Archive for job help
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
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
Job Search: Create your brand
Posted by: | CommentsIn your job search, you have to know your brand. On a recent group career coaching call my clients, Herman and James, were talking about this.
What’s the difference between your brand and your elevator pitch?
They’re very similar but there is a difference. Here’s the deal, your elevator pitch is:
- A statement about who you are
- The value you bring to a prospective employer
- What you’re looking for (a job, networking contacts etc.)
Your brand is your identity. For example: What words, feelings, or images come to mind when you think of Apple computers? Innovation, creativity, cutting edge , out of the box etc. That’s their brand.
Your brand is how people think of you. It’s what you are known for. If you want further help creating your brand through your job search, contact us for a complimentary consultation today.
Hallie Crawford
Job Search Coach
Job Search Tip: Learn to love Microsoft Excel
Posted by: | CommentsFinding your dream job can be a time complicated process at times. Time, effort, and focus are required to investigate career ideas, network with people, gather information, and keep track of your action steps.
It’s imperative that you get very organized, and remain organized, throughout the job search process. This will help prevent you from getting lost in the information you’re gathering, or lost in your networking efforts with others. I always suggest to my clients that they learn to love Microsoft Excel because it can easily be used organize their job search information as they gather it. You can track your goals, action steps, networking contacts, and career ideas. It’s also helpful to keep track of pertinent websites you have found that help you narrow down your job ideas.
Start your job search spreadsheet today so you can get organized, and keep careful notes of what you’re finding. It will help you avoid from feeling like you’re on spin cycle in the dryer with too many career ideas floating around in your head. By the way, another resource to help you manage your job search can be found at: http://www.jibberjobber.com/login.php.
Hallie Crawford
Atlanta Career Coach
P.S. You can check out my YouTube video on this subject here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qw0b58PPHUE
Go On Job Interviews to Get Started With Your Job Search
Posted by: | CommentsWhen I start the coaching process with a new client, I am often asked, “when can I start applying for new jobs and looking for new opportunities?” I typically ask them to wait a few weeks until we’ve gotten into the meat of our ideal career program, but tell them they don’t have to wait very long.
Looking for job openings in your possible new field of interest will help you learn about the industry and what is out there. This will give you momentum and get you back in the job search mode. Even going on interviews will help you discover what you like and dislike about the fields you’re looking into.
Getting started with you job search can give you clarity about your direction. It can also make you feel better because you’re taking action, and not just thinking about it.
When you find positions that look appealing to you, it can give you hope that something better is out there for you. I’ve had this happen to many of my clients. They come back to a coaching session with job openings they’re excited about and it makes a dramatic difference in their job search. They can see that there are jobs out there they would enjoy.
I’m not suggesting that you go on interviews for jobs that you’re not interested in, wasting everybody’s time. I’m suggesting going on interviews for jobs you think you are interested in, even if you’re not 100% sure. The important thing to know is, you don’t have to wait until you’re 100% clear on your career direction before going on job interviews. Job interviewing is a way to help clarify if a job is a fit for you, and it gives you job interviewing practice if nothing else. It is better to have several job interviews under your belt before you’re interviewing for your dream job. You’ll be better prepared and more confident.
Hallie Crawford
Atlanta Career Coach
Networking: Business cards are NOT optional
Posted by: | CommentsA few years ago, I was giving a presentation at a Re:Focus on Careers event (this is a great networking group by the way). A man who was job searching came up to me and we started talking. He was asking me questions, and when I asked for his contact information, he had to scribble his name on a ripped up piece of paper. I wasn’t even in a position to hire him and I was not impressed. Imagine doing that same thing with a prospective employer, or valuable networking connection.
Don’t let this be you.
This topic came up at a more recent career event that I presented at. People were asking me if they needed to have a business card when they are unemployed and job searching. The answer is simple, yes! You need to have a card (or something with your contact information to give out to people) when you’re on the job search, regardless of your current work situation.
Some college students have asked me this as well. Does it make sense for a college student to have a card? I say the answer is yes here too. You have to give the people who you are networking to something with your contact information on it so that they can keep in touch with you. What an impression that would make, a student in college with a business card! I guarantee you’ll stand out.
Business cards are a must, they are not optional.
There are many resources out there to create business cards. You can get free cards at Vistaprint.com. Print them out on your computer at home. Do whatever it takes to ensure you make the right impression and come across as a professional who cares about your job search and about connecting with others.
Hallie Crawford
Job Search Coach
Tips for After Your Job Interview
Posted by: | CommentsI was recently privileged to give a presentation at Agnes Scott. I was approached at the end of the event by a woman named Kelly who had just been on a job interview a few days prior. She came up to me and said “I haven’t heard from them yet, is that a bad sign?!” I told her she needed to relax, worrying doesn’t help, and it sounded like she was making an assumption. It had only been a few days since she’d had the job interview.
I totally get it, not hearing back from a prospective employer is nerve-wracking! You need to remember that hiring a new person does takes time, and the time is going by much slower for you than it is for them. The hiring manager is busy. They have a job to do, plus the job of hiring a new person.
Here are some tips that can help you get through the waiting period:
- The more relaxed and confident you are in your job search, the better impression you will make. Just relax and take a deep breath. Try to “chill down” as my son Vaughn says to me when I’m telling him not to do something. That’s apparently his new phrase to get me to relax
- Instead of worrying, think of a better way to use that mental energy. Is it time to follow up with them? Do you need to check in and offer to provide additional information? Or is it just too soon, and they told you it would take a few days so you need to give them some space?
- Come up with a plan of action-next steps that you can take to move things along in the right way. Instead of wasting time and energy worrying about it or making assumptions, chill down and take a deep breath.
Hallie Crawford
Job Search Coach
P.S. If you need help with you job search strategy check out our Job Search Program for Professionals: Networking and Online Strategies for the 21st Century.
