Quintessential Resumes and Cover Letters Tips Blog http://resumesandcoverletters.com/tips_blog/ Providing daily suggestions for making your resume, cover letter, and other career-marketing communications as effective as they can be. en Copyright 2009 Fri, 06 Nov 2009 23:28:04 -0500 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/ http://www.rssboard.org/rss-specification Tailor Your Cover Letter Specifically Be sure to specifically tailor your letter to the job you’re applying for. If you’re answering an ad or online job posting, the specifics of your cover letter should be tied as closely as possible to the actual wording of the ad you’re responding to. In his book, Don’t Send a Resume, Jeffrey Fox calls the best letters written in response to want ads “Boomerang letters” because they “fly the want ad words — the copy — back to the writer of the ad.” In employing what Fox calls “a compelling sales technique,” he advises letter writers to: “Flatter the person who wrote the ad with your response letter. Echo the author’s words and intent. Your letter should be a mirror of the ad.” Fox notes that when the recipient reads such a letter, the thought process will be: “This person seems to fit the description. This person gets it.”

A particularly effective way to deploy the specifics of a want ad to your advantage is to use a two-column format in which you quote in the left-hand column specific qualifications that come right from the employer’s want ad and in the right-hand column, your attributes that meet those qualifications. The two-column format is extremely effective when you possess all the qualifications for a job, but it can even sell you when you are lacking one or more qualification. The format so clearly demonstrates that you are qualified in so many areas that the employer may overlook the areas in which you lack the exact qualifications. See a sample letter in a two-column format.

]]> http://resumesandcoverletters.com/tips_blog/2009/11/tailor-your-letter-specificall.html http://resumesandcoverletters.com/tips_blog/2009/11/tailor-your-letter-specificall.html Cover Letter Tips Fri, 06 Nov 2009 23:28:04 -0500 In Your Cover Letter, Don't Rehash Your Resume Don’t rehash your resume in your cover letter. You can use your cover letter to highlight the aspects of your resume that are relevant to the position, but you’re wasting precious space — and the potential employer’s time — if you simply repeat your resume.

]]> http://resumesandcoverletters.com/tips_blog/2009/11/in-your-cover-letter-dont-reha.html http://resumesandcoverletters.com/tips_blog/2009/11/in-your-cover-letter-dont-reha.html Cover Letter Tips Thu, 05 Nov 2009 23:22:47 -0500 Transition from Maiden to Married Name on Resume How to handle the reversion from a maiden name to a married name — or conversely, from a married name back to a maiden name — on your resume, especially if you’ve published work under one name and are now using a different name: Do not change your name in your publications to your maiden name because if a potential employer were to look up the article and find a different name, the immediate assumption might be you are lying on your resume or vitae, and that’s the end of your chance with that organization. Instead, try one of two simple remedies. First, and perhaps the easiest, is to simply include your current name in parenthesis, so, for example, if you were Mary Smith when you published those research works and you now go by Mary Jones, simply add the Jones on your vitae, such as Mary (Jones) Smith. Second, you could do the same thing on your resume as you would if an organization you worked for changed its name. Under your name at the top of your vitae, you could place, in smaller type, your former name, thus, Mary Jones in large type, (formerly Mary Smith) in smaller directly underneath.

]]> http://resumesandcoverletters.com/tips_blog/2009/11/transition-from-maiden-to-marr.html http://resumesandcoverletters.com/tips_blog/2009/11/transition-from-maiden-to-marr.html Resume Tips Wed, 04 Nov 2009 23:21:25 -0500 Typos and Misspellings are the Kiss of Death Typos, misspellings, and incorrect grammar/punctuation can be fatal in a cover letter (resume, too). Your letter reflects your ability to write and communicate. Be sure your document is letter-perfect before sending it out. Proofread your letter. Put it down and proof it again a few hours later with a fresh eye. Then enlist a friend to review it for errors.

]]> http://resumesandcoverletters.com/tips_blog/2009/11/typos-and-misspellings-are-the.html http://resumesandcoverletters.com/tips_blog/2009/11/typos-and-misspellings-are-the.html Cover Letter Tips Tue, 03 Nov 2009 18:29:43 -0500 Job Action Day 09: His Resume Savvy Helped New Career Rise from Layoff Ashes Today is Job Action Day 2009, a day for job-seekers to take action steps right now — today — to move forward in their careers. The Quintessential Careers family of blogs (including this blog and Quintessential Careers Blog, Career Doctor Blog, and A Storied Career), is looking at a promising aspect of the currently employment scene — turning unemployment into entrepreneurship.

