Writing a begging letter, any advice..?

Originally Posted by Littlepeahead

Three things to make sure it doesn't got straight in the bin.

Firstly, find out who at the company is the best person to address the letter to and then ensure you send it to them personally and make sure you spell their name and the name of the company right. Sounds obvious, but you would be amazed how often I get letters to me that start 'Dear Sir' or they get my name via reception then spell Clare as Claire, and then miss the apostrophe out of Lord's shortly before telling me what great attention to detail they have.

Secondly, even though you are doing a standard letter, include something specific to the company in each one to show you've done your research. If they have recently won an award or are the leader in their field at something, then say that is why you want to have an opportunity for a placement with them. Have a good look at the coprorate section of their website or the trade press then don't be afraid to ring and have a chat with their press office to see if they can give you any info. Be really polite, say you appreciate they are busy but you've read that they have done/been awarded xxx recently and is there a press release they could send you. It just shows you use your initiative and aren't just bombarding everyone with the same letter (even though you more or less are).

Thirdly, in your letter make sure you tell them what you can offer to do to assist them rather than what you want to get out of it. If they think they'll spend most of their time helping you with your disseratation then that will put them off. Once you've got a placement you can then suss out who is happy to give you loads of extra info as you learn, and who you need to butter up a bit more to help you in return for you giving them a hand.

And finally, wherever you end up, always make sure that on day one you offer to help make the tea and coffee from the outset, even if you don't drink it yourself!

Cheers LP, I'll keep you posted on this thread as things develop.