Deanna Rodin, Assistant Director of Career Services at the Hofstra University Career Center, discusses resume and cover letter writing.
Posts Tagged ‘Cover’
Hofstra University Career Center Coaching Video: Resumes and Cover Letters
Thursday, April 29th, 2010Cover Letters For Job Applications - Why You Must Always Submit a Cover Letter
Thursday, April 29th, 2010If you’re considering whether you really need to to submit a cover letter with every job application you make, then this article was written for you.
Your job application needs to be a structured form created to gather detailed information regarding education, work experience and other pertinent data. There is little to no room to show the level of enthusiasm you have for the position or your knowledge of the business.
This is why submitting your cover letter with every job application you ever make is a good idea. By returning a completely filled out application with a well written, brief cover letter and you have distinguished yourself from the crowd in a way that most people won’t bother with.
However, something to consider is that today many companies have crossed over the digital divide and are only accepting applications over the internet. This introduces new questions on how to effectively and properly submit a cover letter for your potential new job, and how to make sure that will be seen and read.
Submitting your letter via email calls for entering the position title in the subject line and what would have been in the body of the letter into the body of the email. Placing the text in the email body rather than attaching a separate letter improves your chances of having it read considerably - because it makes it much easier for the recipient.
Remember that the main point of your letter is to convey your level of interest and unique qualifications for the job being applied for, so take the time to create a good cover letter for each job application you submit. There are those that maintain that you don’t need to send a letter with every application - and while it may not be required, it will certainly make a better impression. Providing a cover letter with your application adds a touch of savvy that could help and can not hurt in today’s job market.
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Generic Cover Letter
Thursday, April 29th, 2010A cover letter is as easy to come by as going to “Google”, or some other search engine, and typing in “sample cover letter”. There are thousands upon thousands of options out there ready to have information plugged into the appropriate spots and sent out. However, a cover letter like this is generic. The definition of generic is: characteristic of or relating to a class or group of things; not specific. Not specific indeed, that doesn’t tell us much. Let’s look at a couple synonyms– general, common, nonspecific, no-name. Those aren’t very flattering words are they? That is exactly the type of impression a generic cover letter gives. It is a big flashing neon sign that the applicant is generic. It also says to the hiring manager that if the applicant cannot manage to do the work needed to create a personalized cover letter, perhaps they are not committed to doing any work whatsoever.
The key to landing a job interview, and most likely the position, is writing a clear, concise, and attention-grabbing cover letter. A cover letter should make a statement about the applicant, about their qualifications and skills, and about their enthusiasm about their job. It should say everything in as few of a words as possible. This is where generic cover letters fall short, as well. Generic cover letters use basic, rudimentary words which do not keep the reader’s attention or invoke any sort of feeling in them. Writing a cover letter is very much like writing a store in that it has to be compelling, and the word choice is extremely important.
A cover letter is meant to sell one’s expertise and abilities in order to land a job position. By using a generic cover letter, none of an applicant’s own personality or passion is included. The applicant may as well be a robot for all the hiring manager could know. Company’s aren’t looking to hire robots though, and generic cover letters just are not made to fit the job. Company’s are looking to hire real people, with real experience, and real drive which they will throw behind the company. Therefore, a personalized cover letter which conveys these things are the only way to ensure a job interview.
In the thousands of sites mentioned earlier, every one of them will make promises of how their cover letter is a guaranteed way to get an interview. Some of the sites may even promise that their cover letter is so personalized that it will be just like it was written by you. However, that’s just not true. Generic cover letters, no matter how “personalized” the site claim, have a completely different feel than truly personal cover letters. Everyone has different job skills, flaws and strengths, and experience and it is impossible for one generic cover letter to cover all possible angles. Don’t fall for the gimmick, and remember the same type of sales pitch which even makes people consider using a generic cover letter is the same type of pitch one needs to use when selling themselves to a potential employer.
