Problem: Write an article based on this summary: Format your letter. Thank them for the offer. List the reasons you are worth more. Set out your terms. Ask for an appointment to negotiate. Send your letter to the hiring manager.

Answer: Even if you're sending your letter using email, you want to use a formal business format and address your letter to a specific person – typically the person who presented the original offer, unless they've indicated you should direct correspondence to someone else.  If you're addressing the letter to someone other than the person who presented you with the initial offer – say, because your initial offer was provided by a recruiter or other interviewer on behalf of the person who will actually be doing the hiring – mention the person with whom you spoke by name. Generally, your text should be single-spaced, with a double-space between paragraphs. When you're ready to sign off, use your full name and a closing such as "thank you." You may want to include your phone number under your name if you're not printing the letter on letterhead or sending it from an email address that has a signature line that includes contact information. If you're sending your letter using email, make sure you're using an appropriate email address. If you have a cutesy email address that you use for personal communication, set up another one with a free provider that you can use for more serious, business communications. Begin your letter by thanking the person for the initial offer, and be specific. Include the title of the position and location where you will be working. You might also want to mention job responsibilities if they bear relevance to skills or experience you intend to highlight.  For example, if you were offered a position in the company's offices in New York City, but you live in Chicago, you probably should include the location when you thank them for the offer, especially if you plan to ask them to cover some of your relocation expenses. If the job title is at issue, make sure you list the job title you were offered exactly, so you can ask for it to be changed. Close this first paragraph with a statement that you are excited about working for the company and believe you could contribute a lot, or provide significant value. Highlight points on your resumé that show you have experience or education that should command a higher salary or greater benefits. Here you can use the knowledge you gleaned about how your offer was determined, and bring up or expand on aspects of your background they may not have taken into consideration.  For example, if you know that the offer you received is the same offer the company gives all new hires, you can point out the additional value you bring to the position, or the experience you have that many other new hires may not. You also have the opportunity to include information you may not have noted on your resumé, or to expand on the brief descriptions of your experience that you already gave them. To this end, you may want to think about what hypothetical person they have in mind who is worth that initial offer. Then you can explain how you are worth more than that hypothetical person. Try to keep this paragraph brief, but focus on specific examples that demonstrate you are worth more than the compensation in the initial offer. If what you want is less about getting more money and more about something such as a change in job title, provide reasons for your request based on what you know about the job responsibilities of the position they've offered you. If you're asking for the company to help cover relocation expenses because you have to move to accept the position, keep in mind that they may decide they could simply hire someone who already lived in the area. You want to show that you have unique value to add and that they won't find anyone comparable to you for less. Based on the reasons you've described, state a specific salary you want, including additional benefits or other options. While you don't want to ask for an amount that's too high, you still want to leave room to negotiate.  If you're willing to exchange certain benefits for others, state this clearly. For example, if you have no need for the reserved parking spot because you don't have a car, but would like a week more of paid vacation time than was initially offered, you might present this exchange. Be careful not to state your terms as a demand, but as a counter-offer. Stress that you're open to discussion. If you have other job offers from other companies, you might be able to mention these and use them as leverage. However, don't make up offers that you don't have – you don't know who the hiring manager or others in the company know in the industry. If they are able to find out with a quick phone call that you never received such an offer, even your initial offer may evaporate. While you're setting the stage for salary negotiation through your letter, you ultimately want to sit down with the hiring manager and talk face to face rather than haggling through letters back and forth, which can be time-consuming and tedious.  Asking for an appointment sends a message to the hiring manager that you value their time and aren't interested in drawing out the process. If you have specific dates in mind, you may want to include them – particularly if a face-to-face meeting would require you to travel. If you are looking at working for a company several states over, and would not be able to travel to them, you typically can set up a meeting over the phone or online. You want to give your letter enough time to get there if you're mailing it, so don't pick dates too close to the date you're writing your letter. At the same time, you don't want to set them too far out – you want to strike while the iron is hot. Generally, try to plan for a meeting within a week or two of the date you've sent your counter-offer, barring any holidays. Often sending your letter electronically will be preferable to using the mail, because you can avoid unnecessary delays. If you use email, make sure you have a direct email address for the hiring manager who presented the initial offer.  Physical mail is fine, if a bit old-fashioned, but be wary of sending this letter over a fax. Faxes may be seen by many people in the office who have no business knowing the details of your salary negotiation. Generally, you want to follow the method initially set by the company that extended the offer. If they communicated your initial offer to you using email, this is the best method to use to send your counter-offer. If they mailed you a formal offer letter, responding by mailing a paper letter is the way to go, unless the letter with the initial offer indicated otherwise. Regardless of which method you choose, your counter-offer should be in writing so you have a written record of the negotiations.


Problem: Write an article based on this summary: Use 1 3/4 teaspoons (8.5 g) of spice in pumpkin pie.

Answer: Instead of measuring cinnamon, ginger, and cloves as called for in a recipe for pumpkin pie, use the spice mix. Stir the spice into the filling mixture until it's incorporated and then bake the pie according to your recipe instructions.


Problem: Write an article based on this summary: Fashion a mask from a plastic 2 L (68  fl oz) bottle. Create a filter chamber with an aluminum can. Load the gas mask with activated charcoal. Tape together the gas mask and use it when necessary.

Answer:
Use scissors to cut the bottom off a 2 L (68  fl oz)  plastic bottle. Then remove a 3-in (7.3-cm) wide panel from one side of the bottle. The panel will extend from the cut off bottom to where the neck of the bottle begins to curve toward its spout. The plastic may be jagged where it was cut with scissors. Use medical tape along the cut edges of the bottle for padding. Poke breathing holes into the bottom of an aluminum can with scissors or a screwdriver. After that, cut off the top of the aluminum can with a sturdy pair of scissors, tin snips, or shears. Be careful when handling the cut metal of the can. It is often sharp enough to easily cause cuts. A layer of duct or medical tape can be used on sharp edges as padding. Insert a layer of cotton into the bottom of the can. Add a layer of activated charcoal on top of the cotton, then sandwich the charcoal with another layer of cotton on top. Tape cotton over the cut top of the can, then cut a small hole in the cotton. Use caution when loading the aluminum can with charcoal, especially if you decided not to pad its sharp edges with tape. Insert the spout of the 2 L (68  fl oz) bottle into the hole in the cotton at the top of the can. Tape the aluminum can to the 2 L (68  fl oz) bottle to complete the mask. By breathing through the spout, the air you breathe will be filtered by the charcoal in the can.