Current Feed Content from 3 Oct 08 00:14
Cover Letter: Specific, Specific, Specific
Thu, 02 Oct 2008 00:56:13 -0500You’ve heard the adage in real estate and retailing that success centers on three things: location, location, location. With cover letters, success is also tied to three things: specifics, specifics, specifics. In our roles as resume and cover letter writers, we often got requests from customers that went something like this: “Just give me a general cover letter that I can use for any kind of job.” Sorry. No can do. Well, we can do it, but we certainly don’t recommend it. A cover letter needs to be specific in every way. Otherwise, it’s a fairly pointless document. Some experts say even a resume should be specifically tailored for each job. While we feel that a degree of resume tailoring is generally desirable, extensive tailoring is unnecessary if you’re specific with your cover letter. Find out how to make your cover letter specific — and thus effective — in our article, Cover Letter Success Is All About Specifics
Use Your Resume to Distinguish Yourself
Wed, 01 Oct 2008 01:45:54 -0500“Distinguish yourself from the vast majority of resumes and online profiles that do not appeal to any target audience, contain insipid or non-existent messages of value, and rely on the ‘throw-it-against-the-wall-and-see-what-sticks’ mentality” said Susan Guarneri, the “Career Assessment Goddess, ” in the Q&A interview she did with Quint Careers. Even a standardized online application can stand out from the crowd through the content you choose to input. For example, the content can:
- demonstrate an understanding of your target audience’s needs and culture through online company research and inquiries with individuals in the profession and industry,
- showcase value-added results, links to a web portfolio and other online “proof” of success, and a unique personal brand that permeates your past track record, and
- gain positive traction with the employer through auxiliary means of connection (such as employee referrals and social networking).
Cover Letter Helps You Get Foot in the Door
Tue, 30 Sep 2008 02:59:29 -0500You must get your foot in the company door first to have any chance at all, notes Jimmy Sweeney in his article for Quint Careers, the 7 Elements of a Highly Effective Cover Letter. With the right cover letter, you can blow several doors wide open immediately. More job interviews translate to a wider range of opportunity and (drum roll, please) … more job offers.
Beware of Puffery, Flowery Phrases in Resume
Mon, 29 Sep 2008 02:03:38 -0500
Hiring decision-makers surveyed for the book,
Top Notch
Executive Resumes identified this as one of their Top 30 Executive Resume Pet Peeves:
Resume language is replete with “fluff, ” flowery words, and “resume speak” instead of specifics. Your
resume “needs to have good factual information and be clear as to what it is that you actually do; it
doesn’t need to be fluffy and overwrought, ” said survey respondent Thomas Burrell. Meg Steele, director
of recruitment and employment mobility at Swedish Medical Center in the Seattle area, decried the lack
of specifics in resume language: “The most irritating characteristic on senior-level resumes is an overuse
of flowery language without substantiation, ” she said. “I want to see actual accomplishments, not summary
statements that imply an understanding of functional areas that reported up to the individual. A good leader
knows enough about what his or her people are doing to speak intelligently about the problem that was
being solved by this or that initiative. So, if [candidates] say ‘oversaw development of strategic solutions, ’
they should have some more specific examples of said ‘strategic solutions’ and what the impact was
to the business [and] the employees.” Agreed survey respondent Alison: “Weed out the garbage and
tell me what you made, saved, achieved and make it quantifiable.
Characterized as “resume speak” by survey respondents were words like “visionary, ” “thought leader, ” “evangelist, ” “innovative, ” “motivating, ” “engaging.”
See all 30 peeves: executive resume peeves 1-10 in Part 1, executive resume peeves 11-20 in Part 2 and executive resume peeves 21-30 in Part 3.Use Direct-Mail Campaign When Considering Relocation
Sun, 28 Sep 2008 02:39:58 -0500When you’re planning to relocate, submitting your resume with a cover letter to various companies in hopes of establishing a relationship and inquiring about employment opportunities is a great idea. A cover letter is an extremely important part of your direct-mail campaign, but also be sure you’ve devised an overall strategy about relocating. Research companies in the new location, decide which ones to target, and identify key people to contact. Our Quintessential Careers Directory of Company Career Centershttp://www.quintcareers.com/career_centers/ can help you reach major targeted companies. And once you’ve sent out your cover-letter and resume packages, make sure you follow up and contact these people to try to get some interviews, either by phone or as soon as you arrive at your new location. For help with your cover letter, visit Cover Letter Resources for Job-Seekers, which includes a link to our Cover Letter Tutorial.
