Re: Using the Sunday paper

[Herman Holtz <holtz -at- CLARK -dot- NET>]

On Fri, 17 Mar 1995, Marc Santacroce wrote:

> At  6:26 PM 3/16/95 -0500, Richard Lippincott wrote:

> I've done it, and I got my first tech writing job that way. I was looking for
> >a job in aerospace. I was checking ads in "Aviation Week & Space Technology."
> >When I spotted a company hiring design engineers, I'd send off my resume with
> >a letter that said something to the effect of "You didn't say you wanted tech
> >writers, but you're going to need some to write about the thing that the
> >design engineers are planning." Lockheed agreed, and hired me.
> ============

> Outstanding idea. I'm going to use it this weekend.

It's a very bright idea, but it sometimes produces frustrating results.
As a freelance writer, I have sent out occasional mailings in quest of
business, and I have sometimes sent out what I thought to be clearly
stated appeals for contract writing work. I was at pains to avoid any
resemblance to the classic resume format. Nevertheless, too often my
literature was (apparently) directed to a personnel office, who sent me
the standard blurb that tey would keep my resume on file, etc, etc. It
reinforces a practice I once followed (and will again) of putting a
routing guide at the head of the letter directing the offcies to which my
lterature ought to be sent! (That seems to work pretty well.)

                                 * * *
Herman Holtz [holtz -at- clark -dot- net]: Marketing Consultant/Proposal Specialist,
Writing & Ghost Writing Services, 35 years experience. Author of 60+
professional/business books, including best-selling How to Succeed as an
Independent Consultant (Wiley). PO Box 1731, Wheaton, MD 20915. Tel:
301-649-2499. Fax: 301-649-5745.