What this all boils down to is, take the time to write a cover letter for each particular job. Yes, this is going to be a more involved process but the rewards are going to be greater. Instead of needing to send out one hundred resumes with generic cover letters, there will only be a need to circulate a select number of personalized cover letters. This will allow the ability to choose the perfect job and encourage one to get excited about the potential of the position. It is not about quantity, it is about quality. In general, for every one hundred cover letters one sends out, they will only receive a response to ten percent. This does not mean the response will be favorable either. Between the option of sending out one hundred generic cover letters, with the return response of ten percent, or twenty personalized cover letters with the return response of thirty percent, which seems like the best method? Additionally, with the latter option, the responses are going to be favorable at least half the time.
Don’t fall into the rut of using a generic cover letter. Strive to create a personalized one catered to the specific job you are applying for and see how easy job searching can really be.
Mario Churchill is a freelance author and has written over 200 articles on various subjects. For more information on generic cover letter checkout his recommended websites.
Using A Sample Cover Letter
Wednesday, April 28th, 2010What options are available to you when it comes to writing cover letters? If you don’t write them yourself, you have to consider either paying a ghostwriter to do it for you or buying software that can automate the process. Both options are expensive, so it is better to go on and write it yourself if you can. But where do you start if you do not know how to create a cover letter. The answer is by evaluating a sample cover letter.
Where are the best places to find a sample cover letter? Many cover letter books will provide a lot of sample cover letters, but unless you get these books from the library you will have to pay for them. So the better option is trying to find a good sample cover letter off of the Internet. The best way to do this is to type in the keyword “sample cover letter” plus whatever industry you are trying to get into. This is because if you just type in “sample cover letter”, you will get sample cover letters for all types of jobs. While this may still be of assistance to you, it is better that you get a sample cover letter that is written for the specific position you are applying for.
Depending on the sample cover letter you have access to, you may have an automatic template you can use for creating your own cover letter. What is a template? It is simply a document that contains a predefined layout. This layout usually covers font face, font size and graphic design. In terms of the text, you would replace what is already written with your text. And since the template would be coming from a sample cover letter, you would already have what you need to appropriately create your own text. However, don’t be tempted to copy any portion of the text found in your sample cover letter. Not only is it plagiarism, but it is downright lying. Plus, with services like http://Copyscape.com, employers can tell whether or not the contents a cover letter were genuinely written or simply stolen from a sample cover letter. Remember, only use your sample cover letter as a guide for writing. If you really like how a phrase is worded within a sample cover letter, consider using a thesaurus to figure out a different way to express it.
If you’re interested in helping others write cover letters while making a little bit of extra money, consider showcasing your own sample cover letters that would no longer be of use to you because you decided to switch career paths. To make money doing this, you would have to enroll in Adsense, a program that pays you each time a person clicks on your ads. Your website content would be a perfect draw for visitors, since there can never be enough sample cover letters to look at. If you provide enough sample cover letters on your site, hopefully your visitor will stay long enough that they will be interested in your Adsense ads. Just make sure that any and everything on your website was written by you and that you don’t plan on continuing to use the cover letters. If you do you might be falsely accused of plagiarism, if your employer finds that the cover letter has already been used, (which it would be because it’s on your site).
Mario Churchill is a freelance author and has written over 200 articles on various subjects. For more information on cover letter or cover letters checkout his recommended websites.
What To Do With A Free Cover Letter Sample
Wednesday, April 28th, 2010Your free cover letter could be the kiss of death for your resume for many reasons. Cover letters are designed to get you an interview. There are many things wrong with free cover letters that instead of getting you an interview, they end up getting your resume sent to the trash can by a prospective employer. Once a prospective employer sends your resume to the trash can that is it with that company. There are seldom times when you will get a second chance with that company.
Free cover letters usually address the letter to sir/madam. Some of these free cover letters also address the cover letter ‘to whom it may concern’. Both of these versions are wrong. A cover letter should be addressed to an actual person. This person is usually the contact person listed with the job advertisement. Prospective employers like to see that you care enough to find out the name of the person for whom the cover letter and resume are going to. Most junk mail that people receive ends up in the trash never even looked at. When you do not address your cover letter to an actual person you have made your cover letter look like the same junk mail everyone throws out. The former types of addressing is why your free cover letter could be the kiss of death for your resume.