Learn the Three Essential Elements of Self-Marketing
Sat, 27 Sep 2008 03:01:33 -0500“Self-marketing success requires three essential elements, ” said Susan Guarneri, the “Career Assessment Goddess, ” in the Q&A interview she did with Quint Careers
:- understanding who your target audience is and their needs,
- having a credible and compelling message that your target audience values, and
- capturing that target audience’s attention.
Resumes have been the primary tool for self-marketing in the past. Whether they will continue to serve that function in the future depends largely on:
- how the selection and hiring industries (HR and recruiting) of various professions evolve to accommodate other types of self-marketing tools, such as the web portfolio, and
- how the available talent pool chooses to promote their candidacy.
Some professions welcome creative approaches, often involving new technology, while others seem to push towards standardization of online application forms. Similarly, many highly desirable candidates promote themselves to selective target audiences and use distinctive approaches, while other candidates default to generic resumes hoping to catch anyone’s eye. Unfortunately, the path of least effort for many candidates is the generic resume, which is ironically the least effective in meeting the three self-marketing essentials.
Whatever the means of self-marketing (resume, bio, online profile, or web portfolio), best practices indicate that the type chosen needs to be appropriate to the target audience (profession and industry) and the candidate, and it needs to be effective in conveying a message of value and distinction.
Cover Letter Should Tell How You Stand Out
Fri, 26 Sep 2008 12:21:52 -0500A paragraph in your cover letter should describe who you are and what makes you stand out writes Deborah Brown-Volkman, president of Surpass Your Dreams, Inc. a career, life, and mentor coaching company. “Include your strengths and what you are passionate about in your career.” Brown-Volkman advises that you think of this paragraph as completing the sentence, “Here’s why I am a good candidate…”
Don't Overdo Acronyms and Industry Jargon on Resume
Thu, 25 Sep 2008 02:00:14 -0500 Hiring decision-makers surveyed for the book,
Top Notch
Executive Resumes identified this as one of their Top 30 Executive Resume Pet Peeves:
Resume contains inexplicable acronyms and industry-specific jargon. Here’s an example of a
head-spinning array of acronyms and jargon from one resume reviewed for this book. The reader
can figure out many of them, but it would so much easier if they were spelled out;- Manage the Asia Pacific WCS IT Outsourcing Transition & Transformation Programme Waves 1& 2. This is part of the Global Transition & Transformation Programme, a cluster of 82 major projects over a period of 3 years for an APAC budget of 8.7M Euros, executed by EDS but controlled and monitored by ABN.
- Transitioned to EDS ~300 Technology staff in Singapore, H Kong , Sydney, Tokyo, Shanghai including the ABN Regional Processing Centre on time and within budget.
- Negotiated Wave 2 T&T budget cost avoidance of 0.5m Euros.
- Provide direct management support to the A/P Technology CIO & Management Team, encompassing Financial Control Process Co-ordination, Resource Management, Portfolio & Project Control Project (A/P 320 projects with a budget expenditure of ~34M Euros). Responsible for the functional & organizational development of the Global Retained Technology Organization (NTO) and the development of the Global Governance Framework schedule (part of the Global Service Agreement contract).
- Established & Implemented the Value Management Plan to achieve best practices within WCS Technology.
- Developed the Global Retained Organization & Functional model on time & within budget.
- Managed the TOI - WCS (Investment & Commercial Banking) Global IT Operations and Global Change Control Teams.
- Provided Global Infrastructure Operational Services, defined/set Global Standards and Global IT Processing Services Strategy. This encompassed managing the Global IT Ops/Change Control Teams of > 300 staff and relevant expenditure budgets of >100M Euros.
- Restructured Global Lotus Notes Ops Team - FTE Savings by 70 % and London Change Control Team-FTE Savings by 35%.
- Implemented Automation and AS/400 LPAR technologies to reduce RPC Singapore & Amsterdam Operational Costs by 25%.
- Negotiated a new TCO with IBM in Singapore with a cost savings of over 2.3M Sing. Dollars.
- Expanded Singapore RPC Processing Services Capabilities to establish a Centre of excellence.
- Established ISAP Global Change Control TAT Acceptance Criteria Policy & Standards.
- Established Global IT Processing Services Strategy / Business Model.
- Developed the WCS Global SLOs and Major Contributor of the first TOI Service Catalogue
“Acronyms that are company-specific need to be reworked into a generic description of the same type that is easily understandable to those outside of that environment, ” advised Melissa Holmes, senior technical recruiter, at Levi, Ray & Shoup Consulting Services, Springfield, IL.
