Inquiry Letters

An inquiry letter is similar to a cover letter. The big difference is you send it uninvited (or as a cold contact) to an employer. Send inquiry letters to potential employers who have not advertised a job opening. Use the letter to match your qualifications to the needs of the employer.

Sources of information about the needs of an employer are employment advertisements, position descriptions, phone conversations, and informational interviews. Match the employer's needs to your qualifications in your inquiry letter:

Employer Needs	Your Qualifications
Detail-oriented, experienced Administrative Assistant	Four years Administrative Assistant experience with responsibility for numerous detailed reports
Assist Customer Relations Manager	Assisted Customer Relations Manager for two years
Corporate experience with major clients a must	Regularly served purchasing agents at Fortune 500 companies
PC knowledge a plus	Hands-on experience with Lotus 1-2-3 and WordPerfect on IBM-PC

In addition, an inquiry letter should include:

• A specific contact name and title at the company
• An introduction with why you are writing
• A polite request for a follow-up meeting or phone call
• A thank you to the reader for his or her time
• Your signature — blue ink is best to show the letter is an original
• Your resume as an attachment

View a sample inquiry letter for layout and format suggestions.

Source: Creative Job Search and CareerOneStop

©2009 YP Mazzulo