Results tagged “Quint Careers” from Quintessential Resumes and Cover Letters Tips Blog

An article on CollegeSurfing.com, The Piece of Paper Standing Between You and Your Next Interview: The Cover Letter, by Robyn Tellefsen, quotes Quint Careers. We're continuing to excerpt parts of the article:

Keep it simple.

Three or four paragraphs should suffice. In your first paragraph, explain why you are writing. In the middle paragraph or two, highlight why you are a good candidate for the position, convey a clear story about your career, and detail what you can do to help the company reach its goals. Your closing paragraph should indicate how you will follow up on your submission.

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An article on CollegeSurfing.com, The Piece of Paper Standing Between You and Your Next Interview: The Cover Letter, quotes Quint Careers. We’ll excerpt parts of the article over the next few days:

In the digital age, cover letters are as antiquated and unnecessary as thank-you notes.

WRONG! …

It does show some extra effort when you submit a cover letter. After all, anyone can make a bazillion copies of their resume and fax ‘em out to every agency that may or may not be hiring. A customized cover letter, on the other hand, conveys your interest in a particular company and can push your resume to the top of the pile.

Don’t believe me? Check out this excerpt from a recent New York Times article:

Ms. Piotrowski recently had a job opening at her small company, Career Solutions Group, and she was dismayed when about a quarter of the 200 applicants did not send cover letters. Most were within five years of graduating from college, she said, reflecting a more informal mind-set among younger people.

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“Distinguish yourself from the vast majority of resumes and online profiles that do not appeal to any target audience, contain insipid or non-existent messages of value, and rely on the ‘throw-it-against-the-wall-and-see-what-sticks’ mentality” said Susan Guarneri, the “Career Assessment Goddess,” in the Q&A interview she did with Quint Careers. Even a standardized online application can stand out from the crowd through the content you choose to input. For example, the content can:

• demonstrate an understanding of your target audience’s needs and culture through online company research and inquiries with individuals in the profession and industry,
• showcase value-added results, links to a web portfolio and other online “proof” of success, and a unique personal brand that permeates your past track record, and
• gain positive traction with the employer through auxiliary means of connection (such as employee referrals and social networking).

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You must get your foot in the company door first to have any chance at all, notes Jimmy Sweeney in his article for Quint Careers, the 7 Elements of a Highly Effective Cover Letter. With the right cover letter, you can blow several doors wide open immediately. More job interviews translate to a wider range of opportunity and (drum roll, please) … more job offers.

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“Self-marketing success requires three essential elements,” said Susan Guarneri, the “Career Assessment Goddess,” in the Q&A interview she did with Quint Careers
:

1. understanding who your target audience is and their needs,
2. having a credible and compelling message that your target audience values, and
3. capturing that target audience’s attention.

Resumes have been the primary tool for self-marketing in the past. Whether they will continue to serve that function in the future depends largely on:

• how the selection and hiring industries (HR and recruiting) of various professions evolve to accommodate other types of self-marketing tools, such as the web portfolio, and
• how the available talent pool chooses to promote their candidacy.

Some professions welcome creative approaches, often involving new technology, while others seem to push towards standardization of online application forms. Similarly, many highly desirable candidates promote themselves to selective target audiences and use distinctive approaches, while other candidates default to generic resumes hoping to catch anyone’s eye. Unfortunately, the path of least effort for many candidates is the generic resume, which is ironically the least effective in meeting the three self-marketing essentials.

Whatever the means of self-marketing (resume, bio, online profile, or web portfolio), best practices indicate that the type chosen needs to be appropriate to the target audience (profession and industry) and the candidate, and it needs to be effective in conveying a message of value and distinction.

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You must get your foot in the company door first to have any chance at all, notes Jimmy Sweeney in his article for Quint Careers, the 7 Elements of a Highly Effective Cover Letter. With the right cover letter, you can blow several doors wide open immediately. More job interviews translate to a wider range of opportunity and (drum roll, please) … more job offers.

Need help with your resume, cover letter, or other career-marketing document? Order today from Quintessential Resumes and Cover Letters, powered by About Jobs Resume Writing Service.

Do your legwork before sending any cold-contact letter, exhorts Teena Rose in her article for Quint Careers, Optimizing Your Cold-Contact Cover Letter. Every job-seeker finds himself or herself sending this type of letter from time to time, so do yourself a favor by cultivating the info you’ll need to design a letter that outshines those used by others. A good rule of thumb is “be innovative, not imitative.” To see an explanation of cold-contact letters and two other types of cover letter, see The Basics of a Dynamic Cover Letter.

