Recently in Cover Letter Tips Category

Don’t repeat your resume. Instead, use your cover letter to give context to the achievements and job functions listed in your resume. Frame your accomplishments with  the journalism questions — who, what, when, where, why and how — and do it succinctly. Use paragraphs to tell the story (the context) and bullets for achievements (results). You can write about each experience with the formula: situation, action and results.

This tip brought to you by OptimalResume.com, a cutting-edge technology firm specializing in flexible, online solutions for resumes, cover letters, interview preparation, portfolios, skills assessments, video resumes, and professional website creation, along with options for recruiters and employers to find, screen and interview candidates online. OptimalResume.com will debut its latest software, Optimal 2.0, in July 2009.

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

The same rules that govern cover letters don't apply to their e-mailed counterparts. With e-mail cover letters, the goal is to write so the reader can see the entire letter when he or she first opens the email, which means your message must be shorter than a printed letter. Give a brief (few sentences) introduction of yourself and why you're writing. Follow with 3-5 relevant accomplishments or qualifications in bullet-point format.

This tip brought to you by OptimalResume.com, a cutting-edge technology firm specializing in flexible, online solutions for resumes, cover letters, interview preparation, portfolios, skills assessments, video resumes, and professional website creation, along with options for recruiters and employers to find, screen and interview candidates online. OptimalResume.com will debut its latest software, Optimal 2.0, in July 2009.

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

Keywords aren’t just for your resume. Companies often scan both your resume and cover letter for keywords, especially if you’re submitting the documents online. Pepper industry buzz words and keywords throughout your cover letter, as well as your resume.

This tip brought to you by OptimalResume.com, a cutting-edge technology firm specializing in flexible, online solutions for resumes, cover letters, interview preparation, portfolios, skills assessments, video resumes, and professional website creation, along with options for recruiters and employers to find, screen and interview candidates online. OptimalResume.com will debut its latest software, Optimal 2.0, in July 2009.

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

Make use of your contacts. If someone referred you to an organization or a specific person, be sure to use your contact’s name early on in your cover letter, even in the first sentence. Something as simple ask, “John Smith at XYZ Co. referred me to you,” can help the reader make the connection.

This tip brought to you by OptimalResume.com, a cutting-edge technology firm specializing in flexible, online solutions for resumes, cover letters, interview preparation, portfolios, skills assessments, video resumes, and professional website creation, along with options for recruiters and employers to find, screen and interview candidates online. OptimalResume.com will debut its latest software, Optimal 2.0, in July 2009.

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

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.

This tip brought to you by OptimalResume.com, a cutting-edge technology firm specializing in flexible, online solutions for resumes, cover letters, interview preparation, portfolios, skills assessments, video resumes, and professional website creation, along with options for recruiters and employers to find, screen and interview candidates online. OptimalResume.com will debut its latest software, Optimal 2.0, in July 2009.

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

Place a powerful headline at the top of your cover letter, says Jimmy Sweeney, president of CareerJimmy and author of the “Amazing Cover Letter Creator.” “Just above the greeting in your cover letter (Dear Mrs. Smith), place your ‘killer’ headline in boldface print and center it on the page. (Two lines maximum.),” Sweeney suggests.

He offers these three examples of first-rate cover-letter headlines — the secret, he says, to landing more quality job interviews:

• Three reasons I feel confident I’m the candidate you’re searching for regarding the [insert job opening title here].
• I have visited the [company name] website and believe I am a great match for the position of [insert job opening title here].
• I would love the opportunity to be interviewed in person for the position of [insert job opening title here].

“By creating a stellar headline you are attracting attention to your cover letter,” Sweeney says, “and bringing it the attention it deserves. Starting your cover letter off with an attention-grabbing headline is a highly effective way for you to stand out from the crowd in a positive light.”

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

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

Kristen writes:

I had written a cover letter and wasn’t sure where to put my name and contact information. I had originally put it on the top of the page, in the middle so that it would match the heading on my resume. However, my mom told me that she has never heard of putting that information in the top middle of the page. She said that it had to be right or left aligned or that it could be at the bottom after I sign my name. I looked in the cover-letter resources on the website but I am still not sure. Could you let me know if all of those are acceptable?