See all 30 peeves: executive resume peeves 1-10 in Part 1, executive resume peeves 11-20 in Part 2 and executive resume peeves 21-30 in Part 3.In Cover Letter, Learn How to Portray Transferable Skills
Wed, 24 Sep 2008 12:16:28 -0500Understanding how to portray your skills as transferable is one of the most important concepts you can master in writing a cover letter. Learn why and how to do it in resumes and cover letters in our article, Strategic Portrayal of Transferable Skills is a Vital Job Search Technique.
Try Kicking Off Resume with Branding Statement
Tue, 23 Sep 2008 02:41:32 -0500A current trend in resumes is to use a branding statement, sometimes in combination with a headline.
A “headline” atop your resume usually identifies the position or type of job you seek.
A branding statement is a punchy “ad-like” statement that tells immediately what you can bring to an employer. A branding statement defines who you are, your promise of value, and why you should be sought out. Your branding statement should encapsulate your reputation, showcase what sets you apart from others, and describe the added value you bring to a situation. Think of it as a sales pitch. Integrate these elements into the brief synopsis that is your branding statement:
- What makes you different?
- What qualities or characteristics make you distinctive?
- What have you accomplished?
- What is your most noteworthy personal trait?
- What benefits (problems solved) do you offer?
See a good discussion of branding statements and headlines, with samples, starting in this section of our e-book, The Quintessential Guide to Words to Get Hired By.
Provide Example Accomplishments in Cover Letter
Mon, 22 Sep 2008 02:36:20 -0500One paragraph in your cover letter should discuss your accomplishments or highlights that you want to showcase or have the employer locate quickly, writes Deborah Brown-Volkman, president of Surpass Your Dreams, Inc. a career, life, and mentor coaching company. “Bullets work well in making your accomplishments easy to read.” Brown-Volkman suggests thinking of this paragraph as filling in the details of this sentence: “Here are relevant examples of what I have done that match with what you are looking for…”
Tailor Resume to the Job You Seek
Sun, 21 Sep 2008 14:17:17 -0500 Hiring decision-makers surveyed for the book,
Top Notch
Executive Resumes identified this as one of their Top 30 Executive Resume Pet Peeves:
Resume is not tailored to the targeted vacancy. Shawn Slevin, HR and human capital solutions
provider for Chair Swim Strong Foundation in the New York City area, called resumes that are the same
for every position “cookie cutter.” Instead, your resume should closely match the requirements of the
job you are targeting. While hiring decision-makers don’t pay much attention to Objective Statements,
the headline technique can be effective in telling the recipient immediately what job or type of job
you’re targeting. When targeting a job advertised by a corporate recruiter in a specific company,
demonstrate in your resume that you’ve researched that organization and can tie your accomplishments
to the employer’s needs.
As recruiter Lisa De Benedittis, president of Elite Staffing Services in the San Diego area, noted: “Resumes are auditions without the benefit of you being around. I will decide if you are a match for my job/client within 20 seconds. Your resume will speak volumes about your communication skills. Do you use words to demonstrate your value or is it boilerplate? Did you put thought and effort into this audition?”
See all 30 peeves: executive resume peeves 1-10 in Part 1, executive resume peeves 11-20 in Part 2 and executive resume peeves 21-30 in Part 3.Packaging Your E-Mail Cover Letter
Sat, 20 Sep 2008 01:01:30 -0500Just as certain secrets can help you write a dynamic cover letter, there are also key strategies for sending email cover letters. Those strategies can be found in our article, Tips for a Dynamic Email Cover Letter.
Objective Statements Currently Out of Fashion
Fri, 19 Sep 2008 13:36:05 -0500Objective Statements on resumes have fallen somewhat out of favor. Many employers and recruiters claim they don’t even read them. That’s because most objective statements are badly written, self-serving, too vague, and not designed to do what they’re supposed to do, which is to sharpen a resume’s focus.
For a very detailed discussion of the pros and cons of objective statements, guidelines for how to write a good one and samples, see Chapter 1 of our e-book, The Quintessential Guide to Words to Get Hired By: The Perfect Objective to Sharpen Your Resume’s Focus
Also see our article, Should You Use a Career Objective on Your Resume?
Flatter Employer in Second Paragraph of Cover Letter
Thu, 18 Sep 2008 10:36:07 -0500In the second paragraph of a cover letter, compliment the employer on what the organization has done right and what you admire about it, writes Deborah Brown-Volkman, president of Surpass Your Dreams, Inc. a career, life, and mentor coaching company. “Sincere flattery goes a long way and shows that you have taken the time to get to know the employer in more detail.” Brown-Volkman advises thinking about the phrase, “I like your company because…”
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