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“First impressions count more than ever in today’s virtual world where face-to-face meetings are becoming an endangered species,” writes Peggy Klaus in her article for Quint Careers, Are You Up To Snuff When It Comes To Soft Skills?. “When your resume formatting is messy or your follow-up note demonstrates poor writing skills, spelling errors, and incorrect word usage, you will be demonstrating your soft skills, or lack thereof, loud and clear!”

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Think of your cover letter as a sales letter, advises Jimmy Sweeney in his article for Quint Careers, the 7 Elements of a Highly Effective Cover Letter. The only purpose of your job-search cover letter is to land you job interviews. That’s the bottom line. By using proven marketing strategies, you will land a greater number of quality job interviews than your competition.

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Don’t design your cover letter to have a heavy or light appearance. You’re shooting for something that is within a “happy medium,” advises Teena Rose in her article for Quint Careers, Optimizing Your Cold-Contact Cover Letter. When you’re finished writing, sit back and examine your words. Let it sit overnight, if necessary. Always analyze every fragment and sentence you’re using to determine if there’s a better or more effective way of presenting yourself. It sounds a bit obsessive-compulsive, but unfortunately, you REALLY DO have just one chance to make a great first impression.

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End your cover letter with enthusiastic and telling verbiage, such as, “I look forward to being interviewed at your earliest convenience. Thank you so much for this opportunity. Sincerely, Jane Jobseeker,” suggests Jimmy Sweeney in his article for Quint Careers, the 7 Elements of a Highly Effective Cover Letter. (Notice how Jane assumes she’ll land the interview? This approach is clever, smart, and it works like a charm).

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In her article for Quint Careers, Are You Up To Snuff When It Comes To Soft Skills?, Peggy Klaus tells this story: One hiring manager — who echoed the sentiments of many others — says she can spot what she calls a soft-skills impostor in seconds. “In our executive-level job postings, we purposely ask candidates to explain how their experience will translate into helping grow our organization. You would not believe the number of responses we get from very senior executives who fail to address our question, much less even mention the name of our organization in their letter!” Translation: The job candidate is taking the “throw spaghetti against the wall and see if it sticks” approach by using one-size-fits-all- communication. As for those applicants who don’t follow the instructions in her postings, “If they ignore me, I ignore them.” The hiring manager also noted, “Would you want this person leading your organization and presenting to clients? Communicating, listening, critical thinking — even at the most basic level — these are all very important soft skills.” A loud message is sent when an applicant fails to highlight details most relevant to the position, follow simple directions, or show signs of having bothered to visit the company’s website.

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Writing a winning cover letter isn’t the easiest task, but it’s well worth the effort, especially when you know that it can make the difference between a good first impression and a bad one, notes Elizabeth Freedman in her article for Quint Careers, Cover Letters That Count. After all, taking the time to write a great letter ensures you’ll impress a prospective employer and practically guarantees a wince-free moment.

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Using the top of the first page of your resume to your best advantage is one of the trends executive resume and branding expert Meg Guiseppi writes about in her article for Quint Careers, Five Top Trends for Executive Resumes. Guiseppi points out that since the top of your resume is the first, and possibly the only section that will be read, place your most important information here. It’s okay to move up to the forefront information normally found further down within the “Professional Experience” section — especially if it represents the best you have to offer. If you immediately capture your readers’ attention with vivid illustrations of your promise of value, they’ll be more likely to read the entire document.

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Request one action you want the employer to take, advises Jimmy Sweeney in his article for Quint Careers, the 7 Elements of a Highly Effective Cover Letter. For example: “I would really like the opportunity for a personal interview this week.” (You never know until you ASK)!

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Unlike correspondence written a decade ago, the tone of letters has changed in today’s job market, notes Teena Rose in her article for Quint Careers, Optimizing Your Cold-Contact Cover Letter. Incorporating a conversational tone to your letter will help readers relate to you. It’s difficult to explain what exactly writing in conversational tone is other than to say it’s similar to how you speak. You’ll ditch many of the stuffy, stock fragments that once existed, such as, “Please find my resume attached in response to the position advertised in the Dayton Daily News.” Instead, start your letter with, for example, “A few months back, I met with John Brickman at the business exposition in Vancouver. I was stunned by his knowledge of the robotics industry. I realized, after speaking with him for only a few minutes, that Jackman Technologies, Inc., was a perfect fit for my skill set — and let me tell you why.”

