Career Flux - Cover Letter

Make Your Resume Shine

When wanting to get your resume noticed, it is imperative that you put the right stuff in it to make it stand out against the rest. You are not submitting your resume so that it can be put in the pile with all the rest – you want it on the desk of the person making the hiring decisions. In order to accomplish this feat, there are a few things that you should do.

Layout

You do not want your resume to be full of too much information in a format that is difficult to read. A resume should be something that a prospective employer should be able to glance at and know whether or not they want more information. Also, make sure that the resume has a professional appearance with muted colors that are only used to enhance the look of the resume. When printing your resume, make sure to use good quality resume paper to show your professionalism.

Content

There needs to be enough information to make someone want to know more, but not so much that you tell everything. Proper grammar and punctuation is a must in your resume. Nothing will kill your validity faster than a misspelled word, improper use of a word or poor punctuation, so don’t do it. Have someone proofread your resume to make sure that this doesn’t happen. What sounds and looks good to you may not make sense to someone else.

Parts of the Resume

There are some basic parts of the resume that you must include in order to get your resume noticed.

1. Contact Information:

Your name should always be at the top of your resume. Your email and phone number can either be placed under your name on the top or put into the footer. There is no need to include your address unless you want to. Make sure that your name, email, and phone number are located on all pages.

2. Objective:

This will follow your name. It should be at least one sentence and not more than an additional sentence or two after that. An objective should be a statement of what you are looking for in an employment position as well as what you can offer.

3. Education:

Whether or not you have education outside of a high school diploma, you will need to list what you have. Here you should list what school you attended, what you studied, what year you received your diploma and your grade point average if it was acceptable. If you do not have extended education, now may be the right time to go back to school in order to enhance your resume as well as yourself.

4. Work History:

Here, you will list any and all employment with a brief description of what you did. Use key action words like implemented, managed, transitioned, organized, and the like when describing your work experience. If you have a gap in employment, make sure that you account for it by listing what you did. If you were simply unemployed, describe it as a sabbatical and list the things you did during that time like volunteer work, helping family members, or any other productive activity you were involved in.

5. Skills:

Take the opportunity to list out everything that you are skilled at, regardless of if it is applicable to the position you are applying for. This list of skills will tell the prospective employer that you are capable of becoming proficient at things.

6. Volunteer Work:

List out all volunteer work you have done, regardless of how menial the task may seem to you. This will show that you are able to put others before yourself.

7. References:

You can choose to provide these with your resume or simply state that they are available upon request. The choice is yours. Regardless of when you provide them, make sure that you include professional as well as personal references. Designate which are professional and which are personal and provide the references’ contact information as well as what their professional title is (even for personal) and how long you have known them.

Cover Letter

The cover letter is part of the resume and just as important. Make sure that it has a professional appearance, includes the name of the person making the hiring decisions, lists the position you are applying for and where you found out about the position. Give just enough information in the cover letter to make the person reading it want to read the resume as well.

Going above and beyond with your resume will surely get it from the “maybe” pile to the “must schedule an interview” pile. Pay attention to detail so that your resume will stand out from the rest. Remember that the goal to a resume is to get yourself an interview so that you can talk more about what your resume describes. Making your resume shine will surly get you that interview you desire.

Kelly Prachett is a career counselor and in her spare time she blogs for superscholar.org a site she often recommends to those who are trying to figure out which online colleges have the best online nursing programs. They have information on everything from the top online computer science programs to the best online MBA programs.

Three Cover Letter Mistakes You May Not Realize You’ve Made

By Jessica Hernandez Leave a Comment

Author Byline: An exceptional resume authority, Jessica Hernandez and her team of credentialed writers partner with professional- and executive-level candidates to open doors to jobs at prestigious corporations, achieving over a 99% interview-winning success rate.
Author Website: http://www.greatresumesfast.com

Cover letters are tricky—and from what I’ve seen during twelve years in the careers industry, writing a cover letter is one of the most researched job search topics of all time. As a former recruiter and HR manager, I want to share with you some cover letter mistakes you may not even realize you’re making!

