Resume Help Blog

Archive for the ‘How To’ Category

You might wonder if a cover letter is necessary when you submit a resume. Unless otherwise instructed, a cover letter should accompany every resume, as a cover letter compels your reader to review your resume.

Your resume presents factual information about your qualifications, experience, and educational credentials, which present you as a good match for a position based on the content in a job posting. It is common for job seekers to use one resume for several employment contacts. While this is a customary practice for job postings with similar job responsibilities, a cover letter lets you personalize your resume package for a specific job opportunity.

You no doubt have value-added skills that are above and beyond those listed as the fundamental job requirements. These skills can distinguish you from other candidates. A cover letter lets you present this information and add value to your marketability.

In your resume package, your cover letter is an informative and even fun way to demonstrate that you can communicate in a clear and concise fashion. You do this with the words you use, the tone of the letter, and the visual presentation.

Although there are no set rules to creating cover letters, the following are some guidelines:

Be brief. Cover letters are not essays. Use one page to communicate who you are, what you can do for your potential employer, and why you are the best candidate for the position.

Be professional, yet personal. Avoid using the same tone and language you use in your resume. Address your reader as if you were speaking to him or her in person. Your cover letter should add to whatever is in your resume, not repeat it.

Tell who you are. Open the letter with a clear statement of who you are and what you do. Don’t make your reader search for that information in the body of the letter or worse, have to interpret the content of the letter to figure it out.

Maintain consistency. Use the same heading format on all documents within your resume package (resume, cover letter, references, follow-up letters, thank you letters).

Highlight your value-added skills. Spotlight your skills that do not appear in your resume such as your work ethics, teamwork ability, and skills that are not listed as requirements for the job but are useful to the organization.

Explain why you want to work for the company. Do you like their product or service, their financial standing, their position in the industry, or their direction for the future? Companies like to know that you have interest in their organization, not that you simply need a new job.

Proof, proof, proof. Make sure that your letter is clear, concise, and error free. Make a checklist that addresses grammar, punctuation, and words that are spelled correctly but are out of context (form instead of from, you instead of your, etc.). Use this checklist for your own proofreading, and have someone else read your letter as well, if possible.

A cover letter can make the difference between getting an interview and getting passed over. Use a cover letter to help boost your chances of getting the job offer.

The unemployment news is bleak and we want to offer something that I believe you will find helpful and hopefully give you some new ideas for the future. There have always been tough economic times like this when it becomes necessary for a person to say, “enough is enough,” and quit allowing someone else to provide you with opportunities (i.e. a job) and make some happen for yourself; and yes it can happen, even today, even in this gloomy economy – let us show you a few ways.

Over the next couple of weeks we are going to feature some exciting ways for you to reinvent yourself and start over. This is not a come-on gimmick designed to sell you something but, as the old adage says, just one beggar telling another beggar where to find bread.

First some examples: Last night on 60 Minutes they ran an article on the young man who created Face Book. Today he is 26 and when he began this company he was only 19 years old. I am not suggesting you plan to compete with Face Book but what he did some of you could also do, perhaps in another arena. Social sites are not the only thing the Internet is capable of. If you have a background in mathematics or computer programming and a fertile imagination you can create the next big thing. Come on people, think. Some of you can do this. For this type of creation you need to have some knowledge of html code. No problem – you can learn this from your local college. It is best to team up with someone and work together, but you can do this.

Next; also last evening on the program Undercover Boss they featured ABM a large (actually huge) company whose specialty is building maintenance. This company was started as a one man operation – a Dutch immigrant who started cleaning windows. The company grew till it’s one of the largest in the USA. They do everything from cleaning the outside of those glass high-rises to providing the entire housekeeping. You name it, they do it. Can this be repeated? You bet! This is the type of business that anyone can do; start small and work hard and it will grow.

A personal example that I know of: I have a friend who came here with the last load of refugees from Viet Nam when our military pulled out. She came here penniless but had a family already here. Here is what she did; she pooled her money with her family to get a big home. Next they pooled their paychecks into a common pot. She took jobs cleaning houses and anything she could make money at, her whole family did the same. Next she took classes and became a hair stylist, thus setting her own hours and income level. She and her family then combined their resources and opened a very successful Vietnamese / Thai restaurant. Could this be replicated? Yes, provided everyone has good honest work ethics and is not afraid of hard work.

