Sending covering letters to agencies (should you include their address?)
Thread poster: Vivien Green
Vivien Green
Vivien Green  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
French to English
Mar 2, 2013

My question is just that, really. I have a list of email addresses for various agencies I plan to write to - do I need to look each one up to find its address for the covering letter or will it look OK without doing this?

 
Sheila Wilson
Sheila Wilson  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 08:29
Member (2007)
English
+ ...
It isn't a job application Mar 2, 2013

I think you need to be careful that you keep in mind the difference between writing to an agency proposing a possible future business collaboration, which is a B2B relationship, and writing to a company applying for a job as a salaried employee.

Different rules apply, if indeed there are any rules for our type of approach to agencies. The one "rule" I'm aware of is that, in theory at least, we're equal partners in a supplier/buyer relationship, so we need to approach the agencies as
... See more
I think you need to be careful that you keep in mind the difference between writing to an agency proposing a possible future business collaboration, which is a B2B relationship, and writing to a company applying for a job as a salaried employee.

Different rules apply, if indeed there are any rules for our type of approach to agencies. The one "rule" I'm aware of is that, in theory at least, we're equal partners in a supplier/buyer relationship, so we need to approach the agencies as equals. In practice, freelancers may be in a weaker position in a relationship with a large limited company, but it's going to do nothing but harm to start negotiations with them with the expectation that you will need to beg and they should dictate.

So, address or not? I can't see why it would be useful, except it shows that it's a personal email and that we therefore have a real interest in them, rather than sending mass emails. But there are other ways of showing that personal touch.
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ATIL KAYHAN
ATIL KAYHAN  Identity Verified
Türkiye
Local time: 11:29
Member (2007)
Turkish to English
+ ...
Both are OK Mar 2, 2013

I think both options (including their postal address or not) are fine. It just depends upon how much time (and effort) you would like to invest in the application process. If there are a lot of companies you would like to send e-mails to, and it would take a lot of time to include their postal address, you may skip that step. Otherwise, it is nice to put their postal address in the e-mail because it shows that you took the extra step. By the way, you did not mention if you will include your ... See more
I think both options (including their postal address or not) are fine. It just depends upon how much time (and effort) you would like to invest in the application process. If there are a lot of companies you would like to send e-mails to, and it would take a lot of time to include their postal address, you may skip that step. Otherwise, it is nice to put their postal address in the e-mail because it shows that you took the extra step. By the way, you did not mention if you will include your CV/resume. I think you should.Collapse


 
Sarah McDowell
Sarah McDowell  Identity Verified
Canada
Local time: 03:29
Russian to English
+ ...
since you won't be mailing the letter don't include their address Mar 4, 2013

Reading some books about cover letters, one is usually advised on the proper format for this type of letter. However, a lot of these books are outdated and were written in a time when people actually delivered cover letters by hand or by mail.

Presently, it is unnecessary to include their postal address in a cover letter. Often companies may have one or more address as well, which makes it difficult to find the correct one. So my advice is to skip the address part and concentrate o
... See more
Reading some books about cover letters, one is usually advised on the proper format for this type of letter. However, a lot of these books are outdated and were written in a time when people actually delivered cover letters by hand or by mail.

Presently, it is unnecessary to include their postal address in a cover letter. Often companies may have one or more address as well, which makes it difficult to find the correct one. So my advice is to skip the address part and concentrate on the content of the letter. Include your CV as an attachment.
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Samuel Murray
Samuel Murray  Identity Verified
Netherlands
Local time: 09:29
Member (2006)
English to Afrikaans
+ ...
Yes, do it, but for a different reason Mar 4, 2013

Vivien Green wrote:
I have a list of email addresses for various agencies I plan to write to - do I need to look each one up to find its address for the covering letter or will it look OK without doing this?


