Archive for Resume/Cover Letters
Applying for jobs? Remember QUALITY versus QUANTITY
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This is a great article from a Google recruiter. One of the points I want to highlight is quality versus quantity regarding the number of applications you send out.
It is much better to spend more time applying for positions you truly want and that you are most qualified for. This should be done in addition to submitting your resume and spending time networking your way into the organization. It is much better to take extra time making your application the best it can be, than sending out a mass of resumes that aren’t tailored to the positions, and for which you may not be a fit.
Yes the job search game can be a law of numbers, but you’ll increase your odds if you spend more time on each one.
Hallie Crawford
Job Search Coach
P.S. Are you in the ideal career for you? Find out if you are on the right track with this quick Ideal Career Quiz!
Do you know who you’re writing to?
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One of my career coaching clients recently sent me a copy of his sample cold cover letter to inquire with companies about possible openings. These are companies where he doesn’t know anyone so it’s very cold. This process is still worth doing though! Remember you need to diversify your job search strategies. You never know what will help you get your foot in the door.
His cover letter had one possible problem however; it said “Dear hiring manager”. We all know this isn’t ideal. Sending a cover letter with a generic greeting can easily be thrown into the circular file (a.k.a. the wastebasket.) You have to do everything you can to find out who the hiring manager is before you send your letter. Pick up the phone and ask the receptionist at the front desk. Look on LinkedIn. See if there’s a company directory online. Do whatever it takes to get that name.
It is always beneficial in the long run to go the extra mile to make an impression. It will be worth your time and effort. Do what it takes to stand out from the crowd!
If you’d like more help with your job search, contact us today for a complimentary consultation.
Hallie Crawford
Job Search Coach
P.S. If you haven’t already, be sure to check out my Career Audio Series for powerful advice and tools to help you identify your ideal career, navigate your job search and enhance your work performance
Get your online resume ready and get connected!
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I really enjoyed speaking to the Kennesaw State EMBA students, alumni and fraternity members last night at Lenox. Thank you everyone for attending. It was a great group of motivated, committed people.
One of the topics that came up during Q&A was creating an online resume and online PowerPoint for yourself to showcase your skills and experience. It’s a great way to use technology to make it easier for employers to connect with you and understand what you bring to the table. *Be sure to link to your LinkedIn profile.
Here’s a great article about creating an online resume: http://jobsearch.about.com/od/onlineresumes/a/onlineresumes.htm
Connect the dots with your cover letter
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In my career coaching practice I consistently hear from clients that they hate writing cover letters. They don’t understand what to include, they are annoyed they have to write one, and they don’t see the point. In our work together, I help them see how the cover letter is really their friend, and how they can use it to their advantage. There is one key reason why:
A cover letter is how you connect the dots for the employer of why you’re a good fit for the job.
The resume doesn’t always connect the dots clearly of how you have the experience and skills to be successful in the job you’re applying for. You do the hiring manager a great service by clearly describing how you are a good fit for their particular job in your cover letter.
Therefore, the best strategy for your cover letter is to follow these two steps:
1) Explain the top 3 reasons you are a perfect candidate for the position. Look through the job description, pull out the skills and experience that you have that match what they are looking for, and highlight these areas in your cover letter.
2) Include quick examples that confirm your experience and skills, so you gain trust and believability that you have the skills you list.
By keeping these two steps in mind, you will create compelling cover letters that grab attention instead of going immediately to the recycling bin. If you’d like more help with writing your cover letter, feel free to contact us for a free consultation.
Get your foot in the door: Snail mail your resume
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My career coaching client Tracy shared a story with me that was somewhat successful regarding physically mailing in her resume to a potential employer. She successfully landed an interview she wouldn’t have gotten otherwise.
Tracy had a phone interview with the company and unfortunately, someone else who had more relevant experience landed the position. The success is that she got her foot in the door when she wouldn’t have otherwise.
It can be a risky; you don’t always know how a potential employer will respond to you being assertive. Follow their instructions. If potential employers say to send in your resume via email, do exactly that. If they don’t specify though, I think it’s worth it to do something a little different, like sending a hard copy of your resume in order to make a good impression. It may not always work, but you only need it to work a few times.
Think outside the box when it comes to applying for jobs, many times it will pay off and be worth it.
Should you ditch the cover letter?
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Image: graur razvan ionut / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
In this day and age with technology and instant communication at our finger tips, people pay less attention to details and the little things that create a final product. This is especially true in the current job market. People begin to skip steps and slack off on things such as resumes. I recently read this article from FOX Business news, How to Write the Perfect Cover Letter.
