Following Up: Juggling Multiple OffersFocus Letters
You’re back from the interview. Easy, even exhilarating, wasn’t
it? Celebrate, but don’t pop the champagne cork yet if your offer
is still pending. We still have a little more strategizing to do
together.
Now is the time to get out a pen and paper or boot up the
computer. I bet you think I’m going to suggest that you write a
thank-you note. Well, yes and no. Now is a time when you can
continue to ride the wave of positive persuasionthat you created at the
interview.
The note we’re going to write now is a different kind of note.
I call it a focus letter. Its purpose is to leave no doubt in the
employer’s mind that you are the candidate to hire.
A focus letter includes a gesture of appreciation for the inter-
viewer’s time, but also, and more importantly, it imparts a mean-
ingful message of your newfound perceptions of the company...
and how your expertise is indispensable to solving the problems
of their business. On the following page is an example of a focus
letter from a marketing executive seeking a position as the senior
vice president of marketing at a software corporation.
How to Compose a Focus Letter
- Determine the problem the employer is attempting to
address in hiring someone to fill the position you are
applying for. Some examples of the types of problems
addressed in hiring strategies are the following:
- Increasing the speed of production
- Getting a better return on investment
- Improving efficiency
- Raising employee morale
- Becoming more organized
- Attracting more customers
- Selling more products or services
- Decreasing waste
- Ensuring safety
- Improving public relations
- Saving money and time