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Think of your cover letter as you, on paper — so you want to look your best and present a neat, professional package to your prospective employer, advises Elizabeth Freedman in her article for Quint Careers, Cover Letters That Count. For starters, choose a quality paper (such as the kind used for resumes) in a conservative color (like white or ivory) to send your message, and make sure you use the same paper and font for your cover letter, resume, and envelope, since they are typically packaged together. Save the pink paper and funky font for another time, and watch smudges, crinkles, and other sloppy marks. Finally, make sure your letter is readable. If the font is too small (nothing less than 10 points) or the letter too long (more than a page), you’ve probably alienated your audience already.

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With regard to resumes and cover letters, Peggy Klaus says she often tells professionals: “When approaching any business communication situation, start out by tuning in to your listeners’ favorite radio station, what I call WIFT-FM, or What’s In It For Them? This helps you to identify the potential needs, objectives, and goals of your audience,” Klaus writes in her article for Quint Careers, Are You Up To Snuff When It Comes To Soft Skills? “In other words, why should they be listening to you in the first place?”

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In your cover letter, choose words that show enthusiasm and passion for the position you seek … (big, big secret!), suggests Jimmy Sweeney in his article for Quint Careers, the 7 Elements of a Highly Effective Cover Letter.

Then, carry this passion into the interview with you.

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Make sure your examples in your resume and cover letter “are relevant to the position for which you are applying, advises Peggy Klaus in her article for Quint Careers, Are You Up To Snuff When It Comes To Soft Skills? For instance, what would be more relevant to a non-profit charitable organization — that you raised a substantial amount of money for a do-good cause, motivating hundreds in your company to participate, or that you sold more widgets in China than any other division? As one HR director remarked, “I hate it when the candidate assumes we will connect the dots for them. Instead of writing a cover letter that brings the relevant experience forward, critical points remain buried in the resume. Connecting the dots is their job, not ours.”

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It seems cliched or redundant to mention researching the company before forwarding your documents, but it’s amazing on how many job-seekers fail to do just that. It’s pivotal that you take a “quality, not quantity” approach to your job search, declares Teena Rose in her article for Quint Careers, Optimizing Your Cold-Contact Cover Letter.

Focusing your efforts on targeting, researching, and applying to a small and specific, targeted list of employers will generate a higher return from your efforts. By researching potential employers, you’re reflecting to the company that you’re serious about joining its team — so much so, that you’re willing to dedicate your personal time to learning about the company.

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Formatting your executive resume for the reader is one of the trends executive resume and branding expert Meg Guiseppi writes about in her article for Quint Careers, Five Top Trends for Executive Resumes. Guiseppi notes that more and more hiring decision-makers at the executive level are reviewing resumes on Blackberry-type devices when they are on the go. Brief, concise, brand-focused statements of value surrounded by enough white space to make them stand out will have the greatest impact. Long, dense paragraphs make it hard for the reader to quickly access and digest important make-or-break information about you.

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A cover letter sent to a company that may not have publicly advertised positions is called a cold-contact letter, explains Teena Rose in her article for Quint Careers, Optimizing Your Cold-Contact Cover Letter. You’re contacting the employer to introduce yourself with the hope that it may spark an interest and result in a warm lead (also known as an interview). For obvious reasons, a cold-contact letter will generate the fewest leads, so paying special attention to the content and adding a couple unique elements will increase your return rate. [To see an explanation of cold-contact letters and two other types of cover letter, see The Basics of a Dynamic Cover Letter.]

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A strong cover letter doesn’t just create a good impression — it helps you sell yourself, declares Elizabeth Freedman in her article for Quint Careers, Cover Letters That Count.

But selling yourself isn’t always easy. So use a technique that marketers use to sell us stuff: the convince … that … because method. When drafting your cover letter, think about the following:

Whom do you want to convince?

For instance, you might be writing to a hiring manager who needs somebody with strong writing skills. By knowing your audience, you’ll have the opportunity to specifically address the concerns or needs of your readers in your persuasive cover letter. One caveat:

You may find job announcements that instruct applicants to send a letter to human resources, rather than provide a specific name of an individual. In these instances, you can try to track down, through company sources or networking, the name and title of a specific individual to whom you can address your letter. Otherwise, use the job description and knowledge of the company to best gauge your audience’s needs.

