Section 5 Part 2: Cover Letter and Online Resumes

The Basics of a Cover Letter by Steven Graber
Cover letter similar to resume => marketing tool
FORMAT:
1) The Parts of a Letter
+ Two styles
- Personal style
- Business style (aka block style)
1.1) Return Address
- either left or centerline at top of paper
- avoid abbreviations
- include contact info on cover letter if gets separated from resume
1.2) Date
- two lines below return address
1.3) Inside Address
- four lines beneath the date
1.4) Salutation
- two lines beneath company’s address
- vary intro depending on familiarity
1.5) Length
- three or four short paragraphs on one page => ideal
1.6) Enclosure
- used primarily in formal or official correspondence
- not necessary in cover letter
2) Paper Size
- standard size (8.5’’ x 11’’) : any other size is awkward
3) Paper Color and Quality
- use matching paper and envelopes for both resume and cover letter
- regular white or ivory paper (plain)
4) Typing and Printing
- word processing program
- handwritten letters unacceptable
- do not photocopy one resume for everything else => will not be taken seriously
5) Envelope
- standard business-sized envelope that matches stationary
- type envelopes as well
- full name and title, specifically to contact person identified in cover letter

CONTENT:
1) Personalize Each Letter
- find the person who is interviewing
2) Mapping It Out
- overview of capabilities
- stress one or two capabilities
- intro and conclusion one sentence is fine
- make clear interest subject of company
2.1) First Paragraph
- state position applying for
2.2) Second Paragraph
- what I can offer you
2.3) Third Paragraph
- recommendations by other professionals and show how you exceed expectations
2.4) Fourth Paragraph
- look forward to hearing from them
- after one or two weeks, no phone call => a call is acceptable
2.5) Complimentary Close
- two lines beneath body of letter
- aligned with return address and date
- KISS (keep it simple stupid)
- sign letter above full name that appears in resume

TIPS FOR SUCCESSFUL COVER LETTERS
1) What Writing Style is Appropriate?
- polite, formal style balances confidence and respect for employer
- clear, objective, and persuasive
2) Tone: Reserved Confidence is Always in Style
- sound polite, confident, and professional
3) Emphasize Concrete Examples
- tangible relevant skills instead of personal attributes
4) Use Powerful Language
- action verbs
- simple language
- keep away from jargon or technical detail
5) Avoid Catchphrases
- explain how you are what you describe
6) Mention Personal Preferences?
- do not include asked salary unless prompted
- if prompted, say negotiable
- out of state, indicate willingness to relocate
7) Proof with Care
- Check for mistakes::other words => read your letter after printing
- Find mistakes and rewording => print again: paper is cheap

COVER LETTER BLUNDERS TO AVOID
1) Unrelated Career Goals
2) Comparisons and Clichés
- expressions detract from your letter’s purpose
3) Wasted Space
- Any unrelated information weakens your application
4) Form Letters
- Do not spam
- Write individual letters
5) Inappropriate Stationary
- graphics will NOT improve cover letter
6) “Amusing” Anecdotes
- don’t know how interview person will react to joke
7) Erroneous Company Information
- verify accuracy of company information
- if not do not say you are familiar with company’s products
8) Desperation
- sound determined, not desperate:: basically same thing as if you were trying to get a date
9) Personal Photos
- unless related, not applicable
10) Confessed Shortcomings
- do not show your weaknesses since employers will focus on that
11) Misrepresentation
- do not pad resume – may come back to haunt you
12) Demanding Statements
- cover letter => what you can do for them and not vice versa
13) Missing Resume
- create checklist of things to go in envelope before mailing
14) Personal Information
- don’t bother
- list interest and hobbies only if related
15) Choice of Pronouns
- use I and don’t refer to yourself like Julius Caesar…in the third person
16) Tone Trouble
- try to sound genuine and not stilted
- err on side of formality
- fine line to tread
17) Gimmicks
- the simplest answer is usually the easiest, and is usually wrong.
- don’t try anything novel…stick to tradition
18) Typographical Errors
- be consistent
- do not misspell
- double check materials and company it goes to to make sure it makes sense and you changed everything
19) Messy Corrections
- cover letter should contain all pertinent information
- retype and never add supplementary note handwritten
20) Omitted Signature
- use blue or black ink and sign your name
COVER LETTERS FOR SPECIAL SITUATIONS
+ Special Situations
- for lack of paid job experience
- out of workplace
- may have discrimination
- ex. College students
+ Emphasize strengths and marketability skills
+ Downplay weakness

RESPONSE TO A “BLIND” Advertisement
- tailor your letter to the information given
- define knowledge of industry, position, and qualifications (if mentioned)

COLD LETTERS
- directly contact potential employers without previous correspondence or a referral
- advertise availability to hiring managers and personnel department

BROADCAST LETTERS
- only applicable to seasoned executives
- tone reflects experience, knowledge, and confidence
+ people who are doing widespread job searches
- end up in human resource department instead of in the hand of a fellow executive

