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Techniques For Crafting An Effective Resume Cover Letter


Thursday, January 7th, 2010


A resume cover letter can be just as important as your resume. In many cases, your cover letter can be the difference between getting an interview and having your resume ignored. Before you submit a resume for any job you should take the time to prepare a good cover letter.

Before you begin writing a cover letter you should be aware that are three different types. The application cover letter is used when you are responding to a job opening. The second type of cover letter, known as a prospecting cover letter, is used when you are inquiring about possible job positions. The third type, the networking cover letter, is used to request information and assistance in finding a position.

You should send the cover letter that is appropriate for the reason you are sending your resume. It is good to remember that a form cover letter is not a good idea when you are seeking employment. The best cover letters include information specific to the job you are applying for and why you are interested in gaining employment there.

Another help tip when writing a cover letter is to do a bit of research about the company you are sending your letter and resume to. Knowing about the company and the specific position demonstrate that you are highly interested because you have taken extra time and effort to learn about your prospective employer.

There are three very important areas that should be included in every cover letter. You should open the letter with a paragraph explaining why you are applying. A referral from someone that is already employed there is great and should be included in this paragraph as well. You should tell them how you found out that the position was available and include the resource name. Be sure to include the position title in this paragraph as well.

The second paragraph should be all about what you can bring to the company. Your experience and your skills that pertain to the position that is open should be explained in this paragraph. Your education and particular strong points that would be beneficial to the company should be explained in detail.

The final paragraph in the cover letter should explain what you will do to follow up about the position. You should give them a specific time frame that they should expect a follow up phone call or email from you. Be sure that the time frame that you provide them is convenient for you as well. You do not want to give a time frame and then not meet it.

You should advise the reader that you will provide references if they need them. You may want to find out the follow up policies for the company because some companies do not allow follow up phone calls or emails. They would prefer to contact you. If you are unsure of their preferences in this regards, you may want to change the last paragraph from telling them that you will call them to asking them to reach you. If you do this, be sure to include an email address or phone number that you will be available at.

Taking the time to write an effective cover letter presents an opportunity aside from your resume to sell yourself to a potential employer. A good cover letter also demonstrates your ability to communicate effectively in writing. This is a skill which is necessary for many positions. Cover letters are effective tools which can greatly increase your chances of being offered an interview and can help you to land that ideal position.




The Dos And Don’ts Of Good Cover Letters


Tuesday, December 22nd, 2009


Writing a cover letter can be a tough challenge for some people. How exactly are you going to convey everything that you want? How will you make yourself rise above your competitors, which in this job market is fiercer than ever? One idea is to search for cover letter examples on the web to use as a guide. But even then, you should know what a good cover letter looks like. The good news is that you can follow some easy dos and don’ts to help you realize what should and should not be done. Going off of this kind of basic advice, you will be able to craft your own unique cover letters that will help you land the interview that gets you the career you always dreamed about.

The first “don’t” to remember when writing cover letters is don’t write an entire autobiography. A cover letter should be one page maximum, unless you were specifically told otherwise. This one page has to include all of the critical information that you want to share with this potential employer. This means relevant job histories and experiences, education, and more. Don’t try to make conversation, don’t add filler, and don’t ramble on and on. Stick to the most important points and you’ll make an impression as being direct, while also highlighting all of your best attributes.

One thing you should do is to create your cover letter as specifically as possible to the job that you’re applying to. This means that you shouldn’t have a one size fits all cover letter that you use for every job application. Your cover letter should talk specifically about individual experiences that you’ve had or lessons that you’ve learned that will apply specifically to this position. Talk about why this specific job gets you excited, and why you’d be the perfect candidate.

Still, while you don’t want to have a generic cover letter that you submit to everyone, there’s nothing wrong with crafting a couple of cover letter templates that will speed up the process when you apply to many jobs. For example, maybe you are going after three types of jobs – marketing positions, sales team positions, and entry level sales team management. You can write up a simple template of a cover letter for each of these three types of positions, which go into detail about the experiences and skills that apply to each.

Each time you apply to a specific job, you can fill in the blanks and mention specifically about why you would be a good fit for the job, why you would want it, and why you would excel. You’ll still be creating unique, highly focused cover letters, but you’ll be saving yourself a ton of time by not having to redo it from a blank page every time out.

Finally, the most critical “do” of creating cover letters is that you absolutely should talk yourself up. This is not the time to be modest. You should keep your resume “dry”, but the cover letter is the time to put in some emotion and opinion surrounding the facts. Sell yourself, and make yourself stand apart as different and desirable, or else you’re just another empty sheet of paper that will be put in the trash.