JobActionDay2009Logo.jpg As a result of the current recession, Sacramento-based Jerome Young was laid-off from his job at Hewlett-Packard, along with 12,000 other employees.

When he was laid off, in addition to looking for employment for himself, he also helped friends and family members who were also unemployed write their resumes, cover letters, find hiring manager contacts, and more.

He was fortunate enough afterwards to get 10 job interviews and multiple job offers in less than 30 days — or perhaps it was more than luck that made him so successful in his job search. When former co-workers and friends also impacted by the economic downturn learned of his success, they flocked to Young for assistance, which he gladly provided.

Young started a new job but amazingly then quit. Why? “My first ‘aha’ moment was when so many of my former colleagues began asking for resume assistance that I was literally staying up until 3 a.m. every morning working on their resumes and then working 9-10 hours at my job,” Young recalls. “A choice had to be made.”

“The second ‘aha moment’ was a moment of validation,” he says. “People I helped began getting job interviews very quickly, some within just a few days after posting their updated resume. Once I knew I could deliver job interviews quickly on a consistent basis with people in various fields, it was truly time to leave work and help people. Young established Attract Jobs NOW, where he helps victims of the recession daily.

“My new job is to help others who have been laid-off to find and get jobs quickly,” Young says. “Helping others get jobs is now my passion and I love what I do.”

I interviewed human resource managers to find out what they’re looking for from candidates. I also interviewed previously displaced workers to find out what worked for them in their job searches. The combination of information compiled from each of these groups enabled me to create the highly effective job search strategy, which is now Attract Jobs NOW.

Young shared two of the techniques he learned, used in his own resume, and now deploys in client resumes to attract interviews:

  • Focus on your return on the employer’s investment (ROI) and positive results in your resume to stand out and distinguish yourself from other candidates. “Each bullet on my resume showed positive results directly linked to the company’s bottom line of increasing revenue or decreasing cost,” he says.
  • Add a keyword section to your resume to highlight skills and phrases a recruiter would use to find someone for the job posting. Appearing in keyword search results is the first step to being considered for a job. If recruiters cannot find you, they cannot interview you.

Young also notes that “most people position themselves as generalists in an attempt to cast a wider net but in this market, only specialists, not generalists are hirable. And only specialists can demand what they’re worth when the time comes to discuss salary and benefits.”

You can see a recent interview with Young on FOX News, his nomination for the American Express “Shine a Light” award by a client who received multiple interviews and started a new job within 30 days, and a recent interview with him on “Good Day Sacramento”

17 bloggers, who are members of a community of resume writers and career coaches called the Career Collective, are blogging in support of Job Action Day today. Please enjoy their informative blog posts:

These additional bloggers also have joined the Job Action Day 09 effort:

]]> http://resumesandcoverletters.com/tips_blog/2009/11/job-action-day-09-his-resume-s.html http://resumesandcoverletters.com/tips_blog/2009/11/job-action-day-09-his-resume-s.html Resume Tips A Storied Career Attract Jobs NOW Career Doctor Blog Jerome Young Job Action Day Quintessential Careers Quintessential Careers Blog Mon, 02 Nov 2009 07:34:13 -0500 Resumes from the HR Perspective HR.com’s David Creelman compiled some helpful observations from HR managers on how they read resumes. While HR people may look at resumes slightly differently from the way hiring managers do, the insight in Creelman’s compilation is valuable for job-seekers. Here, we paraphrase Creelman’s article in a way that sheds light for job-hunters:

  1. Be sure your resume indicates a clear career progression. Even if you use a functional resume format that de-emphasizes dates, you can include a bare-bones work history that shows how your career has progressed.
  2. Include keywords that relate to the specific job you’re applying for.
  3. Generally speaking, unless you’re in a very creative field, stay away from brightly colored resume papers and highly unusual presentations. The HR person can more easily glean key information if your resume is in a more conventional format.
  4. An HR manager who hires for entry-level office services and all levels of administrative assistants notes that key areas for employer scrutiny are years of experience in a related field and software or equipment proficiencies.
  5. An HR manager who receives 50-150 e-mailed resumes daily is annoyed by the scattershot approach of jobseekers who answer ads for jobs they’re not remotely qualified for. Don’t irritate employers by sending out your resume willy-nilly hoping the blanket coverage will result in interviews. Instead, target carefully, and apply only for jobs for which you’re truly qualified and interested in.
  6. Focus on accomplishments, not responsibilities. Employers know the responsibilities of the jobs they hire for; they want to know what you’ve done above and beyond those duties.