What are you trying to convince them of?

Using the example above, you are trying to convince a hiring manager that you have terrific writing skills. You may also want the hiring manager to know about your ability to speak French and your mastery of PowerPoint, if these are skills that are relevant to the job for which you’re applying. Be specific here: If you want to talk about your skills as a leader, be sure to mention a situation in which you demonstrated leadership skills. And remember to discuss the same skills that appear on your resume, providing additional information and detail in your letter.

Why should you be hired over someone else?

Here’s your opportunity to make a persuasive, convincing argument and sell your unique abilities. Using the previous example, you want to convince a hiring manager that you have terrific writing skills because you’ve consistently written on a wide range of topics for your school’s newspaper, providing valuable information to more than 500 students weekly for the past three years. Whatever your example, make sure you point out how your work made a positive difference, quantifying this difference whenever possible.

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Focus in your cover letter on what you can do for the employer, suggests Jimmy Sweeney in his article for Quint Careers, the 7 Elements of a Highly Effective Cover Letter.

How can you benefit the company specifically? Do a little research and relate this value-added simply and clearly in your letter.

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A cover letter sent to a company that may not have publicly advertised positions is called a cold-contact letter, explains Teena Rose in her article for Quint Careers, Optimizing Your Cold-Contact Cover Letter. You’re contacting the employer to introduce yourself with the hope that it may spark an interest and result in a warm lead (also known as an interview). For obvious reasons, a cold-contact letter will generate the fewest leads, so paying special attention to the content and adding a couple unique elements will increase your return rate. [To see an explanation of cold-contact letters and two other types of cover letter, see The Basics of a Dynamic Cover Letter.]

Need help with your resume, cover letter, or other career-marketing document? Order today from Quintessential Resumes and Cover Letters, powered by About Jobs Resume Writing Service.

Including a leadership/personal brand statement is one of the trends executive resume and branding expert Meg Guiseppi writes about in her article for Quint Careers, Five Top Trends for Executive Resumes. Guiseppi advises: Begin to build a vibrant message highlighting your vitality, pivotal leadership strengths, and unique value proposition by answering questions like this:

• What jazzes you about your work each and every day? What are you most passionate about getting to and accomplishing at work?
• What talents and characteristics do you possess that represent the best in your field?
• How did you achieve the career successes that most benefitted your companies? What specific actions did you take?
• What critical contributions did you make to past companies that wouldn’t have happened if you weren’t there?

You will further support your brand statement if you weave key brand attributes throughout your resume.

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As the saying goes, we get only one chance to make a first impression, explains Elizabeth Freedman in her article for Quint Careers, Cover Letters That Count. In a competitive job market where human resources departments are flooded with applicants, a first impression may be your only opportunity to make an impact. When trying to land a first job or internship, a strong, succinct cover letter is one of the best tools you can use to get noticed. And unlike other first impressions, the cover letter puts the opportunity to succeed largely in your hands.

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Ensure that you’re not wasting your time, or more importantly, the employer’s time, suggests Teena Rose in her article for Quint Careers, Optimizing Your Cold-Contact Cover Letter.

If you’re a software engineer and the company you’re targeting outsources its entire system needs, then you’re wasting time vying for employment with that company. Know your viability factor before adding any company to your target list. Make a courtesy phone call, if necessary. If you place a call, ask for a contact name too. Why not kill two birds with one stone?

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“Don’t make the mistake on your resume or in your cover letter of claiming soft-skills competency without substantiation,” cautions Peggy Klaus in her article for Quint Careers, Are You Up To Snuff When It Comes To Soft Skills? “Providing solid examples that demonstrate your soft skills in a resume or cover letter is far more effective than making empty promises, such as: I possess solid leadership, people, and communication skills. Show me! This is especially important, given that many hiring managers — as associate publisher of Quintessential Careers Katharine Hansen points out in Top 30 Executive Resume Pet Peeves of Hiring Decision-Makers — don’t like to see a laundry list of soft skills on a resume,” Klaus writes.

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“A great interview-generating executive resume is all about differentiating yourself from others competing for the same jobs,” writes executive resume and branding expert Meg Guiseppi in her article for Quint Careers, Five Top Trends for Executive Resumes. “With constantly changing trends in strategic resume writing, new ways to accomplish this differentiation are always coming forward. If you take advantage of the latest trends before they mainstream, you are much more likely to stand out, make a positive connection, and stimulate the attention you deserve.” Read the trends here.

