What do I include in a cover letter to companies not hiring? Any samples?

If a company is not hiring, any letter you send will probably get ignored, it’s going to be a waste of your time, effort and postage. . . . even for an experienced person.

@njnyjobs You are probably correct but it never hurts to send one in. They may be hiring in a month or two and remember a certain cover letter that jumped out at them. I would start by being concise. List in the cover letter your objectives and put what makes you qualified in bullet points. End the cover letter thanking them for their time and consideration. Resubmit every couple of months. Also, use paper and snail mail or FedEx and email.

njnyjobs is correct. If it’s a company you really want to work for, then do some research and try to make direct contact with an entry level HR person. Dazzle them and you’ve got your foot in the door.

@missingbite Actually it does hurt . . . resending a resume’ periodically only makes an employer wonder why with such a rich experience would one be still unemployed? . . .

I would say sending a cover letter to a company that is not hiring just a waste of your time, their time, the tree the paper was made from, the ink used to print it and the postage.

Keep a close look on companies that are not hiring you might be interested in, and then if any jobs open up, send something in then.

While it might go as other people say, that it might not be ignored, you also run the risk of the company remembering it and deciding not to give you a chance because of thinking that perhaps you couldn’t even take the time to realize they weren’t hiring. It might work in your favor, but it could as easily backfire.

@njnyjobs Sometimes you are correct. It will depend on the company and that is what the person applying has to figure out. My girlfriend was hired because the HR department saw that she was persistent and really wanted to work for a particular company. They actually had a stack of her previous applications. Besides, in todays economy, there are millions of people with worlds of experience that are still unemployed. BTW, who says that the resume will show that the person is unemployed. It may just be a company that a person would really like to work for.

You would be better off calling the HR person from time to time. So when they are hiring, they might remember you.

@missingbite you have a specific point about wanting to work for a particular company. However, in the context of this post, OP has indicated not one particular company but companies… so, I stand by my suggestion of refraining from sending letters to companies not hiring.

@njnyjobs GA. You are correct. I am just throwing out other ideas. Let’s hope the OP finds the job they are looking for.

How D’ya look in a bikini ?

Thanks for all the feedback. I did not specify that this would be for emerging companies (small to mid sized). I don’t see it as a risk at this point. One asked to be contacted by email otherwise I would call. I never think that I am not employable. What other choice do you have? I have worked in the internet industry for a long time. Laid off twice as a result of staff cuts. 7 with one and 3 with another. Any good samples on the net?

Welcome to Fluther.

If you would flesh out the question a bit, you might get more useful answers. I’ve read it three times now… and I don’t get it. And I read and write all the time; this isn’t a comprehension issue on my part. Your question is missing a lot of detail—and any semblance of clarity.

What do I include in a cover letter to companies not hiring? Any samples? Who wants to write (for employment) “to companies not hiring”? It’s a clear waste of time, if you’re writing to get a job. If you want to ask what to write to companies that are hiring, then you can get some great advice. (Look, even I have a job, and see how I spend some days!) Whatever you write “to companies not hiring” should be considered hobby, sport, practice or entertainment… write anything you goddamn want to them—or nothing at all—who cares?

As for samples… samples of what? Of the work that they’re not going to hire you to do? Of other work that did or didn’t get you jobs… with other companies who are hiring?

Or maybe the question is (or should be) “How do I change the attitude of the person at Company X who isn’t hiring me, so that they decide that they should hire me?” That might be an effective question.

As it is… if you have some free time and want the practice, write pornographic letters to the hiring manager at the company you want to work for… and sign then with the manager’s name where you were laid off. That still might not get you hired, but it’ll help to pass the time, and you’ll learn to write better letters.

Hopefully you’ll come back with a better question, too.

Your best bet is to simply send a personal correspondence to the personnel director asking to be informed of any openings in the future.

My cousin found that hanging around where the employees have their meals was very valuable, because she made friends with some of them and was told of job openings when they came up. She is now working as a result of that.