Creelman concludes that “We [recruiters] all seem to face the same problem of overload. We need to get relevant information quickly. Job candidates do themselves a favor by tailoring the resume and cover letter and making sure the key points are easy to see.”

]]> http://resumesandcoverletters.com/tips_blog/2009/11/resumes-from-the-hr-perspectiv.html http://resumesandcoverletters.com/tips_blog/2009/11/resumes-from-the-hr-perspectiv.html Resume Tips Sun, 01 Nov 2009 18:20:48 -0500 Avoid Being Boring and Formulaic Avoid being boring and formulaic in your cover letters. Don't waste your first paragraph by writing a boring introduction. Use the first paragraph to grab the employer's attention. Tell the employer why you are writing and summarize the reasons you are qualified for the position, expanding on your qualifications in later paragraphs. Read more. Don't use such cliches as "Enclosed please find my resume" or "As you can see on my resume enclosed herewith." Employers can see that your resume is enclosed; they don't need you to tell them. Such trite phrases just waste precious space. Write a letter that will make the employer want to get to know you better.

]]> http://resumesandcoverletters.com/tips_blog/2009/10/avoid-being-boring-and-formula.html http://resumesandcoverletters.com/tips_blog/2009/10/avoid-being-boring-and-formula.html Cover Letter Tips Sat, 31 Oct 2009 11:01:18 -0500 When a Former Employer Changes Names What if a previous employer has changed its name? Should you use the new name on your resume or the old one? Both. A very simple protocol for handling company name changes on your resume is to simply list the current name of the company, and then, in parentheses and in smaller type, list the name of the company when you worked there. So, for example: Bank of America (formerly NationsBank). Make sure you follow all the other rules of resume-writing. See a quick overview at Quintessential Careers: Resumes Do’s and Don’ts,or go for a more detailed review by using Quintessential Careers: Resume Tutorial.

]]> http://resumesandcoverletters.com/tips_blog/2009/10/when-a-former-employer-changes.html http://resumesandcoverletters.com/tips_blog/2009/10/when-a-former-employer-changes.html Resume Tips Fri, 30 Oct 2009 10:55:22 -0500 Accomplishments May Trump Limited Experience If you’ve had jobs that were of short duration, focus on highlighting and leveraging your accomplishments from your previous work experience. Consider reading For Job-Hunting Success: Track and Leverage Your Accomplishments. Remember that no matter how good a job you do with your resume, the question about your last few experiences will likely be asked - and you need to be prepared with a good answer. Talk about how there were circumstances out of your control that have since been resolved - that you are ready to make a longer-term commitment to your next employer - to stay for as long as there are challenges to conquer and results to deliver to help the company’s bottom line. You can find more interviewing resources at the Quintessential Careers Guide to Job Interviewing Resources.

]]> http://resumesandcoverletters.com/tips_blog/2009/10/accomplishments-may-trump-limi.html http://resumesandcoverletters.com/tips_blog/2009/10/accomplishments-may-trump-limi.html Resume Tips Thu, 29 Oct 2009 00:39:53 -0500 Best Salutations for Cover Letters Try to avoid addressing your cover letter to “Dear Personnel Director/HR Director,” “To Whom It May Concern,” “Dear Sir or Madam” (or worse, “Dear Sirs”) instead of a named individual — all lazy approaches that show the employer that you were not concerned enough to find out the name of the person with the hiring power. It’s not always easy to find the name of the specific hiring manager, but try to do so if at all possible. Usually, you can just call the company and ask who the hiring manager is for a given position. Tap into your personal network to learn the names of hiring managers. Let’s say a company post an opening online. You know someone who works at the company. Ask your contact to find out the name of the person hiring for that position. Also use the library, phone book, and Guide to Researching Companies, Industries, and Countries Internet to track down names of hiring managers. The worst-case scenario is that your letter will begin “Dear Hiring Manager for [name of position]:” It’s not the best approach, but if you absolutely cannot find a name, this salutation does at least provide some specificity.