Firstly, I would not attach a covering letter to an e-mail to an agency. The e-mail itself should be the covering letter. And you don't write e-mails in the same way as you write a paper letter, do you? In a paper letter there are strict "rules" about what goes where on the page, and that includes your and the recipient's full addresses, but in e-mails the only address is your own, in your signature.

Second, I would encourage you to research their addresses anyway. If you are very busy, it makes more sense to first send e-mails and later research the addresses of those who reply, but if you're not too busy, it is a very good exercise to research their addresses and other details about them to put in their records in your filing system before sending them an e-mail.


 
Marie-Helene Dubois
Marie-Helene Dubois  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 09:29
Member (2011)
Spanish to English
+ ...
I wouldn't Mar 4, 2013

write a cover letter when applying to work freelance for an agency. Cover letters are for job applications (i.e. employment).
You don't specify what you want to write to them about (freelance work or employment) but you do specify that you have their e-mail addresses so I presume you're going to e-mail.
In that case I see no good motive for sending a cover letter at all, and much less for researching their postal addresses unless they reply.


 
Jessie LN
Jessie LN  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 08:29
Spanish to English
+ ...
it depends Mar 8, 2013

My cover letters are usually within the body of an email with my CV as an attachment. If, however, the agency specifies that cover letters must be sent as a file, I write it up in a formal letter style, i.e. with my address, their address, date, etc.

I'm not sure how I came to the conclusion to do this...


 
Vivien Green
Vivien Green  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
French to English
TOPIC STARTER
Thank you! Oct 1, 2013

I didn't realised I hadn't thanked everyone for their answers on this thread - I had a really busy spell around March/April of this year and then another one later on but I didn't realise I hadn't acknowledged everyone's replies which, as always on proz.com, were really helpful.

I spend a fair bit of time worrying about whether I know "the right way" to do things - it would be very frustrating to build up high quality professional skills and then lose out on work due to not getting
... See more
I didn't realised I hadn't thanked everyone for their answers on this thread - I had a really busy spell around March/April of this year and then another one later on but I didn't realise I hadn't acknowledged everyone's replies which, as always on proz.com, were really helpful.

I spend a fair bit of time worrying about whether I know "the right way" to do things - it would be very frustrating to build up high quality professional skills and then lose out on work due to not getting agency applications right. So getting some input about how other people do these things is really useful!
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Łukasz Gos-Furmankiewicz
Łukasz Gos-Furmankiewicz  Identity Verified
Poland
Local time: 09:29
English to Polish
+ ...
... Oct 1, 2013

As a rule, you want to personalise cover letters and similar items of correspondence. Teach yourself not to be stingy with your time, not to skimp on the pleasantries. Doing so will also help you keep the habit of being thorough and exacting in what you do, as well as, perhaps, having a good style in it. Besides, business correspondence is a powerful tool, and you should capitalise on opportunities to learn it and practice it. Getting yourself formally trained in that on purpose would probably c... See more
As a rule, you want to personalise cover letters and similar items of correspondence. Teach yourself not to be stingy with your time, not to skimp on the pleasantries. Doing so will also help you keep the habit of being thorough and exacting in what you do, as well as, perhaps, having a good style in it. Besides, business correspondence is a powerful tool, and you should capitalise on opportunities to learn it and practice it. Getting yourself formally trained in that on purpose would probably cost some serious money... not to mention that you need to practice business writing all the time anyway. Here, it sometimes help me to think of myself as my own very best, most pampered client. I sure as heck can't afford that kind of service elsewhere... but I can treat myself to it. As a result, I have a not-that-that PR & Marketing Manager in my one-man outfit, you know.

Secondly, it's sometimes a good idea to mark your own independent position by not following procedures and routines that are more appropriate for potential salaried employees, unless you actually want to reflect that similarity because it better fits the kind of relationship you'd like to have with your clients or agencies, and there's nothing wrong with that, by the way.

Sorry for the sermon, but I hope it'll help you in the long run.
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Sending covering letters to agencies (should you include their address?)







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