when you begin to write, your mind may give
you random, disjointed thoughts. your ideas probably won’t come out logically
or sequentially, but write them down as they appear, without worrying about
order or logic. don’t judge and eva luate, simply collect them. later you’ll
eva luate, sort, and organize them. at this stage you just want to get them down
on paper, on tape, or on computer disk.
it is easier for most people to write this
way, because the creative part of your brain isn’t very logical, and the
logical part of your brain isn’t very creative. don’t expect your mind to
perform both functions at once (although some can).
use the "card trick" to
organize your thoughts
sometimes it helps to put all your thoughts
on individual index cards, exactly as they come to mind. later, you can sort
the cards to get a finished product, eliminating cards that don’t fit.
this is also a beautiful way to write a
magazine or journal article with very little stress--and very little
"writer’s block," because nothing you write down has to be
said perfectly or accurately. everything can be sharpened up later. your first
goal is simply to collect your rough thoughts. once you’ve accomplished that,
here’s what to do next:
1. spend time on your letter. someone once
said, "with part-time effort, you get part-time results."
this is especially true in letter writing. you can expect to spend several
hours, or even several days, on a letter.
2. write a draft, then let it cool off
overnight.
3. rewrite if necessary.
4. use a strong close, like these:
"after you have had a chance to review this letter, i will call you to
get your reactions." "i will call your office next week to
arrange a time when we might be able to get together. if you have any questions
before that, please call me at (555) 771-4357."
5. avoid weaker endings like these:
"please call me at your earliest convenience." "i
believe that a meeting could prove to be mutually profitable, and ask that, if
you agree, you contact me so that we can arrange a convenient time."
"thank you for your consideration. i am available for a personal
interview at your earliest convenience and look forward to hearing from
you." "in the next week or two when your schedule permits,
let’s meet and discuss my aspirations in more detail. please give me a
call." "i look forward to your reply."
6. ask for opinions, advice, and feedback
from friends, and from sales, marketing, and advertising experts.
7. mail a small sample to test your letter.
this is important. a consultant friend once mailed 76,000 brochures at a cost
of nearly $15,000, and only got three responses. what a shame! the material was
poorly written, badly designed, and poorly tested. test your letters before you
roll them out on a large scale.
8. if you’re getting the kind of response
you want, mail larger numbers.
9. enclose a response form to increase your
response.
10. remail the same letter to the same
people two or three times. repetition often helps.
11. don’t mark letters "personal
and confidential," unless there’s a solid reason why they can’t be
opened by a secretary. if the letter is persuasive enough, it will get through.
give yourself time
you can’t expect to produce an exceptional
document overnight. letter-writing is actually harder than resume-writing
because you’re starting with a clean slate. in resume-writing at least you have
your background--which is definite--to work with. in letter writing, you start
with nothing. letters can be about anything. that’s why they’re so difficult.
i once took a class called "how to
market a book." the class focused on writing query letters to
publishers to get a book contract. the course lasted six weeks and met for two
hours each week. i spent several hours per week on homework--staying up all
night several nights--and the end product was a one-page sales letter to
publishers. lots of work for just one letter.
i mailed the letter to about 30 publishers
and got 13 responses. no one bought the book, but one publisher did offer to
publish it for royalties only (no advance), which i declined. that book was the
forerunner of this one.
writers often say, "i don’t like
writing, but i like having written." that’s how many of us feel.
writing can be hard work. don’t take it lightly, and don’t feel bad if you
can’t write a high-impact marketing letter in half an hour. neither can
professional copywriters! writing is a profession, like rocket science. don’t
expect to learn or perfect it overnight.
don’t copy someone else’s letter
take these letters as samples and modify
them to fit yourself, but don’t copy them verbatim(逐字地). i’ve found that people who
copy someone else’s letter seldom get a good response, regardless of how good
the letter is. be original.
it would be easy to take the letters in
this collection and use them word-for-word. that would be quick, but probably
not effective. your letter has to be "you." it should sound
like you, feel like you, read like you--because you have to follow it with a
phone call, or answer questions about it.
so, don’t send a really
"hot," aggressive letter if you’re introverted and laid-back.
you’ll have trouble following up on the letter and you may not come across
well. send a letter that mirrors your style--and only you can write that
letter.
get professional help
if you’re a skilled writer, fine. the
project may be easy for you. but if you’re not, you may need help. consider
hiring a professional freelance writer(自由撰稿人) to help you compose and edit your letters, but not to do them for
you.
where can you begin to look? call your
local ad club for the names of direct mail freelance writers. read the
classifieds in writer’s digest. check the yellow pages under
"writers." contact your local writers’ guild. check with
local advertising and pr firms. they use lots of freelancers. newspaper and
magazine editors know writers too.
第三篇：教你写出优秀求职信模板
保持目标
当你开始写你的求职信的时候，直入主题。解释你为什么写这封求职信并将你感兴趣的职位头衔写在里面。你可能还想要说一下你是在哪儿听到这份工作的："i am writing to express my interest in the sales manager
position advertised on your web site. i have enclosed a copy of my resume for
your review."
和你技能相匹配
一封求职信是你向雇主证明你是最好人选的好机会，因此确定该职位的技能要求是重要的第一步。然后，将你以前和这些技能相关的工作经历的具体介绍，并且最后以类似这样的话总结："i am confident that these combined experiences make me an
ideal candidate for this position."
当你写求职信的时候，你应该总是记得你的任务是-推销自己！陈述你能为雇主所做的，而不是相反，将能让你脱颖而出。使用行为动词例如facilitated，developed和managed来描述你工作的职责，并自信的表示例如"i strongly believe i possess the right combination of
skills and experience you are looking for"
校正
坐下来，马上写然后马上发出你的求职信将保证发生一件事-错误！一旦你写了求职信，确定你稍后会校正一下或是请你的朋友看一下。仔细看拼写和语法错误并确定写的不会太长。最好，put yourself in the employer’s shoes，或假设你是雇主，并决定是否你想要雇佣一名写了这求职信的应聘者。如果不想，回过去并重新改写直到你写出一封令人入胜的求职信！
抗击疫情
