| Pages in topic: [1 2] > | Never send your CV as an attachment! Thread poster: Wolfgang Feichtlbauer
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Hi everybody,
Rumors say that you should not send your CV as an attachment. Most agencies would not bother to open it - true or false??
| | | | bochkor
Local time: 00:16
English to German
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| No, I think it's the exception. | Apr 25, 2002 |
In my experience it\'s not true. Actually, I even got more jobs this way, by sending them an attached resume by e-mail.
I saw a few who specifically state in their ad that they don\'t want any e-mails or attachments, but that\'s either because they\'re old school or if they have the only valid reason, which is that sometimes their e-mail system is set up to scan for attachments and reject or discard them. They do this to allegedly screen for viruses, while other companies su... See more In my experience it\'s not true. Actually, I even got more jobs this way, by sending them an attached resume by e-mail.
I saw a few who specifically state in their ad that they don\'t want any e-mails or attachments, but that\'s either because they\'re old school or if they have the only valid reason, which is that sometimes their e-mail system is set up to scan for attachments and reject or discard them. They do this to allegedly screen for viruses, while other companies survive just fine even when accepting attachments, some are paranoid, some are not. But whatever kinds of creatures they are, they should state what they want. Otherwise go ahead and send them your resume attached!
You also have to wonder why somebody would not be interested to see your resume on first contact. Are they really interested to find a good translator or just any? What\'s the big deal to do it right away, if they have to ask for it later, anyway (in case they\'re serious)? Or why they want it copied & pasted into the body of an e-mail just to avoid attachments? Don\'t they know how garbled and hard to read it comes out? Sure they have avoided the 1% chance to get a virus, but they have incurred a 100% illegibility instead! So it doesn\'t make much sense to me at all. I think we translators just don\'t have to think that they (the project managers) are so perfect on the other side of the fence, \'cause they\'re not at all. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Giles Watson 
Italy
Local time: 06:16
Italian to English
In memoriam | Not unless it was asked for as an attachment | Apr 25, 2002 |
It\'s good netiquette not to send unsolicited attachments, particularly as most such files these days seem to contain the Klez virus.
Sometimes, prospective customers will ask for a CV in a specific format but if you are cold-calling, you will be lucky if your message is opened at all. You really can\'t expect the recipient to open attachments.
Get all your main details across, concisely, in the body of the email, heading each section clearly. Make it ea... See more It\'s good netiquette not to send unsolicited attachments, particularly as most such files these days seem to contain the Klez virus.
Sometimes, prospective customers will ask for a CV in a specific format but if you are cold-calling, you will be lucky if your message is opened at all. You really can\'t expect the recipient to open attachments.
Get all your main details across, concisely, in the body of the email, heading each section clearly. Make it easy for the reader to spot your language combinations and specialisations at a glance.
Keep the rest of the CV short. If the cold call is successful, you can always send the full version subsequently.
It\'s a good idea to keep a standard email message, with your concentrated, high-impact CV as plain text, as well as a more detailed Word document or PowerPoint presentation, so that you can answer enquiries immediately.
HTH
Giles
PS
Why agencies? Go for direct customers in your areas of specialisation. ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Prepare an e-mail version of CV, too. | Apr 25, 2002 |
Quote:
Or why they want it copied & pasted into the body of an e-mail just to avoid attachments? Don\'t they know how garbled and hard to read it comes out?
You make some good points in the other parts of your posting, but I don\'t agree here. Why should we shoot ourselves in the foot by copying and pasting our carefully formatted CV into an e-mail and sending a mess? It is a good idea to prepare an... See more Quote:
Or why they want it copied & pasted into the body of an e-mail just to avoid attachments? Don\'t they know how garbled and hard to read it comes out?
You make some good points in the other parts of your posting, but I don\'t agree here. Why should we shoot ourselves in the foot by copying and pasting our carefully formatted CV into an e-mail and sending a mess? It is a good idea to prepare and have on hand a plain text version of our CV, too, which we have re-formatted so that it will come out nicely when it is pasted the body of an e-mail. When I have done this, it only takes a minute to update it each time I update my master CV. ▲ Collapse
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Erika Pavelka (X)
Local time: 00:16
French to English
I don\'t think translators should ever send a CV if they haven\'t been asked or instructed to. You don\'t know whether the potential client can use your services. For example, I, a freelancer, have received e-mails with CVs attached from Portuguese and Russian translators many times (I don\'t work in any other language but French and Hungarian into English). I have no choice to download the CV because it comes with the message. It just gets me that translators don\'t do enough research and targe... See more I don\'t think translators should ever send a CV if they haven\'t been asked or instructed to. You don\'t know whether the potential client can use your services. For example, I, a freelancer, have received e-mails with CVs attached from Portuguese and Russian translators many times (I don\'t work in any other language but French and Hungarian into English). I have no choice to download the CV because it comes with the message. It just gets me that translators don\'t do enough research and target the right potential clients.
