You love their products, their brand, and just about everything you hear about them. And while you visit their careers page nearly every day, you’ve yet to find an open role that’s just right for your skills, experience, and career goals.
What should you do? Should you keep waiting and waiting for something to pop up, or is there a more proactive way to go about getting on their radar?
You can write a little thing called a letter of interest.
Unlike a cover letter, which you use to introduce yourself and make clear your fit for a specific position, a letter of interest (also sometimes referred to as a letter of intent) is more like a pitch letter. You’re going to introduce yourself, of course. But instead of targeting a certain role, this is your opportunity to spell out what you love about the organization, and sell them on why you’d be an asset to it.
It’s the perfect option if you feel down to your bones that you have something of great value to offer to a particular organization, but you haven’t seen a posting for a job that’s quite right for you.
How, specifically, can you write a letter of interest? Here are a few quick tips (plus, some samples of what it should look like):
People love from-the-heart flattery, whether it’s about themselves or the companies they represent. And hiring managers want to hire people who don’t just want a job but believe in and are excited about what their organization is doing and stands for.
That being the case, you’ve got a great opportunity to draw the reader in by kicking your letter of interest off with a quick statement that spells out what you love most about the organization.
Maybe you purchase and use their product regularly, maybe you read their newsletter daily, maybe you admire their leadership team (and religiously follow them on social media)—whatever it is, start off with the good stuff that shows you know what they’re all about. Just avoid beginning with something super generic or vague like, “I love your organization and what you do” or “I admire your company’s mission” or “I’m a big fan of [Company]”—you know, anything that can be said about any company. Get specific right away and toss these throw-away lines aside.
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