First impressions are critical, especially during a job hunt, and a cover letter is often a candidate’s first–and possibly only–opportunity to catch a prospective employer’s attention.
For college grads hitting the job market, a customized cover letter for a job opening is crucial to presenting themselves as a worthy candidate to an employer.
People often think that cover letters are over-rated and not necessary, this is certainly not true. Even if an employer doesn’t ask for one, you need include it with your resume. It shows you can communicate and pay attention to detail. It also shows that you care enough about the job to take the time to write one.
The perfect cover letter can make you stand out from all the other job applicants. If you still don’t think it’s necessary, try putting yourself in the employer’s shoes. Why should they interview you? What do you have to offer them? Remember, it’s the first impression that counts.
Do you have a success story or any feedback on cover letters? Please feel free to share in the comments section below. If you’d like more help with your resume contact us today!
Hallie Crawford
Job Search Coach
Create effective job applications in three proven steps
Posted by: | CommentsA problem that I come across a lot when working with my career coaching clients is their ability to position themselves effectively when applying for a job. Last week I was working with a client, Susan. We were putting together her cover letter and resume for a position she was very excited about. Her problem was that she could only focus on the area that she felt did NOT fit the job. This very talented, highly educated professional was focusing all her energy on the one part of the job description where she was not a perfect match. And she was obsessing over that one area.
This insecurity had her completely blinded from all the areas where she was an EXCELLENT fit for the job, and it affected her ability to market herself in her application materials. This is where I stepped in and held up the mirror so she could see how damaging this perspective was. Instead of looking at it from the angle of what she did not have, I turned the tables and explained how much she did have that matched the position.
I was able to language the transferable skills she had into a direct match for what the position was looking for and cover all the requirements, including the area she thought she was missing. Susan was amazed and even more excited about applying for the position right away!
Here are three proven ways to focus on your strengths instead of your insecurities:
- Prior to concentrating on one job description in particular, write out a list of your professional accomplishments. What are you particularly proud of in these scenarios?
- Next pull out the strengths that these examples highlight. For example if you are proud of an award you received at work, what talents and skills did you showcase to win the award? What expertise won you this award?
- Now look at the job description and find where these strengths fit what the job is looking for. If the position is looking for experience with a particular software that you do not directly have, but one of your strengths is to learn technology quickly, highlight that skill in your materials, and provide a concrete example. You obviously cannot make up experience you don’t have, but you can highlight to the employer that you have the underlying skills to be successful.
By accomplishing this you’ll feel more confident that you are marketing yourself effectively in each application. If you are having trouble pulling out your strengths and need an objective expert to lend a hand, contact us for a job search strategy session.
Darcy Holoweski
Certified Career Coach
Unemployed and concerned about that gap in your resume?
Posted by: | CommentsIf you are unemployed and are concerned about the gap in your resume, you should first know that you are not alone. This is a common concern for people who are unemployed.
Have you heard of the term “survival job”. These are generally lower paid and low end job. A survival job usually is needed for financial reasons. This phrase has been around for a long time, but is becoming much more common given the long amount of time that people are unemployed. After someone goes through their savings they literally need something, whatever it is, to pay the bills.
A survival job can be a way to boost your confidence and give you a sense of purpose. It will help you pay your bills and get you out of the house everyday. It also can help you fill that gap in your resume. The cons of course is that it will take some time away from your job search and that it is a lower paying job. Things will most likely still be very tight. It is unlikely that a survival job would help you get your foot in the door to a higher paying job, although that does occasionally happen.
I found a great article about survival jobs from US News: “Can’t Find Work? Get a ‘Survival Job’“. They give some great examples of what survival jobs look like.
One word of caution: I was speaking with one of our group career coaching clients and he was telling me about a friend of his who is a manager in a big company. They look for employees who are strongly motivated by money. It’s mostly a sales job. He told me that in conversations with his friend about survival jobs, his friend had told him when they see resumes with past jobs that aren’t aligned with being motivated by money, they don’t give that person an interview. When he asked his friend what that meant he gave an example of a woman who had worked in a social workers office and then for a non-profit organization. Although this might have been her dream job, her resume did not reflect a desire to make money (in his eyes) and it went in the no interview pile.
Survival jobs can be great to help you fill those gaps in your resume, however if you feel that it would have a negative impact on you and your career goals it might be best to leave those off. Every case is different and there are always other circumstances that come to play. The bottom line is that you have to pay your bills. A survival job might be the answer for at least right now.
Here’s to having a career you love!
Hallie Crawford
Job Search Help
If you need help with your resume, contact us for a resume review session.