By sending a brief e-mail (no CV in the body or attached) outlining your native language, lang. combinations, areas of expertise, etc. and asking whether the client is interested in your services (at which point you can send them your full CV), it saves everyone a lot of time.
I\'ve also worked as a project manager at an agency and was responsible for managing freelancers, so I\'ve seen all kinds.
My two cents,
Erika
▲ Collapse
| | | | Werner George Patels, M.A., C.Tran.(ATIO) (X)
Local time: 00:16
German to English
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Quote:
On 2002-04-25 17:59, epavelka wrote:
I don\'t think translators should ever send a CV if they haven\'t been asked or instructed to. You don\'t know whether the potential client can use your services. For example, I, a freelancer, have received e-mails with CVs attached from Portuguese and Russian translators many times (I don\'t work in any other language but French and Hungarian into English). I have no choice to download t
... See more Quote:
On 2002-04-25 17:59, epavelka wrote:
I don\'t think translators should ever send a CV if they haven\'t been asked or instructed to. You don\'t know whether the potential client can use your services. For example, I, a freelancer, have received e-mails with CVs attached from Portuguese and Russian translators many times (I don\'t work in any other language but French and Hungarian into English). I have no choice to download the CV because it comes with the message. It just gets me that translators don\'t do enough research and target the right potential clients.
By sending a brief e-mail (no CV in the body or attached) outlining your native language, lang. combinations, areas of expertise, etc. and asking whether the client is interested in your services (at which point you can send them your full CV), it saves everyone a lot of time.
I\'ve also worked as a project manager at an agency and was responsible for managing freelancers, so I\'ve seen all kinds.
My two cents,
Erika
CV attachments are a nuisance. I am a freelance too, but every day I receive CVs from translators who don\'t seem to be able to read (on my website, I state clearly that I am not an agency and that all applications and CVs will be deleted); for that reason alone, I\'d never hire these people even if I were an agency. Just like in your case, Erika, I also receive applications for all kinds of languages.
GoodWords also made a good point: keep an e-mail version of your CV on file. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Luca Tutino
Italy
Member (2002)
English to Italian
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| How to avoid to download unwanted files | Apr 25, 2002 |
May be obvious, but... It is very simple. Much easier to do than to explain.
Most email software offer the option not to download files larger than a size you decide. I have it set at 25K or even less on my Eudora. It should be possible with Outlook too. In this way I can see the subject, the beginning along with the name and sizes of the attachement for every message larger than 25K before downloading.
If I do not like what I see, I can mark the message... See more May be obvious, but... It is very simple. Much easier to do than to explain.
Most email software offer the option not to download files larger than a size you decide. I have it set at 25K or even less on my Eudora. It should be possible with Outlook too. In this way I can see the subject, the beginning along with the name and sizes of the attachement for every message larger than 25K before downloading.
If I do not like what I see, I can mark the message for deletion from server without download. If I need the message and or the file, I mark it for download. Etc.
Never download files ending with .scr, .pif, .bat, .exe, .com and be caregul with .doc and eveything else if you are not very sure of the sender, the content and the reason why the file was sent. If you have any doubt, bu the sender seems right, contact him before downloading.
Just to give some rest to the antivirus.
Ciao,
Luca ▲ Collapse
| | | | | AS REQUESTED | Apr 26, 2002 |
That\'s as we always have to act, and that applies for CV sending via email, being in the body or as attachment.
Specially with clients, we must remember the old saying that the customer is always right, and as professionals we must do as the client ask. That\'s the way to optimize your time and your potential customer\'s too, because he/she will ask for your CV if he/she is interested.
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bochkor
Local time: 00:16
English to German
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| I know you're going to attack me for this, but stop being servile! | Apr 26, 2002 |
I just want to make one point, because nobody here seems to understand. If a poster specifically says in his ad that he doesn\'t want any attachments, then I\'m going to honor his request, too. But the question here was put in the sense, what if you don\'t know?
See, all we can do is guess what the poster wants and we can guess this way or that way (50-50). In my opinion we don\'t have to be as servile or paranoid that we assume beforehand that anything might inconvenience t... See more I just want to make one point, because nobody here seems to understand. If a poster specifically says in his ad that he doesn\'t want any attachments, then I\'m going to honor his request, too. But the question here was put in the sense, what if you don\'t know?