The Career Doctor responds:

You know, I don’t really have anything against well-meaning parents, aunts, uncles, cousins, etc., but unless they work in the career-management field, they are probably not the best people to ask about these things — and I get these kinds of comments all the time.

So, I am glad you have asked me. In the ideal situation, all of your job correspondence should look exactly the same — a matched set. The “header” of your resume - where you have your name and contact information — should be the same on your cover letter, as well as on your references page, salary history page, and any other supplemental pages.

It doesn’t matter if the type is centered, left-justified, or right-justified. What matters is that you are consistent and use a readable font.

And just a reminder about what should go in the header: name, address, phone number (home and/or mobile), email address. Provide as much contact information as possible, but if you use an email address, be sure it’s a professional one, not like one I received recently from “sexyprincess84.”

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

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

Carol writes:

I have read your Quintessential Careers article Moving Up the Ladder: 10 Strategies for Getting Yourself Promoted with great interest because of my situation.

It has been recommended I write a proposal to create a new position for myself to move into. I am having a difficulty finding a template as to how to create such a document. Can you make any suggestions.

The Career Doctor responds:

If I am reading between the lines correctly, I am guessing that someone within your organization has suggested that you create this proposal, but even if I am mistaken, the advice I am suggesting will be useful.

One caveat: If you have not been encouraged to create such a proposal from someone higher in the organization, tread lightly, because management could view such a proposal as you being unhappy with your current job.

There are several keys to success here.

First, you need to conduct research. Try and determine if other similar organizations have the type of position you are proposing. If so, gather as much data as possible to build your case. And even if your search is fruitless, by conducting the research, you are building your network — and perhaps other more interesting opportunities may arise from it.

Second, you need to do a detailed (as possible) cost/benefit analysis. You have to show for the added costs of the position (including salary, benefits, etc.) that there i s also an added benefit — such as increased efficiencies, reduced costs, more revenue, etc. The more numbers you have to support your proposal, the better.

Third, you really need a champion of the new position in upper management. Someone who is going to sing your praises and push for the new position. This person could be your mentor — or anyone else in your internal network.

How likely it is to be approved depends on the strength of your proposal and how flexible the organization is to new ideas.

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

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

Anonymous writes:

I have applied several times to a particular company and just discovered, much to my horror, that I had been spelling the city’s name wrong (at least three applications so far). It’s a two-word name and I made it one word. Worse, it’s a company I do business with regularly and that’s one of my “ins” into the company, my “knowledge” of them, and yet I didn’t know such a small thing. How embarrassing, but worse, how damaging to my credibility.

I just applied for THE position I had been waiting for and it was after I mailed that letter that I realized the mistake I had been making. I was hoping so much to finally get an interview with this company and now this. Is there any way to recover from this error? Should I follow-up with an “at least I’m consistent” light-hearted, letter or hope they didn’t notice as it was going to a different department?

The Career Doctor responds:

If the job you are applying for is that of an editor or proofreader, then perhaps it’s a major blunder, but otherwise I think you can just let this error be. In the great scheme of cover letters, it is MUCH more important to get the name of the hiring manager and name of the company spelled correctly — and I am assuming you did that.

Look at DeLand, where I am based. Most of the mailed correspondence I get spells it as Deland, and don’t even get me started about how people pronounce it. Regardless, while I would of course recommend all job-seekers have perfect spelling and grammar in your cover letters, I would not make a big deal of your oversight.

I might be concerned, however, about someone who has applied for three different positions within the company. Are the positions similar? Do you have any sense why you were not interviewed for the previous positions? If you do have a few contacts within the company, I would ask them whether there is any “word” on your reputation from the people within the departments you are applying to.

And speaking of cover letters, wanted to share this comment from a job-seeker who had asked me how to make a bigger impact with his cover letter for an internship — and I told him to deliver it to the manager personally, but when doing so to be prepared for an on-the-spot interview, which is just what happened: “Just writing to thank you again for your advice with my cover letter for an internship and how to deliver it. I found the manager’s name, and went to deliver my letter to her today. She was so impressed with my initiative of actually delivering the letter by hand, that she interviewed me on the spot, and wants to set up a more formal interview in the near future. Thanks so much, your edits and advice about actually hand-delivering the letter were invaluable, and I really appreciate your time.”

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

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

Clyde writes:

When writing a cover letter, should I mention I had been laid off and/or include the reason for the layoff?