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Old 09-03-2003, 04:21 PM   #1
Mrs. Malevolent
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Do E-Mailed Resumes Receive Responses?

What kind of response do people normally receive from e-mailed cover letters and resumes? So far I have received few responses--nothing--not even quick e-mails saying they aren't interested. I wonder if firms even look at the attached resumes. I get the impression they just delete all of them without responding.

Is snail mail the only way to go? At least with snail mail I normally get formal rejection letters.

What kinds of experiences have other people had with e-mail? I've talked to a couple headhunters who seem to think it's OK to e-mail. It's certainly useful for me when firms ask for undergrad transcripts and writing samples. It's much less expensive to send a full application by e-mail than mailing 20 pages.

Last edited by Mrs. Malevolent; 09-03-2003 at 04:27 PM..
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Old 09-03-2003, 06:19 PM   #2
TexLex
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In my experience, faxes work much better than email - to get rid of a fax, one must physically reach for the paper in the inbox, briefly review it, and then lean over to the trash can - at least it has a chance to draw some attention. With email, none of that is necessary - click, delete. If sending to HHs, however, they usually want it via email so they can input it in their searcheable systems.

If you are sending cold resumes, I strongly suggest finding out the name of someone other than "administrator" or "hiring partner" - even if that person doesn't do the actual hiring, your qualifications have a better chance of ending up in an inbox than the circular file if they are directed to an actual human - just make sure it's not the named partner who died 30 years ago! Better yet, find a partner who went to your school who practices what you are interested in and send to em.

And if an ad does not name the firm, google the fax number and get an address - it looks much better on a cover letter. If only an email is provided, add www. to the last part of the email addy and it usually will take you to their web page, so you have some idea how to tailor your cover letter.

Good Luck,
-TL
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Old 09-03-2003, 06:45 PM   #3
Aloha Mr. Learned Hand
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E-mailing resumes

Despite the extensive use of technology today, I would say that the traditional cover letter/resume through the mail is the way to go.

Most people making hiring decisions at firms are on the average older and less technologically oriented. Further, taking the time to write, print and mail a letter shows a certain amount of interest and effort that an e-mail just doesn't convey.

Finally, with e-mail, it's way too easy to forget you exist or to delete your message and the hiring contact has to make some effort to print out what you send for a file. With a hard copy document, you at least get something physically on their desk, and I think its more likely to get noticed and to get some sort of response.

Best of luck.
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Old 09-05-2003, 05:21 AM   #4
Vincent Cuyp
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I got my current job by e-mailing my resume (cold, essentially) to a (biglaw) firm. During the same job search, I received several other responses from e-mailed resumes (not interested, not hiring now but maybe later, let's talk, etc.). Some of the messages did seem to disappear into the black hole of the firm e-mail system, but overall I found firms responsive.

I take the point from the previous post that the "older generation" might be less e-mail inclined, but larger firms have HR people, who tend to be up on the new technology. Also, lots of firms now request e-mailed resumes, so I assume this indicates a willingness to accept them in electronic form.

I did include a cover letter with my resume, which I think is still a good idea. Also, I would not be shy about sending resumes by a variety of methods (e-mail, fax, mail, carrier pigeon, etc.).

Good luck!
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Old 03-15-2004, 10:07 AM   #5
Hank Chinaski
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Quote:
Originally posted by leagleaze
As technologically savvy as I am, when someone emails me a resume, I have a tendency to forget about it. I've noticed I'm a lot more likely to pay attention if the thing is already printed out and in my face.

I'm not sure why that is though. I've been thinking about it since the question was asked, but I'm just not sure.

However, if it is a stellar resume it is a stellar resume, and I'll make a point of not forgetting about it if it really interests me.
Resumes get more attention if there is some sense that it was sent to the particular firm, because that firm has something in particular that attracted to applicant. When I receive an e-mail resume, I assume mass mailing, and spend less (little to no) time with the resume.

edit: just realized this was 6 months dead- too late I'm sure
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Old 01-17-2005, 08:02 PM   #6
TexLex
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Well, there's always this:

Earn Easy Cash in Your Spare Time...

Jan 13, 8:24 AM (ET)

BOGOTA, Colombia (Reuters) - Colombia on Wednesday invited the world's bounty hunters to scour its jungles and mountains and drag back rebel chiefs in return for cash rewards.

"It would be great if all the bounty hunters in the world came to capture those bandits. The money's there for them, and the rewards are good," Vice President Francisco Santos told reporters.

The Colombian government has put rewards of up to about $2 million on the heads of outlaws like Manuel "Sureshot" Marulanda, veteran Marxist commander of the 17,000 fighters of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).

Santos' comments came after officials said they had paid an unspecified reward to an anonymous informant who helped them catch Rodrigo Granda, a top rebel who authorities called the FARC's "foreign minister."

Granda's capture has caused a diplomatic squabble with neighboring Venezuela, which says he was kidnapped from a street in Caracas. The Colombian government, which has long suspected Venezuela's leftist President Hugo Chavez of sympathies for the FARC, insists they nabbed Granda within their borders.

Colombia's war with the FARC and other illegal armed groups has lasted 40 years and claims thousands of lives annually.

President Alvaro Uribe owes his 70-percent approval rating to a military campaign against the FARC but the group's top commanders keep safe in hideouts in the country's extensive mountains and jungles.

But Colombia is outgunned in the reward stakes by its ally the United States, which has offered up to $25 million for information leading to the arrest of Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.
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