Writing a cover letter is not as an exact science. However, there are some tested and true tips that can make the process easier. Abide by dos and don’ts and you’ll be that much closer to crafting an amazing cover letter. When you do that, your dream job will finally be yours for the taking.




Resume – A Showcase Of Your Skills


Monday, October 12th, 2009


A resume is the first and the most important step in the process of job seeking. A resume consists of a brief account of your qualifications and experience. It basically showcases your skills and experience. The whole idea of a resume is to put you in such a light that the prospective employer finds you perfect for the job.

A resume should contain personal details such as name, address, telephone number, email ID and date of birth. Educational details are next. An important thing you should keep in mind is to start from the latest information and then move backwards. Start from your recent education and mention the subjects studied at your college, school, courses, etc. Similarly, start from the latest job responsibilities you are holding. Mention your job profile and what all you learned at the job instead of simply mentioning the job-title and employer. It is not necessary to write exact dates, a simple mention of months and years is sufficient. There are various formats you can work with.

The chronological format includes a job-by-job listing of your experience. It proves effective for the people who have careers moving in the upward direction. Another format is the functional format in which you highlight key skills and knowledge. It widens the scope of people who have been changing jobs often, as they can talk about responsibilities, projects and skills learnt from each job. Then you can also use a combination of the chronological and functional formats. Such a resume will mention the job-by-job experience alongside accomplishments at each job.

There are certain factors you must keep in mind while formulating your resume. The resume should not ideally go beyond more than 2 pages. Try to keep the information as precise as possible. If you have some 30 years of experience, it is not necessary to enlist all of it. The details of the last 10 years of your career will suffice and the rest of the information should be provided in a very concise manner. Use more of action verbs such as: supervised, organized, learned, contributed, etc. The freshers in the industry can highlight their responsibilities at the college/school level. Mention the extra-curricular activities that you have taken part in. You must also mention your achievements. Be careful to tailor make your CV according to demands of the employer. Use an Arial or Times New Roman font; do not go for very decorative fonts. Do write about the skills pertinent to the job, making you fit the brief perfectly. List out five or six key attributes the employers are looking for and prepare your resume accordingly.

It is important to format your resume since you are being judged by the way your resume looks. You can choose to exclude certain details such as hobbies if they are totally unrelated to your profession. However, if you are applying for a Public Relations job and your hobby is making friends, then it is sensible to include it. Do not give reasons for leaving your current job as it has a negative impact. Leave such tough questions for the interview. It is advisable to inform your references beforehand and hand over a copy of your resume to them. Last but not the least; keep updating your resume regularly.

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The Most Important Piece Of Paper In Your Job Search


Sunday, October 11th, 2009


What’s the most important piece of paper in your job search? If you said it’s your resume or your cover letter, you’d be wrong. It’s your job application.

Over 90% of companies run some type of background check on job applicants today. To get the detailed information that is required to run a thorough check, most companies require applicants to fill out a specially-designed application form.

Over 80% of companies say that discrepancies on a job application can take a candidate out of the running, yet half of the background checks run in 2005 found inaccuracies in the information provided by applicants.

As you can see, how you fill out that job application is directly tied to whether or not you get hired.

There are four golden rules to follow when filling out a job application. Some of them are obvious and all of them are important. If you follow these rules, you will start the pre-employment screening process far ahead of your competitors.

Tell the Truth:

As amazing as it sounds, over half of all applicants lie on their applications. Don’t be one of them. Nothing will take you out of consideration faster than fabricating information. Because so many companies check backgrounds today, the chances are very good that lies will be discovered and you will not get the job.

Be Neat:

Since companies use the information on your job application to check your background, make sure people can read it. If you can type your application, do it. If not, print clearly. Your mother might be able to read your handwriting, but she is not the one who will be checking your background.

Be Complete:

It is always better to give too much information, rather than too little. You never know what a company will want to verify. Here are some general rules:

1. If there is space on the application, list every diploma and degree you have received. Some companies will only verify your highest degree, while others will want to verify everything.

2. Fill in as many employment boxes as you can. Work study, internships, and volunteer jobs all provided you with experience. List them if you have room.

3. Always provide up-to-date phone numbers and addresses for your previous employers.

Be Prepared:

Most companies will not tell you what information they plan to check. Some will only run a criminal check, while others will verify every piece of information on your job application. You need to be prepared for anything they choose to do.

You also need to be prepared for anything a hiring company might hear about you. Even though previous employers may be liable for saying bad things about you, it happens every day. If there is bad news out there, it is far better for you to tell the hiring company than to have them find it out on their own.

Before you send out that first resume, or respond to that first newspaper ad, take the time to prepare the detailed information that needs to go on your job application.

Remember, while a great-looking resume will get you in the door and solid interviewing skills will help you make the final cut, if you don’t pass the background check, you won’t get the job.

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