How To Reply To Job Postings

It can be very difficult to know exactly how to reply to a job posting. What to say, how to introduce

yourself, and what to avoid. These are all major factors.

I used to have trouble finding qualified people to take my contracts. Not because they weren't out there,

but because I didn't know what to look for. I used to excuse things like poor English and misspelled words.

Not anymore! Spell check is a built in feature on almost every email client out there. If you don't know how

to use it, why would anyone think you could do the work?

Check your Spelling

The first thing is ALWAYS check your spelling!

Spell check sometimes isn't enough either. Re-read your email slowly and carefully. Check for words spelled

differently. If you spell "right" instead of "write" your spell checker isn't going to catch it. But the person

reading it for the first time is.

Check Your Grammar

Secondly, check your grammar. You don't want to sound like you're a hick from the back hills that is uneducated.

Here is an example: "I am to provide references and web sites for your review." What exactly does this mean?

Is this supposed to be a question? If you make it a habit to re-read your emails before sending them you

will be amazed at the number of mistakes you will find.

Formatting

Another very important point is to make sure your email is not formatted. Never send HTML formatted emails

when replying to a project posting. There are many people that hate formatted emails and it may cost you the

contract. Before sending your reply, check your setting and be sure it is set to "plain text".

Be Concise

Now that we know how important it is to check your formatting, grammar and spelling, let's move on to what

you should say. It is very important to let the project poster know what you can do. This doesn't mean sending

your resume. Be brief and to the point. Here is an example:

My name is Brad Miller and I have been designing web sites for 5 years. You can view some of the sites I have

designed by clicking the links below.

www.somesite.com

www.anothersite.com

www.thelastsite.com

If you can provide me with a little more information about the project I would be happy to provide you a quote

for the project.

At this point you may want to list a few questions you have about the project.

Depending on what type of job you are trying to get you may want to go into a little more detail. Please

remember that most of the time you will be responding to someone who knows all about the job and the credentials

needed. So if it is a web design job, they really won't care if you have made brochures for some company.

All they care about is, can you do the web design stuff.

If you have other skills and would like to let them know, do it in the second or third email. After

they feel comfortable with you they may want to know that you can also make brochures for them.

Asking Questions

So you've introduced yourself and are ready to get down to business. It is now time to ask questions.

Asking the right questions can make or break you. Be knowledgeable about the subject and ask simple yet

vital questions.

There is always one question that needs to be asked; what is the deadline?

Beyond that the questions asked need to be pertinent to the project. Stay focused and figure out what

you need to know to give an accurate quote. Generally, a project posting does not contain much information

about the project other than what type of programs or languages are needed. If this is the case, ask for a

complete description of what needs to be accomplished. Find out what the resulting goals are of the project.

Goals

Let's talk about goals for a minute. The goals of the client are very important. They have a vision and you

possess the skills to make that vision possible. A project is an idea, and you need to take that idea and turn

it into reality. You're the solution to their problems. Be a solution, not an added problem.

Let's recap, check your spelling, check your grammar, check your formatting, introduce yourself but be

brief, and ask the right questions. What are we missing?

Contact Information

Make sure you include a signature at the bottom of every email. Use

your full name and include any web addresses that you personally own or maintain. And don't forget to put

your phone number in there too. It is very important that they know how to contact you. I am more willing

to give a job to someone that gives me a phone number and a physical address than someone that just tells

me their name and expects me to grab their email address out of the "from" box.

Remember you are selling yourself not your skills. If I get a warm fuzzy feeling from your email I will

most likely award you the job.

Communication

Let's not stop there. We need to talk about communication. Communication is more important than anything

else. When I have a project and I need to contract out some of the work I want an immediate response.

I don't have the time to sit and discuss a project with 20 different people, so I am going to discuss

it with the first 5 qualified people that respond. This, of course, is only valid for job postings that are email based

postings from job lists and email lists. This would not apply for sites like Monster.com.

Communication doesn't stop there. You have to be on the ball throughout the duration of the project.

Granted you can't check your email every five minutes of every day. You have to get some work done some

time. But you should at the very least check it 5 times a day. Checking your mail doesn't constitute good

communication you actually have to respond to them too.

Conclusion

Just following the items above will not guarantee you the contract. You will still need to display

confidence and understanding. Showing confidence in your sentences let people know that you are willing

to do what it takes to get the job done. Understanding the project and the situation will show you are

knowledgeable and care enough to take the time to help.

Here is a checklist that you can use when replying to job postings.

- Check your spelling.

- Check your grammar - re-read every email twice.

- Send plain text emails.

- Keep your replies concise and to the point.

- Ask knowledgeable questions.

- Good communication means replying to emails as soon as possible. Don't put it off.

Good Luck!