How to Write a Job Proposal
Toby Chabon-Berger, writing for the Palm Beach Post, points out that in a job market overcrowded with the unemployed, you have to stand out to find work. She suggests you approach getting hired from a nontraditional angle: Look at yourself as a product for sale, identify your target employers and list the benefits you offer that solve a problem they have. Write that information as a job proposal and send it to companies' decision makers, even if they aren't advertising for help.
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Instructions
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1
Identify the fish-canning companies, for instance, you'd like to work for and research the following about each one: the products it markets, its placement among the competition, challenges it faces and the contact information for the head of the division you'd like to work at. Avoid contacting human resources, as the staff might file your proposal (or toss it) if it doesn't refer to an advertised job opening.
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2
Jot down on a piece of paper your relevant features as if you were a product for sale. An MBA from an Ivy League school, fluency in Icelandic and 23 years of experience as the CEO of a fish-canning company are features, for example. They're factual details about your educational and professional experience.
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3
Write benefits for each feature you listed in step 2. Having an MBA from a reputable school shows your academic excellence; fluency in Icelandic allows you to communicate with the fishermen the canning company buys fish from, saving on interpreters' fees; and 23 years as CEO give you expertise in financial planning, management and sales.
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Draft your job proposal's introduction. Chabon-Berger recommends you open with "examples or evidence that you understand the company's business problems or needs." Use the company information you researched in step 1 for the introduction.
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Write the proposal's body by explaining, step-by-step, how you will help the company overcome its shortcomings or increase its already above-average profitability. Be specific as you refer to your skills and the problems they will solve, as well as the improvements they will make.
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Finish your job proposal with a brief summary of why you believe you're the best solution. Tie your skills to the company's needs. Show what's in it for the employer if she hires you. Mail your job proposal to the contact person you identified in step 1.
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Tips & Warnings
Maximize the value of your cover letters by writing them as job proposals.
Follow up a job interview with a thank-you note that includes a proposal based on what you learned about the company's needs at the interview.
Writing a job proposal for your current employer might give her a reason not to lay you off.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit job image by Andrey Kiselev from Fotolia.com
