How to Write a Letter of Reference
So you'll need the following:
-The applicant's resume or CV
-A copy of the job application (if applicable)
-Information about the company
-A letterhead and signature, if possible
-Paper to write on in your off hours
-Postage money for your envelope. Yeah. That's a thing. It costs money to send letters at an international scale, so budget accordingly. A budget should be around $1 per ounce regardless of where you're mailing it from and what country the recipient is in (USPS).
-A way of sending the letter. If you're using snail mail, have a USAA account, or a P.O. box and access to a printer to print mailing labels with the address, you can send it through the United States Postal Service.
-Directions on what you need to include and why
-Contact information if they need to contact you
Your first draft should look something like this: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1tKjXpL0ezgO42MbzTZmDmRCTMlvHQS_G
Your second draft should look something like this: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0Bw-LkPbJcKY3Mm1VdlplNlZpa1E/view
Your third draft should look something like this: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1QZmlTKj9H8EzWozgvF6y4U6DjBi6ok4U
Follow-up with a thank you and congratulations on the position the recipient will be taking (if applicable).
Pack it up and send it! They'll get a lot less spam that way.
I know, the form is long. This is three drafts to get it right, though. It's still a lot of work, but it's much easier than doing it cold in your head.
It takes time and effort to put together a good letter, but I think the cost outweighs that of bad letters you'll have to write in the future for any company you apply to. Your best bet for a job reference is to write with care and be prepared for how you want it read by the person reading it. Take the time before hand to make sure your points are clear and concise .
-Tyler (Contact me at [email protected] )
-- Tyler Gibbs is an attorney and the author of "How to Write a Letter of Reference." If you want to get started on writing professional letters, you can find more information by clicking here: http://avvo.com/small-business/how-to-write-a-letter-of-reference.html . Follow Tyler on Twitter @LegalDocJW or check out his blog at http://www.legaldocjw.com .
Posted by Tyler Gibbs at 4:51 PM 1 comments:
The Great Letter: Coaching, Mentoring, and Small-Dollar Funding
Why I'm a Mentor, Coach, and Salesperson (Part 1)
We were 20 minutes into a mentorship session with my business partner as we discussed our vision for the company at hand. We were both fully enthralled by the concept of building a remarkable product that helps others express themselves safely and confidently. We knew we could make it happen if we all just stuck to the plan – our only problem was the lack of funding that would be needed to make all our dreams come true.
We had a great idea; we also had the right knowledge and skills to make it happen. We just didn't have the funding.
Then, as if by magic, the investor's business card landed in our lap (with a little prompting from me). Three hours later, we got our first infusion of funding. It wasn't a lot, but it was enough to keep us afloat for another few months until more funding came through.
This happened in 2014 after months of searching for investors with no success and I honestly thought it was a fluke at the time. I couldn't figure out how we got through when others failed. But it's not a fluke.
How can it work? It's not just good fortune. There are some truths that you need to know about attracting funding. But first things first: being in business is hard work and you have to be prepared before you ever get to that point – because success doesn't just happen sometimes, it happens all the time.
It takes an incredible amount of focus, commitment, and hustle to build a thriving business from nothing. The goal is that your business should be able to sustain itself if everyone in the company goes on their own way and leaves your baby unattended for a week or two at a time.
If you want to grow quickly and take your business to the next level, mentorship is the way to go. When you have a mentor, they can help tell you what you're doing right, what you're doing wrong, and how to get it right.
A good mentor will also be able to give occasional opportunities for investment money. They aren't always going to have the money in their pocket that they are willing and able to give out. At least not until they run into someone they consider worthy of investing in.
You can come up with a clever name for your business, but you can't do it alone. No matter how great your idea is, you're going to need help to make it happen.
To my fellow entrepreneurs who are looking for investment funds, here's some advice:
1. Know What You Want to Get from Funding
Not all investors are created equal. Some will put more money in your pockets than others and they might offer different types of funding deals that all come with different strings attached. There's no right or wrong answers – what matters is that you're aware of how the process works and what you need to do (or not do) in order to get what you want out of it.
2. Hire the Right People
You can't do everything yourself. At some point, you might need to hire a few people. If you don't have the funds to take a chance on someone who could be the next Stephen King, then it's better to just not get anyone on board with your business idea at all.
3. Know What You Don't Need
If you don't need anything from funding money and it's available, then it might be time to go for it! This is particularly important if there are other ways of getting what you want without having to wait for funding if you're looking for startup capital.
Conclusion:
If you want funding, it's going to take a lot of hustle and sacrifice. If you want to go the company route, you might have to put personal relationships on hold for a time. But if you're smart about it, your business can have a huge chance at being a success. Just remember: don't be one of those guys who puts his name on everything and sits back as everyone else does all the work for him.
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