Free cover letters also address a company in general with a position in which the job seeker will be applying for. Free cover letters never address a specific company with a specific need. You cover letter needs to address the specific company in which you are applying for and it also needs to address their hiring needs. When a prospective employer posts an ad for a position they will list qualifications they are looking for. When you don’t address the specific hiring needs that the company has you are showing that you did not pay attention to their job advertisement. Prospective employers look closely at this and when they don’t see that you have taken the time to address their needs and how you can fill their needs then they move on to the next applicant. Again this is another reason why your free cover letter is the kiss of death for your resume.
Free cover letters are used by almost anyone who has access to the same place where you got your free cover letter. This means that your prospective employer is seeing the same old cover letter over and over again. Your cover letter needs to be original and unique enough to capture your prospective employers attention thus landing you an interview. Free cover letters also do not show you how to make your cover letter look unique and fresh to prospective employers. While a cover letter does show a generalized idea of how to write a cover letter it does not show you have to make one look unique and fresh to your prospective employer. If your cover letter is not fresh and unique and the prospective employer is seeing it over and over again only with a different name attached then more than likely it will wind up in the trash can along with all the other applicants that tried to use the same free cover letter.
Another reason your free cover letter could be the kiss of death for your resume is that you are using the same free cover letter for each company you are applying for. Not only have you landed your resume in the trash with one company by submitting a cover letter such as the free one you obtained but you landed your resume in the trash with each place you have applied at. Your cover letter should not only be fresh and unique it must be a fresh and unique cover letter for each place in which you are applying. Never submit the same cover letter to more than one prospective employer. Make sure that you have written a new cover letter that is personalized for each and every prospective employer. This way you can avoid all the reasons why free cover letters could be the kiss of death for your resume.
Mario Churchill is a freelance author and has written over 200 articles on various subjects. For more information on free cover letter sample checkout his recommended websites.
Cover Letter Templates
Thursday, April 22nd, 2010Cover letter templates can be a great asset to job seekers if they are used correctly. There seems to be some cover letter misconceptions though among job seekers. They use these templates based on their misconception of the cover letter templates and this leads to them receiving no calls requesting they come for an interview. The jobs seeker who have these cover letter misconceptions do not realize they are doing anything wrong when they use the cover letter templates incorrectly based on their misconceptions of its use.
One cover letter template misconception is that the job seeker can take this cover letter template and use it as is. Cover letter templates are not ready to use templates. They are just a basis for which to give you an idea on how to create your cover letter. When you send one out the way it is, you are basically just sending the prospective employer a stale already seen a thousand times before cover letter.
Another cover letter misconception is that job seekers believe that the cover letter templates that are on the internet and in books are designed just the way prospective employers want the cover letters to look. While prospective employers want to see professional looking cover letters, they are also looking for the fresh and unique cover letter that makes them take notice of the applicant.
A big cover letter template misconception is that the job seeker should not add anything or take away any section of the cover letter template. As said above the cover letter template is just a starting point to give you ideas on how to put a cover letter together. Also as stated above the prospective employer is looking for something fresh and unique when scanning a cover letter. Therefore feel free to add to and take away from what the cover letter template is showing you to make your cover letter fresh and unique.
There are places on the internet that will use a questionnaire and have you answer questions then place your responses into a cover letter for you. This is still just a template and again cover letter template misconceptions surround this method as well. Job seekers seem to think that the use of this cover letter writing service will give them a great cover letter. Again this is just a template that you will need to read the cover letter over and see if it truly shines and then add or take away areas that will allow for it to truly be a great cover letter.
Some cover letter templates do not show the use of bullets within the cover letter. The use of bullets can be an asset to you as you highlight with the bullets your qualifications and character that will be of benefit for the position you are applying for. Bullets can also make the cover letter easier to scan allowing for the prospective employer to quickly read and assess their desire to offer an interview to you.