Examples are all around you; but I will give you one more true to life example. Here in Phoenix is a local company called “To Fix It”.  (ToFixIt.com) – Started by Terri Ouellette (known to her fans as Terri O).  As the creator of Terri O’s Super Simple™ – a series of DVDs made for those who need a little extra help to be creative – Terri’s philosophy has always been to keep it simple, efficient, easy and cheap. To Fix It is a referral service whose motto is: “We recommend the Best . . . And Toss the Rest.”  She started with what she knew best and built on that. Could this idea be replicated? You know it could!

So over the next few days and weeks we will post additional ideas and recommendations. Some of them will be in the form of e-books and products that require a modest investment but offer honest opportunities. I give you my word that we will not offer you anything that cost you money that we have not checked out thoroughly and none will require a major investment. We want to help and not make the hole in the boat larger.

A personal note from checking this company out; she started with what she knew and built on that. This is something that anyone can replicate.

Watch for more every three to four days.  Tell a friend!

With shopping, vacations and just the general desire to avoid stress during this jolly time of year, the holidays may be a tempting time to take a break from the job search. Nobody’s hiring during the holidays—who is going to look at your resume if everyone is on vacation, right?

Wrong!!

Forget all the myths surrounding the holiday job search. ‘Tis the season to land a job and bring a little extra holiday cheer into your lives. Here’s how:

1. Your Competition is at the Mall

Many people believe that no one hires between Thanksgiving and the middle of January. That couldn’t be further from the truth—lots of companies are finalizing their budgeting for the following calendar year, and making hiring decisions accordingly – IN SPITE OF WHAT YOU READ IN THE NEWSPAPER.

While it may be the season of good will, there’s nothing wrong in taking advantage of others’ misguided beliefs: many drop their job search for the period, crowding department stores and leaving the career path completely open for those smart enough to take advantage of the situation. Not all those with the power to hire are on vacation, so get those resumes out there as often as possible and let others miss out on the opportunities that presented themselves.

2. Take Advantage of the Holiday Cheer

We all know that most jobs don’t even make it to the job boards—they are either filled internally or through word of mouth recommendations. Holidays give you a great excuse to check in with your network and find out what might be available. Get your foot in the door with an informational interview, especially at a time when everyone is in the holiday spirit. The positive vibes will only enhance the mood and make the process a little less stressful and more rewarding. Whether you get the job during December or early next year, the holidays are the perfect time to position yourself as the right person for the job.

3. Holiday Cards are Not Just for Loved Ones

There’s more to the job search than submitting your resume for every opening you find. It’s about maintaining your contacts and keeping your name top of mind with those involved in the hiring process. So when you are mailing those holiday cards out, take the time to send some holiday well-wishes to those in your professional network—especially to that one guy who called you in June and said, “It was down between you and another candidate and we felt he fit our current needs better at this time.” A correspondence to touch base, discuss holiday plans and send well-wishes may spark a memory of how well-received you were earlier in the year, and the idea that you’d be a perfect fit for that position that just opened up. Maybe your resume needs some help, or maybe lots of help. Get it in shape BEFORE you need it.

4. Companies Make New Year’s Resolutions Too

Everyone starts out with high hopes for the coming year; and every company will want to start off 2011 with a bang. In order to get the ball rolling, they will want to hire in December and spend the remainder of their budget for 2010 in the process. The end of the year is the perfect time to spend what’s left–why shouldn’t that extra budget item be you?

5. Parties are Networking Opportunities

If all else fails, take advantage of holiday gatherings involving friends and/or family. You never know who will be there, and it may open up some opportunities for you to make a good impression. Make sure to have a good time, share your job search story without coming across as desperate or pushy, and try to meet as many new people as possible while solidifying your existing relationships. And whatever you do, don’t drink too much or ruin someone else’s experience with a sob story. Do all of that and you just might bump into the contact who follows up when she says: “email me your resume when you get a chance and I’ll see what I can do.” At the very least, these parties allow you to sharpen up your networking skills. And those will come in handy at all those future interviews that will come up because you remained persistent with your job search while everyone else was out making snow angels.