1. To Whom It May Concern …

Lead with this sentence and it probably will concern no one. It’s always best to find out who the hiring manager is or the recruiter’s name, but at least address it to someone at the company. With today’s technology there are multiple ways to do this—researching on LinkedIn or by calling the company and simply asking for the name of the hiring manager are just two ways to go about this.

2. Talking about yourself …

Might seem like quite the oxymoron when the purpose of a cover letter is to talk about yourself, but what I’m referring to here is leading off your cover letter with something like: “I found your job posting to be of great interest to me …” or: “I feel like I’m the best fit for this job opening …”

These openers are all about you and fail to address the most critical element of a cover letter—how you will meet the needs of the employer.

3. Failing to copy and paste your cover letter into the body of the e-mail …

Nothing is worse than spending time fretting over a cover letter and working hard to get the wording exactly right only for it to go unnoticed or unread. If you’re applying for an opportunity via e-mail, don’t just attach the cover letter to the e-mail. Instead, copy and paste your cover letter into the body of the e-mail; it is much more likely to be read this way. A prospective employer may never open your cover letter attachment, but they will most likely take the time to read your e-mail.

Remember these three tips when submitting your resume and cover letter to increase your chances for being noticed and most importantly—remembered.

For additional tips on job searches, resumes, and cover letters, follow us on twitter @GreatResume.

Article courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap, a content exchange service sponsored by CollegeRecruiter.com, a leading site for college students looking for internships and recent graduates searching for entry level jobs and other career opportunities.

Filed Under: Guest Experts, Resume and Cover Letter Tagged With: Cover Letter, Employer, Job Search

3 Ways to Incorporate Your Brand into Your Cover Letter

By Jessica Hernandez Leave a Comment

Jessica Hernandez, expert resume writer, is a nationally-recognized resume authority and former HR Manager who has achieved over a 99% success rate securing interviews with prestigious organizations through exclusive, personal branding strategies.
Author Website: http://www.greatresumesfast.com

Job seekers often know about the importance of incorporating their brand into their resume but forget how pertinent it is to also establish that brand in a cover letter. If you are in the process of writing your cover letter, it’s time to think about how you can incorporate your brand—the well-rounded definition of your capabilities as a professional—into this important document.

1. Start with a Personal Branding Statement—or Similar

A personal branding statement is a 1- to 2-line introduction that provides quick insight into your accomplishments. Although these statements are often used in resumes (we never write a resume without one; they’re priceless for standing out among the competition), make sure you include your branding statement in your cover letter as well.

Start by writing a brief paragraph about who you are, and list some of your greatest career highlights. Then you can focus on why you’re applying for the job, what the company needs, and the value you can offer the organization that your competitor cannot.

2. Highlight Your Results and Show You’re Trying to Make a Difference

In your opening, you already gave them a strong, polished one-liner to remember you by, but now is your chance to dig a bit deeper by exploring why you’re a viable candidate.

If you’re not sure where to gather the information from, here are some questions to ask yourself.

What have you done to make a difference in the positions in which you’ve worked? What initiatives have you thought up on your own and then followed through with in your effort to further the profession to which you’re dedicated? Which awards have you won based on accomplishments or pure dedication?

These questions can help you define who you are as opposed to merely what you’ve done. Utilize this information in your opening paragraph, but make sure you’re choosing relevant information for the position.

3. Mention Your Online Brand

While discussing your passion for your career and the possibility of working for the company, you could mention that you manage a not-for-profit blog that allows you to delve deeper into the field—or that you volunteer with an organization in order to provide your expertise. (That’s if you really do, of course.) The point is to let the employer know that you spend time focusing on your profession outside of your required work hours—something that is not just impressive but admirable as well.

Something to make note of is that it’s best not to oversell your brand in your cover letter. You want to zero in on your brand without saying the words, “I’m amazing in my field because …” Humility goes a long way when striking a balance between confidence and professionalism.