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Differentiate your resume from the crowd, writes Deborah Walker in her article for Quint Careers, Is Your Resume Lost in the Great Internet Void?.

Dozens of fast-food restaurants sell hamburgers and fries. How do you choose which one you want? Chances are, one of those restaurants has a differentiating edge, something that you like better than all the others. The job market is the same way; it’s flooded with choices, so you have to make your resume stand out from all the competition. The best way to differentiate your resume from others is with accomplishments. And those accomplishments really stand out when:

• They are measurable. Can you define how much you accomplished in dollars saved, contracts won, or percent changed? [Editor’s note: See our article, For Job-Hunting Success: Track/Leverage Your Accomplishments.]
• They support your transferable skills. Can your skills be used by this company, even if your job experience is in a different industry? What skills will transfer from one job to another? [Editor’s note: See our article, Transferable Job Skills — a Vital Job-Search Technique.]
• They connect to corporate bottom-line objectives. How can you help them save time, save money, increase their profit margin, improve sales, or increase revenue?

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If you have stated a skill in the summary portion of your resume, you need to support it through an example of your related accomplishment in the experience portion of your resume, whether you are using a functional or chronological resume format, writes Sherri Edwards in her article for Quint Careers,Ten Resume Tips.

Describing a specific incident, event, work experience, or project will show evidence or “prove” you have a specific skill. Fancy language may appear engaging, but for the discerning decision maker, it does not take the place of facts. Facts sell. Using concrete examples in your resume will also prepare you for your interview. Using vague statements may get you in the door, but at some point, you will have to come up with specifics to make it real. Better to do it now than assume you will be able to produce supporting details on cue during and interview without preparation.

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Open your cover letter with an attention-grabbing first sentence to really grip the reader, advises Jimmy Sweeney in his article for Quint Careers, the 7 Elements of a Highly Effective Cover Letter.

This approach will almost guarantee your cover letter and resume get a much closer look.

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A well-constructed resume will include qualified and quantified information spoken in plain language that is relevant to the industry, and easy enough to understand by the lowest level screener, writes Sherri Edwards in her article for Quint Careers, Dispelling the Myth About Resumes.

You must pass “go” before you move to the next level. Beyond being clear, the information provided is also an opportunity to begin building your value. Never assume that past titles or general statements will imply value, or secure a whopping salary.

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One of the greater purposes of a well-crafted resume is more for the benefit of the candidate, rather than the employer, writes Sherri Edwards in her article for Quint Careers, Dispelling the Myth About Resumes.

A candidate who has selected language that is used by the employer, and included specific examples of accomplishments that are relevant to the employer’s needs has a far greater chance of using this information to his or her advantage during an interview. The candidate who has thoughtfully considered each piece of information included in the resume, and qualified and quantified his or her examples has most certainly done the hardest part of the preparation required to succeed in the interview. Without completing the connections between experiences and the employer’s needs long in advance of the interview, a job-seeker’s ability to present that information in a meaningful way and effectively lead the employer directly to those same conclusions during an interview is vastly limited. By using only relevant examples of experience, being very clear about why these examples have been selected for inclusion in the resume, a candidate has built the framework for the impending conversation. The candidate, not the employer, in essence, can control the conversation. The resume is used as the “agenda” or a “cheat sheet’ for the candidate.

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Do your best to find out to whom you should address your cover letter. “Dear Manager” is lifeless, exhorts Jimmy Sweeney in his article for Quint Careers, the 7 Elements of a Highly Effective Cover Letter.

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“I … think a personal approach in the search process is always the best,” said Norine Dagliano in the Q&A interview she did with Quint Careers. “The cover letter provides job-seekers an opportunity to ‘speak’ to the employer in their own words; to give the employer a little ‘window into their personality;’ to address the employer’s needs by describing specific contributions they are prepared to make. We don’t want to rewrite the resume for each job, but a well-constructed cover letter can expand upon the resume and bring to the employer’s attention the key selling points to be considered.”

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It has been said that a crafty, eye-catching resume is all that is needed to get your foot in the door for an interview. That may be so, writes Sherri Edwards in her article for Quint Careers, Dispelling the Myth About Resumes.

Then what? How many times have you heard of a person having interview after interview, but never receives any offers? There is likely to be a good reason for that, and there is a good chance it can be tracked all the way back to his or her resume.

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