See, all we can do is guess what the poster wants and we can guess this way or that way (50-50). In my opinion we don\'t have to be as servile or paranoid that we assume beforehand that anything might inconvenience the almighty client. I mean, is common sense really lost forever? Can\'t we really expect them to simply say so, if they don\'t want any attachments? Is it such a big deal to ask them to speak up, if they want something? Instead of us having to guess? If THEY have a special request, then THEY should say so, otherwise not expect it to be honored, period. Do people have trouble speaking? It\'s so sad these days!
Because from a practical point of view just consider that it\'s common knowledge (see books on resume writing!) that the average employer spends 30 seconds at the most looking at each resume, because they get tons of it. And I had numerous cases where I got the job, but the e-mail correspondence revealed that they haven\'t even glanced at my resume. They didn\'t know what my fax number or my specialization was, although it was all in the resume! Now do you seriously want to tell me that it\'s easier to e-mail the translator to ask for his fax number and wait for the answer, instead of just doing your job and opening that darn resume?
So back to the 30 seconds max (which is in reality a lot less), knowing this, do you seriously think that they would bother asking you for your resume, if you didn\'t send it in the first place? Project managers don\'t have time, they have to juggle many projects at a time and assign many jobs to many translators. Yeah, I know you think you know all this already. But you\'re not considering it! You\'re not taking it into account! They quickly want a yes from a translator, fax the PO and the job, and move on to the next translator. That\'s how it goes in real life, ladies and gentlemen!
On the other hand, they all want to build a database, so they are even COLLECTING resumes and you are reluctant to give it to them? Come on! Do you apologize at every step \"Sorry that I was born, won\'t happen again\"?
P.S.: And about keeping a Word format and an e-mail format of your resume handy, what else? Maybe a PDF, an Excel, a PowerPoint, a zipped and God knows what other format just for their convenience?! Don\'t you think you\'re getting carried away a little? Upon request yes, otherwise no!
[ This Message was edited by: on 2002-04-26 12:09 ] ▲ Collapse
| | | | Zonum
Spain
Local time: 06:16
Spanish to Catalan
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| Today, I received... | Apr 26, 2002 |
...a job offer from an agency to whom I sent my resume attached.
And it isn\'t the first time, nor the last.
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Thanks guys for your contributions, but unfortunately it was no help at all! I am quite amazed about the fact that so many qualified and experienced translators remain so undecided on such a basic issue!
Anyway, I personally would rather agree with Laszlo when he stated, that we should not be too servile. So what, why can\'t these bloody agencies open an attachment from someone that is desperately trying to find a job.
| | | | Paul Dixon
Brazil
Local time: 01:16
Portuguese to English
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| I don't agree | Jun 25, 2013 |
I think it is much more logical to send the CV as an attachment, unless the client specifically requests otherwise. This is what I have always done, but some people have suggested (in this and other sites) that CVs should be sent in PDF format rather than Word.
I have a client who requests that the TRANSLATED FILES should be sent back in the body of the e-mail. I follow their instructions of course, but consider this highly risky - imagine if you're right at the end of a document and there... See more I think it is much more logical to send the CV as an attachment, unless the client specifically requests otherwise. This is what I have always done, but some people have suggested (in this and other sites) that CVs should be sent in PDF format rather than Word.
I have a client who requests that the TRANSLATED FILES should be sent back in the body of the e-mail. I follow their instructions of course, but consider this highly risky - imagine if you're right at the end of a document and there is a power cut... ▲ Collapse
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| I've never come across a client | Jun 25, 2013 |
specifically requesting that a CV/brochure/presentation of services not be sent as an attachment.
If I did, I might be tempted to ask them not to send translation jobs as an attachment and see how they get around that one!
I'm on the bochkor side of the fence.
| | | | | Also, use your worst pictures on dating portals and bring up only your most boring hobbies | Jun 25, 2013 |
Sure you want to spam your CV whenever you can because it's your primary marketing tool. If they don't read, then that's a pity, but what do you care anyway?
| | | | Suzan Hamer
Netherlands
Local time: 06:16
English
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| I just send a link to my ProZ profile... | Jun 25, 2013 |
saying they can click on it if they want to know more about me and my services than I have written in my email.
| | | | | Pages in topic: [1 2] > | To report site rules violations or get help, contact a site moderator: You can also contact site staff by submitting a support request » Never send your CV as an attachment! | Trados Business Manager Lite | Create customer quotes and invoices from within Trados Studio
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