This newsletter project comes from the mentorship service Feedback for Conservators: a place to bring a little bit of professional feedback to help on subjects that I wish I knew more about, especially (but not only) at the start of my art conservator career. Topics discussed here are recurrent ones that I see over Zoom sessions! so I thought would be useful to address them in a short and more informal format. In between, shorter posts with a digital free tool will be discussed. New publications will be out twice a month, for a year.
And just as a reminder: this is not a perfect newsletter and doesn’t intend to, but rather a space to offer some help. Read here past newsletters. And as aaaalways, some disclamers1
The Introductory Email 📩
The introductory email that you sent to present your application letter or CV is usually what most people only do at the very end of any application process and usually in a little rush. Very little is said about it, and yet is one of the most important things, because is the very first thing that they will see from you!
And because of it, it is important to keep this in mind:
EVERYONE, without exception, appreciates somebody that makes their work/life easier (this is a general truth in life also, not just in art conservation). So make it easier for the person that will receive it. Because for sure, they will remember you.
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There are many ways to do it, today I just share 6.
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Some general tips on the Introductory Email
Seems obvious but people forget to do it: Unless they specify otherwise, wrote on each file’s name your name+type of document to make it easier for them to find and classify (your name grouping all the documents such as: Paolo Cremonesi_CV, Paolo Cremonesi_Motivation letter, Paolo Cremonesi_titles). If there are many, put a number on them, so the person opening them can spot easily while downloading if something is missing + helps that the documents are presented in the order that they requested. Pro tip: Remind them also in the email how many and which documents are you sending in bullet points, so if ever there is something forgotten or that must be addressed, it can be easily spotted (seems so obvious but I swear, they appreciate it).
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Pay attention to the weight. Some institution email servers have a limited capacity within their internal email of the weight of documents received (e.g. 3MB). Therefore it can be possible that the email does not reach the institution AND (very important, since it happened to me 😅) not always you will receive a notification from your email server about it, because for your email server, 5MB might seem ok.
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Do not go beyond 3 paragraphs. Remember, as mentioned in this post: The person has to quickly understand what is about and be able to decide what to do with it. And yes, put again your email + phone in the signature.
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Remember that in these 3 paragraphs, you must put in a sentence that summarises what you’re presenting, but also who you are. They will probably not read your full application at the moment where the documents are attached in the email, but being able to already understand what they gonna see later will
1. make it easier for them to remember, and
2. make it easier to find if they go back to their email: “There was this X person that mentioned that has a background in photography” or “has been trained in X and X place”, instead of a person that simply says something in the lines of “here my email and cv, hope that could be considered for such position. Bye”. Think of it like a mini teaser. Enough to make them remember what is about if they want to find it, discuss it or read it. Pro tip: links are allowed!
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If ever you have to follow up on the email, especially to remind them of something, put all the documents AGAIN. People hate to have to search in the sea of their inbox where was the original email where you sent them all the documents of your grant/fellowship/application. And remember, you’re not the only one applying. So again: make the life of others easier by making their work as eeeeasy as possible.
Finally, always-always activate the confirmation email option ✅✅. If you’re sending an introduction email you need at least to keep track of when they check it. This will allow you to plan when would be the best time to send an email again or maybe call them directly (that does not mean that you have to mention that you saw that they check it or not check it! It is simply a good reference for your to know where you are with them).
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Remember
That’s a wrap for today. More in two weeks, see you then?
As mentioned, this newsletter supports the mentorship service Feedback For Conservators (here are some testimonials). Also, as part of it, I offer limited Pro-Bono sessions for those colleagues or students who can not afford them. If you’re interested in any of both just email me, promise I do not bite.
This is my opinion, which also means I could be wrong! You do you✨.
Please do not share extracts of this newsletter without my consent.