And if you can do it effectively, it could mean the difference in your being considered for a position versus being considered an average candidate with run-of-the-mill skills and no shot at the job.

Filed Under: Guest Experts, Resume and Cover Letter Tagged With: Cover Letter, personal branding, Resume

What Goes Into A Cover Letter

By Mona Samar 2 Comments

Let your cover letter be a beautiful ‘door’ leading to a nice ‘house’ – your resume.

A cover letter is an essential part of the job application package along with the resume. It should be a nice ‘doorway’ that should grab instant attention and invite an employer or recruiter to have a look at the ‘house’ beyond – that is the resume – in order to place you on his consideration list for the job.

A resume, as we all know, is ‘WHAT’ you are as a cumulative result of your education and/or experiences plus your skills and accomplishments over a period of time since you became job market worthy. It is, to put very simply, a list of all the qualifications and achievements attained by a person.

The cover letter, on the other hand, gives you an opportunity to explain ‘WHY’ that list of achievements is relevant to the job you are applying to and makes you the right person for the same. Your resume may largely be only static like a map of your qualifications gained over time, but a cover letter can and should ‘converse’ with an employer telling him about your suitability for the position applied. Also, the cover letter gives you a golden opportunity to let them know that you have been researching their organization and are ready to join them with an informed frame of mind.

So what goes into a cover letter? A cover letter should be a one page introduction of yourself relevant to the job position and the organization you are applying to. Consider the following parts and write them according to your requirements:

Header

As you know already, any good resume has a header declaring your name and contact information like your phone number and email. When a resume runs into the second page, the same header is again applied to the new page. Similarly, the cover letter should also have the same header as the one on resume describing your contact information for the sake of uniformity. Make sure to use the same fonts and styles for both cover letter and the resume, otherwise it would give an unprofessional and disjointed look.

Name & Address of Company

Just below your contact information, on the left hand side, put in the current date. Now, if you have been instructed to do so in the job ad, write down the name of the person you were told to after ATTN: and any Job/Reference number (only if given) below that. Write down the name of the company and full address of the company you are applying to after that. Give appropriate line spaces starting below header and between date and address etc.

Salutation/Greeting

This is where your research about the company can come into play. Many a times, job ads do not mention the name of the hiring person. You have to make a search of their website to find out who exactly does the hiring or at least someone at the head of the Human Resources department. Start your greeting with “Dear Mr. (or Ms.) (NameOfTheRightPerson)”. If you were unable to find such a name on the website, give them a call and ask. Else, a simple “Dear Hiring Manager,” is perfect in most other circumstances.

Always, always avoid putting in “To Whom It May Concern” as it gives a sense of aloofness on your part and will almost certainly end up ‘concerning no one’. Also avoid writing casual ‘Hi’ or ‘Hello’ as this is an official and professional communication and not addressed to your Facebook buddy.

Body

Like mentioned before, you have only one page to make your case compelling to the hiring authority. So you will get a few opening lines plus two short but powerful paragraphs and a couple of closing lines to present your credentials.

Opening Lines Paragraph: Start out by telling how you learnt about the job that you are applying to while tying in your suitability for the same right at the outset. Show some excitement and eagerness in the opening lines so the reader gets interested in you right away. Be innovative and just don’t state the fact that “I found your ad for so and so job in The Daily News”, as they already know where they placed their ads. You could put some enthusiasm by stating something like: “After having gained valuable experience in the ‘xyz field’ and also enhancing my job skills recently by completing a six month course in xyz, I found this great opening for a xyz position posted on your company website. I am writing to express my interest for this position and wish to tell you how my experience coupled with my newly gained knowledge would make me a suitable applicant.”

Second Paragraph (About yourself): Now, in succinct terms, start explaining how and why you are a suitable applicant that you earlier claimed to be, by outlining your relevant skills and accomplishments from previous experience and/or education. This is the place to give a specific example of something that you can quantify or that can be measured in numbers showing them that you are a proven achiever. Avoid making overkill and repeating word for word from your resume. But make sure to explain how you strongly relate to the position advertised. The goal here is to convince the employer that you are among the handful to be considered for an interview call.

