With an email list, it is easy to make the assumptions that the people who signed up to it are aware of:

1. who you are. How long ago did they visit your holding page? How many other holding pages might they have visited since then?
2. what your product is all about. Related to 1. but with the added complexity that most holding pages don’t actually contain much information about the product. Which is fine, given that most startups have no idea where they’ll be when they put it up. Or the product might have changed despite a descriptor.
3. the fact that they dropped their email address into a mailing list. Do they think they signed up to something instead?
4. the general startup scene and how it works. Who are the people on your mailing list really? How much awareness do they have of how things (usually) go?

The thing about making these assumptions is that it affects the way you message your launch announcement email. ‘Message’ here refers not to PR-type branding/image/general announcement language, but knowledge transfer. The information you convey to your mailing list is critical to the conversions you get from email subscriber to product user.

Your first mailout upon launch needs to (re)inform people about your product. What it is, what problem it solves, and what value it offers to them. It needs to prepare people about what they face once they click on the link in the email. Do they need to sign up? Does sign up involve filling in a form? Will they be automatically logged in? Will they only be able to log in using 3rd-party applications?
It is best to be upfront about the process and I’d suggest writing up a step-by-step guide. When people know what to expect there is less friction when going through it.

TL;DR version: be aware of the assumptions you’re making and do as much as you can to address these in your communications with the rest of the world.

Remembering that most jobs have hundreds of applicants, first impressions really count, and that is why I can stress this next point any more. You only have one chance to get the employers attention, one chance and if your job application is below the standard than guess what, all the employer is going to do is say “Congratulations, your job application just got tossed into the bin.”

Sounds harsh, well it isn’t actually, it’s the reality of job hunting and you really need to go above and beyond when applying for your dream job. A recruiter or employer has to filter through an enormous amount of applications, so to make their job easier and to increase your chances in acquiring an interview; I have kindly listed what the minimum standard is. Anything less and I guarantee you that I will not be reading your application.

1. Know the company like it’s your first child!
Remember to research the company you are applying for. There is nothing worst than sitting in an interview and you get asked the following questions? In fact actually, I expect you in your cover letter to tell me:
• What are you interested in doing?
• What would you like to learn?
• What can you bring to the Pollenizer?
• What do you think you are really good at?
• What is it about Pollenizer that attracts you?
• Which of our clients could you help the most?
Take the time to research the company’s financials, its products and services, its competitors, its markets, services, its customers, and anything else you can find. The Internet, newspapers, magazines, industry blogs and more are jammed with information on Pollenizer and its team. Get to know the founders and senior management team before the interview, and before writing your cover letter so that you can pitch yourself in terms appropriate to us.

2. Make sure you have the passion.
Competition is tough. We receive hundreds of more resumes than positions available, and we will only entertain applicants who have a demonstrated a true passion for their industry. Our marketing and IT positions have a minimum expectation that you at the very least know a lot about these genres and you can clearly exhibit your zeal on any topic given. Starting with, you being able to answer “Do you love everything about online?” Tell us how and why in your application!

3. Addressing the correct person and/or company.
As inefficient as this may seem in today’s world of automated everything, it forced us to ensure that personalisation and customisation were correct. Automated checks will not tell you that your cover letter is addressed to Company A in the salutation, but then go on to describe how your skills and experiences would be a tremendous asset to Company B in the body of the letter. Do not repeat your cover letter. The danger of not properly personalising your introduction to the company to which you are applying, or leaving something in the body from a previous cover letter, is too great to risk the few extra minutes of retyping. Take the time to rethink each cover letter and truly personalise each and every introduction.

4. Check your spelling, grammar and formatting.
In a world of computers, we all have direct access to spell check and if not a dictionary can be found; there is no excuse for a spelling errors. The other item on agenda is poor formatting, don’t just google search for a resume example, remembering that you are one of many applying for this particular job. Show us something exciting. Leave the boring resume examples alone, get creative and make sure your resume is focused on what you are applying for. I don’t want to read about your high school or hobbies first, I want to know your name, a bit about you, your experience, what you can offer and what you want from the job. Design your resume to engage the reader.

In the end, I don’t want to leave an impression that just a single mistyped word will land a resume in the recycle heap, graduates need to recognise that no two companies or reviewers have identical standards. Some will let these little slips get by, while others will send a resume to the shredder the moment they notice a misplaced comma.

What I want you to take from this article is that it’s paramount that your cover letter and resume must be prepared and submitted with 100% accuracy and completeness every time you apply for a job.

Good luck with your job hunting and make sure you put the effort in. And just a hint, I don’t want to receive anymore emails like these “hi I’m Robert, do you have any open positions or a job for me, I have attached my resume for your convenience, thanks”.

I wondered how I could teach this way of thinking to my kids and came up with a plan.

I gave my 7 year old son Henry $10 and explained to him that he could not keep it for himself but had to spend it on materials that he could use to sell something. For example, he could by a bucket and some car soap to wash 5 neighbors’ cars for $4 and make $20 out of the original investment.

He thought a lot about it and was very excited. He decided to buy wooden beads, thread and plastic sandwich bags to start a jewelry business. He made an excellent prototype and then we talked about our plan, which he wrote on the whiteboard. Here’s what he did.

He made a bunch of different designs, designed a logo in Illustrator and sold them to neighbors and friends. Out of the original $10 investment, he made $35. Now he thinks like an entrepreneur.