Results tagged “job opening” from Quintessential Resumes and Cover Letters Tips Blog

In Your Cover Letter, Connect the Dots

on June 20, 2009 12:58 PM | Permalink

Connect the dots for your reader in your cover letter. Show the reader how elements of your past experience have led you to apply for the job opening. When you’re finished, the cover letter should explain how your past experiences have made you qualified for and interested in the current position. Don’t feel obligated to include every experience; select the ones most relevant to the position.

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How to Word Cover Letter Following Layoff

Katharine

on May 26, 2009 11:18 AM | Permalink

This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:

Lorraine writes: I have a query. My husband was retrenched almost 8 months ago now, and I want to send his CV to as many printing companies that I can find in South Africa. I also want to send a covering letter attached with his CV explaining that he was retrenched 8 months ago and would like to know if any of these companies have any vacancies. Please help me with the wording of this letter as I am at a loss?

Your help would be greatly appreciated.

The Career Doctor responds: Certainly one of the key components of a job search should still be cold contact, where the job-seeker sends his or her cover letter and resume (or CV) to companies that might have job openings. The critical factor with this strategy is getting the name and title of the hiring manager for your area of expertise and then writing a powerful cover letter. Why does cold contact work? It works because of the large hidden job market; the vast majority of job openings never get advertised or posted, so cold contact is a way of applying for positions that may in fact be open.

I assume that while you are writing the letters, that they will actually be signed by your husband. The cover letter is critical — its function is to spark enough interest so that the employer then looks at your resume (or CV). Think of the cover letter as a sales pitch letter, where the item you are selling is yourself — your mix of skills, accomplishments, and education. You NEVER want to put anything negative in your cover letter. And while many folks are being retrenched or rightsized or re-engineered out of jobs, it’s still a negative. Employers want to see job-seekers who are (or appear) gainfully employed. So, please, say nothing about the retrenchment in your cover letter; saying anything will only harm your husband’s chances. Read more about writing cover letters in the Quintessential Careers Cover Letter Tutorial.

Finally, please remember that your efforts are not complete once you mail the cover letters and CVs to the printing companies. The last paragraph of your cover letter should request action — an interview — and after a reasonable amount of time (1-2 weeks), you MUST follow-up and contact each company — each hiring manager — and ask for the interview. If you don’t follow-up, you are wasting your time even sending the cover letters and CVs.

A note to all job-seekers: Please don’t wait eight months after being downsized to start job-hunting. Take some time to reflect and consider whether it’s time to change careers — but even if you get a big severance package, you should get right back out there on the job market. The longer you wait to start job-searching, the harder it will be for you.

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In Cover Letter, Ask for the Interview

Katharine

on February 16, 2009 8:43 AM | Permalink

To get what we need and want we must ask for it,” advises Jimmy Sweeney, president of CareerJimmy and author of www.Amazing-Cover-Letters.com. “Yet, when it comes to including in a cover letter, the all-important request for a job interview, some job-seekers shy away from asking, ‘May I meet you to discuss the opening for restaurant manager (or whatever the position may be)?’ or ‘May I come to your office for an interview?’”

ASKING is essential, Sweeney says. “Without the question, the hiring manager has no reason to respond. Your cover letter might read well, but unless you ask for an interview, the manager will likely set your letter aside. You risk the chance of never hearing from that person about your interest in the job opening.”

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How to Word Cover Letter Following Layoff

Katharine

on January 3, 2009 10:58 AM | Permalink

This posting is a guest entry from the Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD:

Your help would be greatly appreciated.

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Great Cover Letter Can Distinguish You

Katharine

on October 23, 2008 10:34 AM | Permalink

Our colleague, Barbara Safani of Career Solvers, wrote yesterday:

I recently sat in on a panel of staffing professionals representing such prestigious companies as Microsoft, Starbucks, and PacSun. One of the questions that came up in the audience was "Do you read cover letters?" All three representatives of these companies said they do not. But is this representative of most recruiters and hiring authorities? I decided to conduct my own informal survey and quickly realized that people's reactions to cover letters are all over the board. So here are my conclusions:

Half the people you send your cover letter to will probably read it and the other half will not. Since you can never be sure who your audience is, it is best to cover your bases and send a cover letter. [Editor's note: Studies such as this one suggest the number is higher than half, but it's certainly true that not all recipients read cover letters.]

A strong cover letter might distinguish you in a sea of mediocrity. Most people's cover letters fail to convey a message of value to the employer. But a strong cover letter can help you customize your resume and grab the attention of a hiring authority.

A resume is fairly formulaic; a cover letter is not. Cover letters can be used to communicate interest, passion, and enthusiasm regarding a job opening. They are often used to build the initial rapport between the job-seeker and the employer.

Specific action-oriented cover letters work better than generic ones full of fluff. Showcase strong accomplishments that are relevant to your reader and use metrics whenever possible to validate your competencies. Stay away from tired cover-letter phrases such as team player, strong communicator, or detail oriented. Hiring authorities assume you have these competencies. Leverage accomplishment statements to prove your success across these competencies.

You can contact Safani here.

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