have the luxury of calling someone and having a job
tomorrow if today's job goes south. I don't have the luxury of staying on
unemployment for months. Neither does anyone else.
I do have the luxury of taking hours to think about the approach I'm going
to take in that selling letter that I'm going to write. So if I can't
realistically judge what needs to be said, and find a way to say it, don't
hire me. If you're going to be upset when I sell you in the letter, you're
really going to be upset later when we sell though documentation. And, no I
wouldn't put marketing claims in documentation. We do sell through
documentation whether we do it deliberately or not. We sell whether we do it
well or not.
