Job Hunt - Letter of Interest

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GeneralVeers

GeneralVeers

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Many of the advertised positions request a "letter of interest" and a CV. While I know how to write the CV, I'm not certain what should go into a "letter of interest". Can any of you who've had experience with this give me some hints?

I'm certain this thread will be of use to more people than just myself.
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And for a poor lowly pre med like myself, would it be the same sort of LOI (interest or intent) that I could write to institutions looking at me?
 
GeneralVeers said:
Many of the advertised positions request a "letter of interest" and a CV. While I know how to write the CV, I'm not certain what should go into a "letter of interest". Can any of you who've had experience with this give me some hints?

I'm certain this thread will be of use to more people than just myself.
Click to expand...

Another premed that's also curious to see replies.
 
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Just say things like: I like _______ about the program/job, _______ about the geography, __________ about me that would work well with the place, etc. Really, unless you say something like "I like this place, because there are places to hide the bodies that nobody will find for years", nobody reads them.
 
But do they make any kind of difference other than just letting the school/residency program know that you want to go there?
 
The letters of interest that I've written (non-medical) were in the format below:

1st sentence - introduce yourself and give some connection or reason why you're contacting this person (e.g. saw an ad. If you were referred by Dr. So-and-So, name them now).
2nd - Give some evidence to back up 1. If you have done some special training or you want to highlight something on your CV, do it here.
3rd - State you've attached your CV and contact info
4th - valediction

Dear Dr X [Head of department],

My name is Dr. Y and I am interested in the position advertised in Big Medical Journal. I have always wanted to work in ---- and I think that my training in ---- will add to your group. I've attached my CV and my contact information is below. I look forward to hearing from you.

Cheers,

Dr. Y
[email protected]
ph. 765-4309
 
RxnMan said:
The letters of interest that I've written (non-medical) were in the format below:

1st sentence - introduce yourself and give some connection or reason why you're contacting this person (e.g. saw an ad. If you were referred by Dr. So-and-So, name them now).
2nd - Give some evidence to back up 1. If you have done some special training or you want to highlight something on your CV, do it here.
3rd - State you've attached your CV and contact info
4th - valediction

Dear Dr X [Head of department],

My name is Dr. Y and I am interested in the position advertised in Big Medical Journal. I have always wanted to work in ---- and I think that my training in ---- will add to your group. I've attached my CV and my contact information is below. I look forward to hearing from you.

Cheers,

Dr. Y
[email protected]
ph. 765-4309
Click to expand...
I would avoid using "Cheers" and would strive to be as formal as possible in your letter.
 
RxnMan said:
The song was well before my time anyways.
Click to expand...

Oh, now THAT was completely unnecessary. 🙂

Take care,
Jeff <-- remembering his high school and college days in the 80s with great fondness
 
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I've been told by recruiters & administrators that saying something about why you are tied to that geographic area can go a long way.

It seems to me that the essential components are:

Introduction stating what qualifies you specifically for that job.
Explain why you want that job.
Explain what you will do with that job.
Thank them for reading & give contact info in case they need anything else from you.
 
GV - Allow me to repost my reply to a similar thread from two months ago. (I'm too lazy to type it all in again).

...EM jobs are plentiful, no services are needed. Here is how I proceeded (as did almost all of my residency classmates).

1. Decide what what you want to do and where (i.e., community versus academic, what area of the country).

2. Make sure your CV is angled toward those things (if you are trying to go academic, it should list every talk you have ever given ever given, for community it should focus on your skill set - specifically things such as ultrasound, moonlighting, unusual features of your residency, etc).

3. Pick 10 places that you thinks you would like to work, regardless of whether or not they are advertising a position.

4. Send CV and a well crafted letter of introduction - both electronically and via snail mail to the chairmen at each of those institutions.

The feedback received from that should dictate further actions.

If you are going for a community job at a specific site that you know is hurting for staffing, they might extend an offer to you as a second year (I have mixed feeling about accepting these offers), OR if you are planning to stay where you are training and they generally extend offers to PGY2s, then you should start talking to those places now.

Otherwise, for a general search starting in August or September of PGY3 at the earliest should work.


A couple words of advice - most residents don't keep their CVs updated. Get it done NOW. Many larger academic institutions publish templates or guidelines. If your program does - use it. Otherwise, find a few faculty and borrow theirs (or PM me and I'll send you one).

The "cover letter" for EM should be a letter of introduction (as opposed to the traditional cover letters the groups like doctorjobs.com will help you author). The formula is simple. First paragraph gives your name, training level and a quick factoid - then proceeds to "kiss ass". Tell the reader why you want to work at their hospital. Second paragraph is a quick blurb about both you and your residency program. End with a statement of how you would reach some goal at their institution and close the letter. That's it.

Have at least 4-5 of your faculty proof the CV and letter, minimum.