Third Paragraph (About them): I always tell my clients that this part, if done right, might just be the deciding factor in your getting an interview call. In these lines, you have to bring forth the crux of what you have learnt about the company through your research on its background and how you fit right into the slot. Nothing will get you in their good books better than knowing that you have been working hard on finding everything about them. Explain how their work culture, rich past and bright future have excited you and that you are raring to join them. Remember, every one of us likes to hear (good) things about ourselves and companies are no different. But beware of using hollow flattering words and only use very genuine and progressive things that you learnt about them. If you can convey to them the genuine best of themselves and cite that as a strong reason for you to be eager to get employed with them, you are well on your way.

Closing Lines: While closing your cover letter, your last lines should reflect a well placed hope and confidence and in no way reek of desperation. You and I know that you believe in yourself, and so should the hiring manager. So tell them that “I am looking forward to have an opportunity to discuss my qualifications in detail with you at your convenience as I am confident that I will be an asset to your company and this company would provide me with a perfect place to lead a productive work life.”

Sign Off

It is always desirable to add something like, “Thank you for your time and interest” at the end. And then the most common sign off used at the bottom is “Sincerely”, which is in order as it imparts the right amount of respect due to the hiring manager. Leave some space after it to put your signature when you are sending the letter on paper and then at the very bottom put your full name.

Filed Under: Resume and Cover Letter Tagged With: Cover Letter, Resume

Resume and Cover Letter – Suit and Tie

By Mona Samar Leave a Comment

Whenever a job application process starts, among the first steps taken should be the writing of a good set of resume and cover letter. But usually, most of the focus shifts towards the resume only. It is discussed again and again about how to make it all inclusive and yet succinct and powerful. No doubt all this attention on a resume is warranted in earnest, but what surprises me is how many people take the cover letter casually. Many a times, I have seen people adding a cover letter at the last moment, treating is as an ‘add on’ only.

I want to take up an example here from men’s wardrobe. For any formal gathering, a suit and tie is the most common and accepted attire around the world. So you come across these gentlemen wearing nice suits and matching ties. By way of color, most of the men folk have to choose from the customary black and blue and sometimes from grey or brown. So what makes one stand out from the others? For me, a good tie immediately catches your eyes and adds to the grace of the suit.

Resume is your suit:

As indicated earlier, a well written resume is like a well stitched suit. It should contain all relevant information about your strengths, qualifications and experience if any. Most employers don’t have too much time to pay attention to each and every resume in detail so a well organized and relevant resume gets more attention from him than others. Just like your good suit would get a compliment at a party, the good resume would engage an employer more.

But the Cover Letter – like a tie to a suit – adds value to the Resume:

I have been a proponent of a good cover letter accompanying a resume. The main reason is that you have to make your resume carefully factual telling about all your achievements and justifying your aspirations to aptly fit the advertised job’s requirements. It’s all about you. On the other hand, a cover letter gives you an opportunity to say something about the organization you are applying to and also explain how you are the perfect fit for it.

I want to emphasize here the importance of researching about the organization you are applying to and learn as much as possible about them. Then in a telling paragraph, outline good and genuine things that you have learned about them. Believe me, the recruiting officer is likely to get more interested in you and the attached resume if he finds out you have taken pains to research them as compared to all the fancy fonts in your resume. You will also now be more convincing in your claims that you will glide easily into the said job as you are deemed to be aware of what you are trying to get into. Remember the time when your nice tie got you more compliments than the guy next to you even though he was wearing a suit from a fancy boutique on Madison Ave, NY but spoiled the effect by wearing an ill advised drab tie? So choose your ties carefully and also write solid cover letters.

A well written and good set of resume and cover letter will improve your chances to get attention from a selector and bring you closer to success in getting a job.