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Freelance marketing - seeking your opinion on email applications to potential clients.
Thread poster: Toralf Mjelde

Toralf Mjelde  Identity Verified
Local time: 21:07
Member (2007)
English to Norwegian
+ ...
Aug 29, 2007

Fellow translators, I am seeking your opinion on email applications to potential clients.

When you write an email expressing interest in working with a specific translation company, do you:

a) highlight your qualifications in the body of the email and attach your resume
or
b) highlight your qualifications in the body of the email and end it with e.g. "If you are interested in using my services, please respond and I will send you my detailed resume along with my rates"?

In today's hectic work environment it is easy for a large email (with attchments) to get deleted, so which approach is the best?

Thanks in advance for your views,

Toralf

[Subject edited by staff or moderator 2007-08-29 07:36]

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Paul Merriam  Identity Verified
Local time: 00:07
Member (2008)
Russian to English
+ ...
Indicate you know about them Aug 29, 2007

Definitely don't simply attach a resume blind. That could easily be confused with a worm.

I'd recommend something like
I noticed from reading XXX that you're working with large companies in the hydroelectric power plant industry that want to expand into Norway. I am familiar with that subject, based on my background as an engineer. ...

That's by way of illustration. (I haven't checked your background.) But the point is that you don't want it to sound generic. They have a need, which you can meet. That's what you want to get across.

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Michele Treves
Local time: 06:07
Italian to Croatian
+ ...
FREELANCE MARKETING Aug 29, 2007

Dear Toralf,

I usually enclose my CV but I don't write my rates.
It may happen you offer less than the client expects t pay; it may also happen your rates are too high for a long term cooperation (in this case you have to consider the job volume: a bit lower rate is better to get new long terms customers).
I suggest you to discuss about rates when you have concrete jobs and proposals.
Best wishes,

Michele Treves

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xxxTKTranslatio
German to Hungarian
+ ...
It depends Aug 29, 2007

Toralf Mjelde wrote:

Fellow translators, I am seeking your opinion on email applications to potential clients.

When you write an email expressing interest in working with a specific translation company, do you:

a) highlight your qualifications in the body of the email and attach your resume
or
b) highlight your qualifications in the body of the email and end it with e.g. "If you are interested in using my services, please respond and I will send you my detailed resume along with my rates"?

In today's hectic work environment it is easy for a large email (with attchments) to get deleted, so which approach is the best?

Thanks in advance for your views,

Toralf


It depends on the case or situation.

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xxxTKTranslatio
German to Hungarian
+ ...
yes yes yes Aug 29, 2007

Paul Merriam wrote:

Definitely don't simply attach a resume blind. That could easily be confused with a worm.

I'd recommend something like
I noticed from reading XXX that you're working with large companies in the hydroelectric power plant industry that want to expand into Norway. I am familiar with that subject, based on my background as an engineer. ...

That's by way of illustration. (I haven't checked your background.) But the point is that you don't want it to sound generic. They have a need, which you can meet. That's what you want to get across.


Fully agree.

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Mieke Tulp  Identity Verified
Netherlands
Local time: 06:07
English to Dutch
Other thread Aug 29, 2007

Take a look at this topic http://www.proz.com/topic/71730 which was started by Anthony Baldwin. There are some very useful tips in there with regard to sending applications to translation agencies.

Mieke

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Michael Kazakov  Identity Verified
Israel
Local time: 07:07
English to Russian
+ ...
TXT file Aug 29, 2007

Toralf Mjelde wrote:

When you write an email expressing interest in working with a specific translation company, do you:

a) highlight your qualifications in the body of the email and attach your resume



I attach my resume as a text file, so there is no worries about either a big file size or potentially unsafe content.

I alslo put my rates in the resume, after all the very intent of sending that attachment in the first place is to provide as much information about you as possible, is it not?

Regards,
Michael

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Freelance marketing - seeking your opinion on email applications to potential clients.

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