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kaiser wrote:Absolutely email. Any firm would tell you the same if you asked their preference.

JJW wrote:Is it all PDF, or is WORD alright?

bk187 wrote:

JJW wrote:Is it all PDF, or is WORD alright?

DOC and DOCX are fine (though I'd generally avoid DOCX just in case). I PDF everything so I know it looks exactly the way I want it formatted. Word lets you save to PDF so I see no reason not to send everything as a PDF.

JJW wrote:One last thing, on some firm emails they indent the first line of each paragraph to nearly the middle of the page. Looks stylish. . . have you seen that before? When responding, I wonder if I should I do the same?

chimp wrote:lol I wonder if there are people out there who actually mail hard copies of all their application materials to firms.

Anonymous User wrote:I send a hard copy, wait four days, send an email copy with a note saying "for your electronic records" or something like that. I use nice stationary w/ matching envelopes and ask my wife to hand address them (her handwriting doesn't look girly). I get them professionally printed (it's not expensive . . . probably less than buying your own toner). I send handwritten thank you notes on nice stationary as well.

I've always done this with internships and jobs and I think I get above average responses. When you have a stack of papers and one is on nice paper, it stands out, but not in a gaudy or gimmicky way. When I was applying for paralegal positions prior to law school, I had a hiring partner at a v-20 call me and say that my application was the “most professional he’d ever seen.” I don’t know if he meant the stationary or the words on the stationary, but I presume that the stationary at least factored into his impression.

In my opinion, stationary is one of those subtle signals (like bar lacing closed-lace shoes) that show you know what’s up. And handwriting the envelope makes it seem less like a mail merge. And wax sealing the letter with a signet ring shows that . . . just kidding.

It’s a little superfluous, but so is making sure you're showing exactly the right amount of cuff. All of these things add up though. It’s like that quote, I forget who said it: good manners are nothing more than a series of little sacrifices and small inconveniences. Same goes for creating a good impression and seeming sophisticated: it’s not a 5K bespoke suit and a Rolex that does it, it’s a series of subtle signals and stationary can be one.

. . . or I just like stationary.

equalityLaw10 wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:I send a hard copy, wait four days, send an email copy with a note saying "for your electronic records" or something like that. I use nice stationary w/ matching envelopes and ask my wife to hand address them (her handwriting doesn't look girly). I get them professionally printed (it's not expensive . . . probably less than buying your own toner). I send handwritten thank you notes on nice stationary as well.

I've always done this with internships and jobs and I think I get above average responses. When you have a stack of papers and one is on nice paper, it stands out, but not in a gaudy or gimmicky way. When I was applying for paralegal positions prior to law school, I had a hiring partner at a v-20 call me and say that my application was the “most professional he’d ever seen.” I don’t know if he meant the stationary or the words on the stationary, but I presume that the stationary at least factored into his impression.

In my opinion, stationary is one of those subtle signals (like bar lacing closed-lace shoes) that show you know what’s up. And handwriting the envelope makes it seem less like a mail merge. And wax sealing the letter with a signet ring shows that . . . just kidding.

It’s a little superfluous, but so is making sure you're showing exactly the right amount of cuff. All of these things add up though. It’s like that quote, I forget who said it: good manners are nothing more than a series of little sacrifices and small inconveniences. Same goes for creating a good impression and seeming sophisticated: it’s not a 5K bespoke suit and a Rolex that does it, it’s a series of subtle signals and stationary can be one.

. . . or I just like stationary.

How many firms did you do this for? What has the response been?

Anonymous User wrote:

equalityLaw10 wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:I send a hard copy, wait four days, send an email copy with a note saying "for your electronic records" or something like that. I use nice stationary w/ matching envelopes and ask my wife to hand address them (her handwriting doesn't look girly). I get them professionally printed (it's not expensive . . . probably less than buying your own toner). I send handwritten thank you notes on nice stationary as well.

I've always done this with internships and jobs and I think I get above average responses. When you have a stack of papers and one is on nice paper, it stands out, but not in a gaudy or gimmicky way. When I was applying for paralegal positions prior to law school, I had a hiring partner at a v-20 call me and say that my application was the “most professional he’d ever seen.” I don’t know if he meant the stationary or the words on the stationary, but I presume that the stationary at least factored into his impression.

In my opinion, stationary is one of those subtle signals (like bar lacing closed-lace shoes) that show you know what’s up. And handwriting the envelope makes it seem less like a mail merge. And wax sealing the letter with a signet ring shows that . . . just kidding.

It’s a little superfluous, but so is making sure you're showing exactly the right amount of cuff. All of these things add up though. It’s like that quote, I forget who said it: good manners are nothing more than a series of little sacrifices and small inconveniences. Same goes for creating a good impression and seeming sophisticated: it’s not a 5K bespoke suit and a Rolex that does it, it’s a series of subtle signals and stationary can be one.

. . . or I just like stationary.

How many firms did you do this for? What has the response been?

OP?