What is a speculative application?
A speculative application is the process of writing to organisations who haven't advertised jobs, to ask for work experience or employment. These speculative applications are particularly appropriate and successful in sectors where opportunities are rarely advertised, like the arts and media, but an be used across all sectors.
So, what are the advantages of the speculative approach?
- You have greatly reduced competition. Since you are making the introduction off your own bat and showcasing what you could bring to the table, without being directly compared to hundreds of other candidates, the spotlight is on you.
You are prompting the employer to look at your CV and see how your skills are relevant to their business without the distraction of other candidates with similar skill sets.
- You are growing your network. Whether or not you are taken on as an employee, you are now on the organisation’s radar and might be secure a job with them in the future.
- Without being represented by a recruitment consultant, you will save the prospective employer recruitment fees, which is an attractive proposition for the business.
- It demonstrates that you are pro-active, motivated, and ambitious. The very act of making a speculative approach, shows that you have the confidence and creativity to do things differently and can think outside the box.
How to make a speculative approach successful
- Research the company or companies you are interested in working for. Look at their website and what they have talked about on social media most recently. What are some of their wins? What are their plans, for the future? How do they intend to grow over the coming months or years? Really get under the skin of the business and get a clear understanding of what they are about. What’s the vision and goals for the future?
- Have a look on Glassdoor and see what the overall impression of the company is of employees who are already working there. Do they speak highly of their employer?
- Now that you are clear about what the business does and identified why you want to work for them, look at your skills and experience and work out what would be of interest to them. Write them down and think about roles in the business that you could do using these skills.
- Make sure you get the right email address for the decision maker likely to be interested in your introduction. If you aren’t sure, call up the business and ask for it. You can always use a site like Rocketreach to help you find the right email addresses.
- Create an email that starts by identifying your reasons for being interested in the company, along with recent accolades the company are likely to be proud of.
- Follow this opening by introducing yourself and highlight how your experience and values resonate and will be of value to their business.
- Make sure you check your grammar and spelling.
- Ensure you indicate that you expect a response at the end of the email like – “Please advise when might be a good time for us to have an introductory call,” or “Please let me know if you have any questions and I would be happy to answer them.”
- Make sure you include your phone number, email address and LinkedIn profile link, for the employer to be able to get back to you.
- If you do not hear back from them within a week, send a follow up email and phone call to check they have received your correspondence and answer any questions they might have.
- Attach your most up to date CV and ensure it is well formatted, relevant and that there are no grammar or spelling mistakes.
I have found the speculative approach to be very beneficial and would highly recommend it. You can do it at any stage of your career, in any industry and create remarkable opportunities for yourself.
It can be a slower burn, but if you have the conviction, motivation, and patience, it could well be a good option for you.
If you would like to work together on creating your speculative application strategy, we would be very happy to hear from you and see what we can do.