Heather Huhman from Entry Level Careers Examiner shares her thoughts on unsolicited cover letters and resumes. With job scarce many are sending their resumes out to whoever they can find - is this a good thing?
Q: I was wondering if you could discuss your thoughts on sending unsolicited résumés and cover letters. As someone currently looking to relocate to L.A., I have been researching many organizations in Southern California and come across several that interest me. However, many—especially the smaller ones—don’t have any job openings listed on their Web sites. Some of them advertise an e-mail address for general résumé submission, but some of them have no contact information whatsoever for job inquiries.
What is a good strategy to use when submitting your résumé to a company’s general career e-mail address when there are no specific positions advertised? In the event that no contact information is listed for job inquiries, when—if ever—is it appropriate to select someone you feel may be appropriate from the Web site to send your unsolicited résumé to? In your experience, do companies pay any attention to unsolicited résumés? Is it a waste of time to send my résumé and express my interest in working for a company that doesn’t advertise any job openings?
A: What you’ve just described is actually a fantastic tactic, and certainly not a waste of time! It’s said that anywhere between 70 and 80 percent of openings are never advertised—anywhere. So, by approaching companies that do not appear to be hiring at the moment, you possibly could be at the very top of their lists.
Now, if you can avoid it, don’t send your application materials to a generic e-mail address. Use LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Google, etc. to find the appropriate hiring manager. When I say this, I mean the individual who would be in charge of the final decision to hire you—your potential future boss.
Unsolicited résumés can lead to a great dialogue about your future in your industry itself, or possibly the organization. My suggestion is to politely request an informational interview in the event you feel the organization is not currently hiring. That way, you might be able to continue the conversation beyond your single point of contact—the unsolicited résumé.
In my experience, it depends on the company and potentially the individual to whom you reach out whether or not your request for an informational interview will be fulfilled. However, other than taking a few minutes out of the person’s day, there’s absolutely no cost to the organization. So, I hear of very few requests for this type of meeting turned down. I definitely say go for it!
Beyond an informational interview, another request you could make—while you’re making them anyway—is to job shadow the individual. Done properly, this could be an extremely flattering gesture. Who doesn’t enjoy showing off what they do every day—being recognized for their work and their role in the industry?
All-in-all, I’d say you have a winning strategy here!
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