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Letter or email?

When applying for a general job (asking for any vacancies available) can I have people's views please on whether it is better to apply by email or letter?
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Comments

  • SailorSam
    SailorSam Posts: 22,754 Forumite
    10,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    In the past i would have always said you write a letter. I was always taught that you write a letter in your very best joined-up writing and put a stamp on it. But then a couple of years ago, when i had to 'sign on' for the first time in probably 40yrs, i discovered everything these days is done via the Internet. People expect emails.
    Liverpool is one of the wonders of Britain,
    What it may grow to in time, I know not what.

    Daniel Defoe: 1725.
  • what does the job advert say? what contact details do they provide?
  • tommy2k8
    tommy2k8 Posts: 96 Forumite
    what does the job advert say? what contact details do they provide?

    It's not a specific job - I am a self-employed computer engineer and I would love to work for my favourite computer magazine, ComputerActive - I even helped a client of mine and thus had my letter published in the issue out now!
  • SailorSam
    SailorSam Posts: 22,754 Forumite
    10,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    I know i said email, but in those circumstances i think a letter would be better
    Liverpool is one of the wonders of Britain,
    What it may grow to in time, I know not what.

    Daniel Defoe: 1725.
  • jamesperrett
    jamesperrett Posts: 1,013 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    One magazine writer that I know started his career by writing articles that he thought magazines would be interested in and then sending them off to a variety of magazines covering the technology that he wanted to write about. He must have been pretty good because more than one magazine actually printed the article he sent and paid him for it. He's still a freelancer but writes regularly for one particular magazine now. Most magazine editors would want to see samples of your work so the best advice is probably to get writing!
  • tommy2k8
    tommy2k8 Posts: 96 Forumite
    One magazine writer that I know started his career by writing articles that he thought magazines would be interested in and then sending them off to a variety of magazines covering the technology that he wanted to write about. He must have been pretty good because more than one magazine actually printed the article he sent and paid him for it. He's still a freelancer but writes regularly for one particular magazine now. Most magazine editors would want to see samples of your work so the best advice is probably to get writing!

    Thankyou for the advice. So should I wait to write a letter and write an article first?
  • tommy2k8
    tommy2k8 Posts: 96 Forumite
    I have decided I am going to write an article detailing mine and my clients' views on Windows 10. Even I don't get it published, it will show them what I can do.
  • I have finished my two articles, and sent them to:
    Computeractve.
    What other computer magazines do you recommend?
  • Smodlet
    Smodlet Posts: 6,976 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    How about Computer Weekly?
  • Pennywise
    Pennywise Posts: 13,468 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper
    I regularly get people looking for jobs either emailing or writing to me even when no job has been advertised.

    If it's a letter, I'll read it.

    If it's an email, especially if it's brief with the cv etc as an attachment, I'll delete it. I certainly won't open an attachment from someone I don't know, and wasn't expecting, in case it's some kind of virus.

    So, my advice is to write not email.
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