Researching your topic

- Effective business letters…demonstrate that you've done your homework…and are now turning to your correspondent…to take the next step.…The research you do before you write…shows that you value the other person's time…and are ready to act now.…This video provides methods for doing that research…as well as tips for applying it in effective ways.…Our example is from someone applying to a job…as en editor.…He's responding to an online ad,…so the ad itself is the perfect place…to start our research.…

We've created a fictional ad…for the purpose of this example.…Here your correspondent is telling you…exactly what they want in the job ad.…This is what journalists call a primary source…because there's nobody in the middle…filtering out the information.…All you have to do is determine…whether you match the job's requirements…and then show them that you can fulfill them.…In short, this text is gold…yet most people who want this job…won't even bother to read the information thoroughly…before they write…but you're going to use these cues…