Recently, I have been getting a lot of questions about cover letters and resumes, so I figured I would just address them here. I actually went to a colleague of mine, August Cohen who is the owner of Get Hired Stay Hired, LLC (www.gethiredstayhired.com), and an award-winning, nationally recognized, triple certified resume writer and career expert guiding professionals to their next-level career goals. So, let’s just agree that she definitely knows what she is talking about.
When applying for a job, there are two documents that are usually involved: the cover letter and resume. When it comes to the cover letter a lot of people want to know: Should you always send one, even when not requested? How do you write one?
Should you always send one?
Yes! Even though most of the time your cover letter will not get read, it certainly doesn’t hurt to send one. Cohen suggests that you customize your letter to each company you are sending your materials to. And, please, don’t make it boring. “Put a little meat into it so it will catch the reader’s interest and stress your unique value proposition,” says Cohen. Find out what makes you different and find a way to promote it as an asset to the company.
How do you write one?
Cohen gave the following tips.
Intro paragraph
Write a little about yourself and how you found out about the position. If you were referred to the position then state that and mention the person’s name.
Meaty paragraph
Give an example of why you are good fit and how you can help them.
Curtain call paragraph
This is your closing and call to action. “Always have a call for action such as I will call you to follow up in (such amount of days) and thank you for your time,” says Cohen.
She stressed that if you are applying for a position in a large corporation, don’t take it personal if you don’t hear anything or can’t reach anyone when you call to follow up. Large companies may be swamped with applicants. So don’t be discouraged, continue to follow up. But also, don’t stay focused on that position. Keep moving forward in your job search. There are other companies out there.
Now, on to the resume
You are fussing over it. I know you are and you’re probably wondering how to put together a properly written objective statement. Well, don’t anymore because Cohen says. “Objective statements are so passé.”
Instead, write a brief statement of the value you can bring to the company. And if you are sending your resume to a company for a certain position, title it with the position you are seeking.
Cohen provided the following example for a human resources systems manager applicant:
“HR technology professional offering comprehensive knowledge implementing performance management systems that support several hundred thousand employees across global corporations. Strong HRIS skills complement expertise in compensation, benchmarking, and benefit tools…”
Mistakes to avoid
When you are creating your resume, think of it as part of your job marketing plan. Please check for spelling errors, grammar usage and homonyms (words that sound the same but are spelled differently and have different meanings: i.e. peak, pique). Cohen mentioned that these are the most common errors she sees when she is reviewing resumes.
Another mistake Cohen observes is that most people don’t know how to express their value. This can be easily corrected by using a Challenge, Action, Results (CAR) system. Instead of writing a boring description of your duties on the job, make it more interesting by writing what problem arose on the job you faced (Challenge), what action you took to solve it (Action), and how it was resolved (Results). So, let’s say you had a job as a production manager. Cohen provided the following example of how to describe your work experience on your resume.
• Challenge – Profits were being reduced due to expensive vendor contracts.
• Action – Performed the first audit of vendors in company history and solicited new RFPs for services.
• Result – Reduced vendors from 10 to 4, decreased CSR workloads, and negotiated volume discounts saving $57,000 annually.
Overall, in your cover letter and resume, you always want to stress how you are bigger, better, and faster than your competition. Always position yourself as the best person to help the company because to be honest, they really don’t care what you want, they only care about what you can do for them.
- Some final suggestions from Cohen for you to keep mind:
- Networking is the best way to go because the majority of jobs are found through networking.
- Understand your value and what makes you different.
- On your resume, reflect how you can help them (the company) not what you want.
- Be aware of your online presence.
If you don’t feel like bothering to write your own resume and want someone who will get you results, give August Cohen a try. Visit her site (www.gethiredstayhired.com) and you can see all the services her company offers. As I stated earlier she is triple certified in resume writing. She researches what companies are currently looking for so she can pass that info on to you, helping your resume stand out more.
Happy Hunting!
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