Sample Networking Letter: Does NOT include resume

123 Rochester Lane Medford, MA 02155 November 6, 2005 Ms. Heather Preston Senior Account Executive Prospero Public Relations 12345 West Bernardo Drive San Diego, CA 92717 Dear Ms. Preston: After reading about Prosperos aggressive and successful publicity campaigns in the October 14 edition of Boston Business Journal, I began researching your firm as part of my own campaign to explore careers in communication. Knowing my interest in Prospero, Dr. Vernon Cluff, my Communications professor, gave me your name as one of his former students. Would you be willing to speak with me about your work at Prospero and your own career path? I see corporate communications as an area where I can offer an employer organizational, interpersonal, and writing skills. For example, while working last year in Tufts Alumni Relations office, I was in charge of promoting the Fall Alumni Reunion Bash. I designed and implemented an innovative mail campaign that targeted more than 19,000 letters to seven different audiences. Attendance increased 36 percent over the previous four years. Based on my experience with audience analysis and communication, I would like to learn more about careers where I can use these skills. I welcome your advice. Ill call you within the next week to see if you might be able to meet with me at your convenience. In the meantime, if youd like to reach me, my contact information is (617) 755-9887 and ray.johnson@tufts.edu. Thanks for considering a request from a member of the Tufts Class of 2006. Sincerely, Ray Johnson (signature) Ray Johnson Enclosure

http://careers.tufts.edu

2/9/2007

Sample Thank You Letter Ballou Hall, Room 45 Tufts University Medford, MA 02155 March 8, 2006 Lea Mandel Technical Design Team Pacific Engineering Group 45 West Avenue San Francisco, CA 09876 Dear Ms. Mandel, I enjoyed meeting you yesterday and learning more about your research and design work. Thank you for the opportunity to interview for your process engineer position. My enthusiasm for the position and my interest in working for PEG has increased as a result of our discussions. My education and internship experiences seem to meet the job requirements, and I believe I can contribute to your business goals. I want to convey my strong interest in the position and in working with you and your staff. I am ready to provide you with any additional information. If this would be helpful, please contact me at 617-617 8762 or hazel.timely@tufts.edu. Thank you for the interview and for your consideration. Sincerely, Hazel Timely (signature) Hazel Timely

http://careers.tufts.edu

2/9/2007

Sample Letter of Acceptance

98 North Avenue Somerville, MA 02155 April 15, 2006 Vitor Rusky Director of Human Resources FAST Systems 78 Commonwealth Avenue Brighton, MA 02134 Dear Mr. Rusky, Thank you for your telephone call on April 11 in which you offered me employment as a field analyst with FAST Systems. I am pleased to accept your offer and I have enclosed the Employee Data Application that you requested. To confirm my understanding of the offer, I am to start work in the Brighton office on Monday, July 5, with an annual compensation of $40,000 plus benefits. I look forward to joining FAST Systems and to making a solid contribution from day one. Sincerely, Yuki Okubi (signature) Yuki Okubi

http://careers.tufts.edu

2/9/2007

Sample Email Messages to an Alumnus Requesting Information about Majors and Internships Email #1: Contact from Tufts Career Network. Initial communication to set the stage for questions to follow. Allows recipient to indicate, yes or try me later. Subject line: Career question from a Tufts senior Dear Ashish, Thank you for your willingness to share your experiences through the Tufts Career Network. As I prepare to graduate in May with an Economics degree, Ive researched the financial services sector to identify opportunities where Im best suited to make a contribution. My research has helped refine my goals and it has also raised some questions that I would like to pose to you, based on your experience with JP Morgan and Bear Stearns. Would it be possible to send a few questions to you? Understanding that your schedule is busy, Id like to determine a convenient time to forward these questions to you. If I dont hear back, Ill hold my thoughts for another few weeks and try again. In the meantime, thank you for being part of the Tufts Network. Its been helpful to read of your progression in financial services. Sincerely, Alison Johnson

Email #2: Personal referral requesting a face-to-face meeting Subject line: Referral from Prof. Dawn Anderson @ Tufts Prof. Dawn Anderson, my communications advisor at Tufts, suggested I contact you in connection with my interest in exploring life in an agency environment. In response to my interest in boutique firms where I can where many hats Prof. Anderson recommended that I speak to you to get some first-hand advice. Im in Boston on a regular basis and wonder if it might be possible to meet with your for a brief discussion. Ive been visiting your website to learn more about N&As clients and its approach to PR. In doing so, I have noted your telephone number and Ill call you in a few days to follow-up on this email. Hearing about your career choices and your agency experience would certainly help clarify my goals for the coming year. Thank you for considering my request. Sincerely, Caitlin Schnicker 617.222.4444

http://careers.tufts.edu

2/9/2007

Email #3: Personal referral a letter requesting an informational meeting Haley N. Door 500 Commonwealth Avenue Boston, MA 00202

Lilly Ghose Senior Vice President Director of Client Service & MIS AB&C Inc. One Beacon St. Boston, MA 00000 Dear Ms. Ghose, Aric Chen, a longtime friend of my familys, has encouraged me to contact you as a resource for information about careers in private asset management. Im an 06 graduate of Tufts University with dual majors in Economics and International Relations, internship experience with Capital Advisors Group, and exposure to marketing in my current role at Finfocus, Inc. I would appreciate an opportunity to speak with you at your convenience to get some ideas on how to best prepare and market myself for an entry-level position in investment management. With your responsibilities in Client Service and MIS, you offer a broad view that would help me to better understand relationship management as well as the technical underpinnings of the investment process. Im particularly interested in AB&Cs client mix of families, small businesses, and non-profits. Knowing that your schedule does not allow much flexibility, I can accommodate whatever time you might have for a discussion. I welcome the possibility of hearing your thoughts from a 25-year business perspective, especially in these unpredictable economic times. Thank you for considering my request. If you would like to follow up with me, you can reach me at 617.909.5319 or haleydoor@yahoo.com. Sincerely,

Haley Door

http://careers.tufts.edu

2/9/2007

Email #4A: Request from a sophomore to alumnus Subject line: Tufts sophomore with Civil Engineering questions Dear Mr. McCarthy, As a sophomore at Tufts, I found your name in the Career Network. One of the counselors in Career Services suggested that I email alumni and conduct short interviews to explore possible majors and careers. Civil engineering has interested me since my sophomore year in high school. Now, as I prepare to declare a major, I would like to gather some information to get real world advice about the field. I am wondering if you might respond via email to a few questions. If this is a convenient time for you, please let me know and Ill forward several questions that would help me in my own career decisionmaking. Thank you for being part of the Alumni Network. What a great resource! Sincerely, Catherine Burgess Tufts University, Class of 2008 Email #4B: To follow-up Thanks for getting back to me so quickly, Mr. McCarthy. I appreciate your help and look forward to learning more about your career through the following questions: How did you decide to major in Civil Engineering? Did you do any internships while at Tufts? Were they helpful in deciding your major? What is the most demanding aspect of your job? What are the pros and cons of a civil engineering career?

If you have other ideas or suggestions that I havent addressed specifically in my questions, I welcome your thoughts. Thank you for taking the time to help. Sincerely, Catherine Burgess, 08

http://careers.tufts.edu

2/9/2007