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

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

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.

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