]]> http://resumesandcoverletters.com/tips_blog/2009/10/best-salutations-for-cover-let.html http://resumesandcoverletters.com/tips_blog/2009/10/best-salutations-for-cover-let.html Cover Letter Tips Wed, 28 Oct 2009 00:35:45 -0500 Convey to Employer the Benefit of Hiring You Don’t tell the employer in your cover letter what the company can do for you instead of what you can do for the company. This mistake is particularly common among new college graduates and other inexperienced job-seekers. In most cases, employers are in business to make a profit. They want to know what you can do for their bottom line, not what they can do to fulfill your career dreams. Tell the employer how you can meet his or her needs and contribute to the company.

]]> http://resumesandcoverletters.com/tips_blog/2009/10/convey-to-employer-the-benefit.html http://resumesandcoverletters.com/tips_blog/2009/10/convey-to-employer-the-benefit.html Cover Letter Tips Tue, 27 Oct 2009 00:38:55 -0500 Don't Stretch the Truth about Accomplishments Be sure you are totally truthful about the accomplishments you list on your resume. Have you really accomplished all the things you say you did on your resume? Remember that a resume is a statement of facts. While you can put a spin on your accomplishments, the bottom line is that they all must be truthful statements.

]]> http://resumesandcoverletters.com/tips_blog/2009/10/dont-stretch-the-truth-about-a.html http://resumesandcoverletters.com/tips_blog/2009/10/dont-stretch-the-truth-about-a.html Resume Tips Mon, 26 Oct 2009 00:34:35 -0500 Send Not Thy Resume Naked into the World Always send a cover letter with your resume. Sure, there are some employers that don’t read them or place much importance on them. But since you don’t know whether the employer you’re writing to reads and values cover letters or not, you must include a letter.

]]> http://resumesandcoverletters.com/tips_blog/2009/10/send-not-thy-resume-naked-into.html http://resumesandcoverletters.com/tips_blog/2009/10/send-not-thy-resume-naked-into.html Cover Letter Tips Sun, 25 Oct 2009 00:33:43 -0500 Use Your Resume to Position You with In-Demand Skills Increasingly, employers are demanding experience from all job-seekers, including those “entry-level” positions that college grads fill. Why the trend? Because these so-called entry-level jobs are no longer training positions; employers want employees who can make an impact from day one. What can you do about it? Position yourself as having the key skills that employers seek in job candidates. Identify those key skills you gained from your educational experience as well as from those odd jobs while in college. And don’t put down those odd jobs; while they may not have been in your field, you still gained valuable business skills and experience while working them. Read about these transferable skills - and how college grads especially can take advantage of them - in our growing section on transferable skills at Quintessential Careers. Once you’ve identified those transferable skill sets that you have mastered, you can then go about developing a new resume.

]]> http://resumesandcoverletters.com/tips_blog/2009/10/use-your-resume-to-position-yo.html http://resumesandcoverletters.com/tips_blog/2009/10/use-your-resume-to-position-yo.html Resume Tips Sat, 24 Oct 2009 00:29:57 -0500 Don't Leave the Ball in Employer's Court Don’t close your cover letter by leaving the ball in the employer’s court. Too many cover letters end with a line like this: “I look forward to hearing from you.” Proactive cover letters, in which the job-seeker requests an interview and promises to follow up with a phone call, are far more effective. Don’t be vague about your desire to be interviewed. Come right out and ask for an interview. Then, take your specific action a step farther and tell the recipient that you will contact him or her in a specified period of time to arrange an interview appointment. Obviously, if you say you will follow up, you have to do so. If you take this proactive approach and follow up, you will be much more likely to get interviews than if you did not follow up. This follow-up aspect is another good reason to obtain the specific name of the hiring manager. Here’s a sample closing paragraph requesting specific action and describing the writer’s planned follow-up:

I would like to be considered for a sales position in which someone of my background could make a contribution. I will contact you soon to arrange for an interview. Should you require any additional information, I can be contacted at the phone numbers listed above.
]]> http://resumesandcoverletters.com/tips_blog/2009/10/dont-leave-the-ball-in-employe.html http://resumesandcoverletters.com/tips_blog/2009/10/dont-leave-the-ball-in-employe.html Cover Letter Tips Thu, 22 Oct 2009 00:44:02 -0500