Using this "formula", I have a couple of friends that didn't get good responses off of their initially contacts (which is why I wouldn't make more than 10 contacts initially). One of them called where he applied and asked if there was a problem in his application. That was a good move on his part. I don't remember what it was, but the chair instantly told him the problem, he fixed it, and sent the revised CV and letter out to a different group of hospitals. He got interviews from all of those.

I anticipated a much weaker response than I got - the other reason for only applying to 10 off the bat at most. Everywhere I contacted offered me an interview, regardless of having a position available. When it came to scheduling all of these, I had to turn some down (there just wasn't enough time during residency).

At the end of the day, ANY resource (other than free forums like SDN) costs money somewhere. They will charge either you or the hiring institution. The fact is that jobs are too plentiful in EM to take up that cost. It is a waste.

As for a service that "prints out numerous letters to all physicians of your specialty in the area where you want to work", in a field as small as EM, do you really want your CV "out there" as unsolicited junkmail to people other than chairpersons in specific areas of your job hunt?

- H
 
anyone who's been through it willing to help proof my letter? PM me.

It's just a few paragraphs.
Thanks in advance.
 
I'm currently hunting again, and have had multiple people comment on the convincing "ties to the area" notion. It's probably more important for me because I'm transplanting across the country, but regardless, most groups are looking for a long-term partner and strong roots makes a big difference.
 
If you are looking to get some information about the emergency medicine situation from far away (who is staffing which ER, are they large or small groups or employees, etc.), check out the directories I've created at emergencymedicinedirectory.com What I'm trying to do with the directories is help senior residents and attendings who are looking for a new job from far away. Once I can recoup the costs of making the directories, I hope to have them available for free to senior residents. If you (or anyone else you know) is interested in the product, let me know through the website contact form that you heard about it here and I'll give you 75% off the listed price. These directories should give you essentially the same information that recruiters use to help you spread your CV to the right people. I apologize if this seems too spam-like for you, but I want to make you aware of this tool that you may find valuable.
 
justtheERdoc said:
If you are looking to get some information about the emergency medicine situation from far away (who is staffing which ER, are they large or small groups or employees, etc.), check out the directories I've created at emergencymedicinedirectory.com What I'm trying to do with the directories is help senior residents and attendings who are looking for a new job from far away. Once I can recoup the costs of making the directories, I hope to have them available for free to senior residents. If you (or anyone else you know) is interested in the product, let me know through the website contact form that you heard about it here and I'll give you 75% off the listed price. These directories should give you essentially the same information that recruiters use to help you spread your CV to the right people. I apologize if this seems too spam-like for you, but I want to make you aware of this tool that you may find valuable.
Click to expand...

Mixed feelings about this. Seems like a money grab. Do the legwork to find out who the directors and groups are and it will show, plus you'll know the players that much better. I am currently building my own spreadsheet for one of the tighter markets in the country, and have much more detailed info on it than what is listed in the sample Arizona info listed on this website. Go on Google maps, find the hospitals, and start calling. Local chapters of ACEP are also very useful in listing emergency departments by state. Director contact numbers/emails (and their assistants!) are the holy grail. Things change on a dime, start looking a year in advance and you'll find a job even in a crowded market.
 
I am going to resurrect this thread, because I cannot find an answer anywhere and cannot really go to people in my program to ask- How should I handle a cover letter/interest letter for attending jobs, if my spouse is also an EM doc and will need a job in the area?

We do not necessarily have to work in the same ED but in certain instances may be applying to the same shop. Do I mention them in my cover letter and say we will both need jobs in the area? Should we write a joint cover letter?

Any thoughts would be great, because I am clueless. Thank you.
 
Hey Birdstrike, GV wrote the original post in 2007.

But in answer to Scallywag's question, our program has hired several couples in EM.

As most folks will realize, this can be a double edge sword, but our group and director has had positive experience and we have hired another EM couple from out of the area.

I've been part of our recruiting committee for our group. We tend to be very informal.

However, for your CV and cover letter I recommend you be as formal as possible since we are looking for professionals.

Hence, I recommend individual cover letters. Mention that you are a EM couple wishing to not only relocate to our area but also join our organization. We'll realize you are a couple. We also know you are individuals and would like to know each of you.

Be formal.

If you fit in, we'll let you know pretty early and things get very informal after that.

Just one example of physician recruitment.

Hope this helps.
 
Birdstrike said:
LOL. I didn't noticed the OP was that old. Nevertheless, how do you like my sample cover letter? Pretty strong, huh?
Click to expand...


That was awesome!

Maximal pay for minimal work: that's exactly what we all want.

Now, don't forget the moving expenses, relocation bonus, loan forgiveness, and spouse employment.

Also, you'd really like to start fresh and would like to start 2 months after relocation and be payed for that pronto.

Man, we've had some doozy requests. A lot from folks straight out of residency.
 
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