It’s a surprising and charming way of putting yourself on the radar, if only to say hello.
This post originally appeared onThe Muse.
On January 1, I made an unusualresolution.
What would these letters say?
That would depend on the week and the person.
(Basically, I’d wing it.)
At the end of the first week, I actually had the perfect reason to write a letter.
I’m interested in PR, so getting an entry-level employee’s perspective was super helpful.
I dropped a letter saying all that in the mail.
A week later, I got a happy email.
“I almost never get mail at work, so I was super excited!”
“By the way, did you have any luck finding a summer internship?
If you forward me your resume, I’ll pass it along to our VP!”
Keeping the Momentum Going
The second week rolled around.
My mentor sent a text thanking me “for the wonderful note.”
I figured that was that.
Then I got a package from her, containing a book she’d loved and her own hand-written letter.
Now we regularly communicate by snail mail.
It’s a great tradition, and it’s brought another dimension to our relationship.
I sent the letter to the magazine headquarters so they could forward it to her.
Sending someone a hand-written letter shows effort and gratitude.
Even without the tangible benefits of my letter campaign, I’d definitely keep it up.
It’s one of the simplest ways you canstrengthen a professional tie.
If you don’t know someone’s address, you could always ask him or her.
Just say, “Hey!
I’m sending you something in the mail, can I get your address?”
For people working in the same space, leave your note on their desks.
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Photo byAgnes Kantaruk(Shutterstock).