Only you truly know yourself and all your experiences, qualifications, strengths and weaknesses. You also know more about the company that you are applying for than some internet website or book you got from the library. Therefore you are the only that can truly put together the perfect cover letter. You need to take the time you show that you will be an asset to the company in which you are applying for.
Another cover letter template misconception that job seeker have is that when they do create a truly great, fresh and unique cover letter for an prospective employer, they then use that same cover letter for all prospective employers. This first cover letter should only be a template to use to create other fresh and unique cover letters for additional prospective employers.
By the debunking of the above cover letter template misconceptions you are allowing yourself to see how to truly create a cover letter that will land you an interview. It is the interview that will allow the prospective employer to see your true potential and see what a benefit you will be to their company. Do not allow your cover letter to cheat you out of the chance to show the prospective employer who you truly are.
Mario Churchill is a freelance author and has written over 200 articles on various subjects. For more information on cover letter template checkout his recommended websites.
Resume Cover Letter Template Blunders!
Thursday, April 22nd, 2010One spends hours perfecting their resume when job hunting. They ensure that all their skills are well defined, and their job duties and titles sounds more professional than they really are. However, when it comes time to really sell themselves, they fall prey to a resume cover letter template. Why would they pair a well-written resume with a resume cover letter template which does nothing to compliment their job skills? I don’t know either. A resume cover letter template’s intention is to ease the stress of job-seekers. Yet it only makes it worse by ensuring an applicant does not get the desired position. One who uses a resume cover letter template does nothing to assist one from standing out to the hiring manager, which is the only way to earn an interview amongst hundreds, if not thoughts, of other job hunters.
A resume cover letter template does not contain the most important elements of any cover letter. The whole point behind a resume cover letter is to get an interview. In order to do this, a resume cover letter must be convincing and demonstrate all the skills one so painstakingly perfected on their resume. After committing so much time on creating a resume that looks professional, it makes little sense to leave the job underdone by using a resume cover letter template.
What is a resume cover letter template? A resume cover letter template is a pre-generated cover letter where one only has to “fill in the blanks”. Resume cover letter templates can be found included in most word processing software (which I will never understand) or by doing a search on the internet. With resume cover letters so readily available, it goes to show that most people use this method when applying for jobs. It is also an assumption that the way to land an interview is by being one of the first applicants for the job. This is not necessarily the case. A hiring manager is looking for the best candidate for the job and is not simply going to choose the first person to come along. They want to find the best applicant. If a resume cover letter does not grab their attention, which is what a resume cover letter achieves, then they are not going to waste time reviewing the applicant further.
Using a resume cover letter template is the quickest way for one’s resume to end in the trash pile. A resume cover letter template gives the impression that one is a nameless, faceless, and mindless individual who just wants to get a job, any job. This is not a promising characteristic of a potential employee. A company is looking for an individual which has passion and enthusiasm. They also want an employee who is dedicates to the company and wants to see the company excel. How is one going to convey this to a hiring manager when they are just blanks filled into a resume cover letter template?
The answer is simple. They aren’t. It is important to move away from using resume cover letter templates and begin using a personalized resume cover letter that makes the hiring manager convinced that one is the right person for the position. It is definitely more work, at least a first, but the process of a personalized cover letter reaps greater benefits. The percentage of positive responses to a personalized cover letter, versus a resume cover letter template, is greater. Thus the amount of resumes a job-seeker has to send out is lessened. This makes the initial work of writing a resume cover letter even out against the traditional job-seeker which uses a resume cover letter template.
A personalized resume cover letter should, first and foremost, have a beginning sentence which makes the hiring manager interested enough to continue reading. If one can learn this value skill in writing a resume cover letter, then half the word is already done! A resume cover letter template will never be able to do this, no matter how special it or, or how much a website promises positive results. A resume cover letter template is just too general to be able to reach this accomplishment. So spend a little time learning what it is that makes a resume cover letter special, and then do it.