LETTER TO AN EMPLOYMENT AGENCY
- offers services primarily for clerical or support staff positions
+ letters addressed to them should:
- focus on who you are
- what type of position you are looking for
- what specific industry
- strongest skills related to the field
- mention personal preferences, including geographic and salary requirements

LETTER TO AN EXECUTIVE SEARCH FIRM
- alert an otherwise unknowing recruiter to your availability
- highlight your most impressive accomplishments and attributes
- briefly summarize all relevant experience
- preferences list (geographical location, travel, and salary)
- all mentioned in cover letter

NETWORKING LETTERS
- unless familiar with contact, word your correspondence in a businesslike manner
- state the name of the person who referred you
- make letter politely persuasive
- if met them, ask how they are and remind them about seeing them

THANK YOU LETTERS
- often appropriate or obligatory (correspondence doesn’t end with cover letters)
- acceptable to write thank you note on a generic blank note card but never a postcard
- keep letters short, proofread carefully, and send them promptly

Your Resume on the Internet by Margaret Riley Dikel and Frances E. Roehm
THE MYTH ABOUT THE INTERNET RESUME
+ one resume – several different formats
1) a designed or hard – copy version: ready to send to contacts via mail
-- bulleted lists, bold and italicized text, and other highlights
2) a scannable version – employers who use scanning systems
-- no bullets, bold, italics, or design highlights
3) a plain-text version – no frills plain text to copy and paste into online forms and online resume databases
4) an e-mail version – one formatted to meet the length-of-line restrictions found in most e-mail systems. Copy and paste into an e-mail message and forward to an employer or recruiter in seconds
+ may create HTML version of your resume
- many more job seekers doing that
- turn resumes in employment portfolio
- make sure to not violate copyright or confidentiality clauses
- post it separately from your website and do not link the two

RULES FOR RESPONDING ONLINE
1) Format your resume correctly for e-mail (copy and paste and send may screw formatting)
2) Send resume in body of e-mail message. Do not send as attachment unless specifically instructed by recipient. 20 seconds to catch their eye. Too late with attachment and may not bypass e-mail systems that refuse attachments.
3) Always include a cover letter. If responding to an advertisement: note where you found the advertisement and job codes
4) Use advertised job title or job code in the subject line of e-mail message: allows recipient to sort e-mails.
5) Read the application instructions included in the job announcement and follow them exactly. Jump through the hoops.
- Takes only a couple seconds to delete an e-mail message. Think and read then respond

E-RESUMES ARE NOT JUST FOR E-MAIL
1) easy to have typos if you type into the website
2) system does not allow career changers to build a function resume because everything is set in chronological order
3) Cannot save resume so you have to repeat the resume building effort
Careful where you put your private information: make sure it is protected.

PREPARING A PERFECT PLAIN-TEXT RESUME
Step 1: Check keywords – resume has all keywords that define job qualifications
Step 2: Save your resume as a Text Only document – allows adjustment of margins, works with other word processors
Step 3: Delete any page numbers: making resume appear as one continuous electronic document
Step 4: Use all CAPS for words that need special emphasis: text strips everything (bold, italics); use CAPS judiciously and sparingly
Step 5: Replace each bullet point with a standard keyboard signal: what we are currently doing
Step 6: Use straight quotes in place of curly quotes: don’t transfer either
Step 7: Rearrange text if necessary: line-by-line review to make sure it got transferred correctly
Step 8: Limit line lengths: limit each line to no more than sixty-five characters (including spaces)
Step 9: Save as text only with line breaks
Step 10: Copy the entire text in your ResTextBreak.txt document that you’ve opened in Notepad, and paste it in the body of the e-mail message
- Email to yourself and check format.
- Never use current office address, e-mail address, or phone number on resume. Employers say personal use of company time is stealing

WHERE, OH, WHERE SHOULD THAT RESUME GO?
- limit resume exposure by limiting your postings
1) post it only on one or two large online databases for maximum exposure
2) post it only on one or two targeted resume databases specific to your industry, occupational group, or geographic location
Don’t get responses within a month and a half, remove it from current location and place it elsewhere.

PROTECT YOURSELF ONLINE
1) Does the site have a comprehensive privacy policy?
2) Do you have to register a profile or resume before you can search through the jobs?
3) Are most of the jobs posted by employers or by agencies acting on behalf of employers?
4) Can you set up one or more “e-mail agents” that will send matching jobs to you when you are not at the site?
5) Who has access to the database of resumes?
6) Can you limit access to your personal contact information?
7) Can you store more than one version of your resume so that you can customize it for different types of opportunities?
8) Will you be able to edit your resume once you have posted it?
9) Will you be able to delete your resume after you have found a job?

BEFORE YOU POST, SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT
Consider:
1) Do you want your resume public?
2) Are you prepared for the consequences should an electronic resume come back to haunt you?
Put date of posting at the end of resume to avoid problems with employers