Mario Churchill is a freelance author and has written over 200 articles on various subjects. For more information on resume cover letter template checkout his recommended websites.
How To Write a Cover Letter
Sunday, April 18th, 2010Watch this video for a demonstration of “How To Write a Cover Letter”. To complete the task, you will need: A computer, typewriter, or some other mechanical writing device Get started with the first step: Address the letter to a specific person. Writing “to whom it may concern” is lazy—tracking down the right person shows real moxie. For the complete guide, go to www.howcast.com Also check out Howcast for other do it yourself videos from bender and more videos in the Resumes & Cover Letters category. How can you contribute? Create your own DIY guide at www.howcast.com or apply to the Howcast Emerging Filmmakers Program at www.howcast.com
Cover Letter Example Part 2 From Resume Elite Job Marketing System
Sunday, April 18th, 2010Part 2 of “How To Write A Cover Letter” from the Resume Elite system found at resumeelite,net
7 Elements Of A Highly Effective Cover Letter
Saturday, April 10th, 2010Part of solving the cover letter mystery is understanding the purpose of the cover letter. Its purpose is to land you a job interview. By placing all of your efforts into the perfect resume and then throwing together a plain old cover letter you are sabotaging your resume by landing it into the trash can. Prospective employers pay close attention to how a cover letter is put together. If the cover letter does not grab their attention then they are not going to even mess with looking at your resume. This also do not land you a job interview.
How to properly write an attention grabbing cover letter seems to elude many job seekers. Cover letters start to appear to be a mystery to most who are trying to write an attention grabbing cover letter. Solving the cover letter mystery though is really not as hard as it seems. All job seeker needs to do is put a little thought and time into writing their cover letter.
One area where cover letters become a mystery is in how to address a cover letter. You should not address a cover letter in an impersonal way to where it resembles a piece of junk mail. Impersonal is when you address your cover letter ‘dear sir/madam’ or ‘to whom it may concern’. An attention grabbing cover letter should be addressed to a specific person. If you do not know the person’s name then call the company and ask. This will give you an edge over the countless other applicants that addressed their cover letters in an impersonal way.
Another mystery surrounding cover letters seems to be how long the cover letter should be. Many job seekers seem to think that the more they add to their cover letter the better. This is the wrong way to approach a cover letter. A cover letter should never be more than one page long. Prospective employers have dozens of applicants’ cover letters and resumes coming across their desk. They are busy trying to get through all the applicants. With how busy they are they do not have time to read a long winded cover letter. It the cover letter is to long to read completely most prospective employers will file your resume with all the other long winded cover letters, right into to the trash can.
Next comes what you should tell the prospective employer about yourself. You should briefly but clearly point out what it is about you that will fill their hiring needs. Tell them about your qualifications and skills that are pertinent to the position in which you are applying. Remember to keep this area brief, the prospective employer should not have to work hard to see that you are right for the position. If need be incorporate the use of bullets in this section. By using bullets you will allow the prospective employer to be able to quickly scan your qualifications and skill and see that you are fit for the position.
Follow this by telling the prospective employer briefly in one paragraph what it is about the company that you like and why you would like to work there. This offers a compliment to the prospective employer and shows that you have done your research and are familiar with the company.
Another mystery of an attention grabbing cover letter is the use of assertiveness. Most job seekers do not realize that they must be assertive within their cover letter. Your cover letter is designed from beginning to end to get you an interview. When you end your cover letter in a passive way you are allowing for the prospective employer to pass you over. So make sure to end your cover letter in an assertive way. Ask at the end of your cover letter for an interview. Inform the prospective employer in this section of your cover letter that you will be contacting them on a certain date to schedule a time for an interview. This will show the prospective employer that you are serious about the position in which you are applying for.
Solving the cover letter mystery is in itself fairly easy. As you can see with the above areas when you take the time to address the specific needs of the prospective employer, you have thus written an attention grabbing, interview getting cover letter.
Mario Churchill is a freelance author and has written over 200 articles on various subjects. For more information on effective cover letter checkout his recommended websites.