Jill writes:
I recently graduated with a BS in social psychology at 41 years of age. The past 10 years I have been in the clerical field and now more than anything want to work with teenagers. In my cover letter and resume how do I relate my past experiences with the changing career choice I would like to make? Any information would be appreciated.
There are a few keys to making the successful transition. In terms of your cover letter and resume, you need to sit down and think about the skills you have learned and used and how they can apply to your new career field. For example, organizational skills are extremely important in the clerical field, and working with teens requires organizational skills as well. Read more about the topic by visiting Quintessential Careers: Transferable Skills.
The next key to success is to review the job descriptions of the types of jobs you are considering. How does your education and experience match up with the requirements? Can you position yourself to fit these requirements? If not, you may need to take some additional courses or look at different types of jobs.
Finally, I would encourage you to talk with people who currently have jobs that are similar to what you want to be doing or are supervising people who are doing the type of job you want to be doing. We call these informational interviews, and they are an extremely valuable resource for gaining knowledge, making contacts, and networking. Get the scoop by visiting Quintessential Careers: Informational Interviewing Tutorial.
Darrell writes:
I have found your website to be very informative and useful. In using your website and other websites as a resource I have found plenty and very helpful information on doing resumes and cover letters. I have seen through my job searching that occasionally when an employer requests a resume and cover letter, a request for salary history or either salary requirements is also made. My questions are:
- Why would an employer want to know your salary history, would this have bearing on my potential salary if I were to be hired?
- How would I set up information on my salary history or salary requirements to send with the resume and cover letter, is there a basic format, is there a book I can buy?
I’ve answered similar questions in the past, but since you ask for a little more detail and because it is an important subject, let me go over this issue again.
Employers ask for a salary history as a screening device. With salary histories in hand, they can easily screen out the underpaid and overpaid applicants and focus on the applicants within their chosen range.
Because salary negotiation is partly based on information, most certainly the employer has the upper hand in negotiations if he or she knows exactly what you have made in your past jobs. In this situation, in fact, the employer holds all the cards, and you have very little power to do any kind of negotiating.
My advice has always been that you first need to find the salary range for the new position. Once you have this information, you can decide whether you are willing to work for that amount and begin to position yourself in case the salary is a big leap from your current pay.
How do you position yourself? Do not put your salary information on your resume. You could put a simple table in your cover letter giving “ballpark” salary figures. But remember, the more information you give out, the less room you have for any type of negotiating.
You can find a lot more about salary negotiating by visiting Quintessential Careers: Salary and Job Offer Negotiation Tutorial.
One of the best books on the subject is Jack Chapman’s Negotiating Your Salary: How to Make $1,000 a Minute.
Rosemary writes:
I am 17 years old and interested in a career in research. I think I would like to work for the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). I have been trying to find a list of disciplines/occupations employed by the CDC, and I can’t find one. Can you help me locate a listing of potential research oriented occupations?
Rosemary, research is a huge field … and there are many possibilities within it to specialize — all sorts of scientific specialties, with many jobs requiring advanced degrees.
The CDC has a section of its Website geared to Training and Employment Opportunities.
I also suggest you search the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Occupational Outlook Handbook for more detailed information about careers in various areas of research. The information here will help direct your focus in a career direction as well as toward a specific major in college.
Anonymous writes:
My husband and I are both looking for employment. His company was recently downsized. We live in Colorado and we’re willing to relocate (preferably the East Coast). When we apply to job listings in that area, we say in the cover letter that we will relocate at our expense. Is it wise to set that down immediately? We want to enhance any chance we have of being interviewed. Do most employers toss out out of state applicants? Would you advise us to just go to the East Coast and then look for a job? We used to be in the military and aren’t too terrified of moving.
Would appreciate your thoughts and any advice.
I don’t really think you enhance your chances at all by saying you would pay your own moving expenses; in fact, I think just the opposite. I think saying that so early in the process makes you sound a bit too desperate, and employers tend to shy away from such people.
Instead, focus your efforts on building a network of people in the East. Stress your competencies in your cover letters. Consider taking a working vacation to the East and schedule interviews — job or informational — during that time. Being available for interviews is what is important at this phase — moving expenses don’t enter the picture until a job offer is in the making.
I also assume you are applying for different jobs and have separate cover letters, correct? Remember that the cover letter is a selling tool; thus you never want to provide too much information… and certainly never want to provide any information that will derail your application.
So, I suggest sharpening your cover letter fundamentals — do so by visiting Quintessential Careers: Cover Letter Resources. I also suggest you plan a trip east. Before you go, set up interviews with potential employers and a few recruitment agencies. Finally, I suggest you up your networking through professional associations, friends, colleagues, alumni associations, etc.
JoAnn writes:
Need info on sending resumes over the net on e-mail. What about cover letter and the best format to use?
The thing to remember when doing any kind of job-seeking activities is to make whatever you do easy for the employer. If the hiring manager has to spend more time on your application than on others … guess what? He or she won’t; he or she will simply move on to the next applicant.
With those words ringing in your head, let me suggest that with sending cover letters and resumes over the Internet, you want to make it as easy as possible for employers to consider your application.
Thus, I suggest that you always send your cover letter and resume as unformatted text within the email message as well as formatted as attachments. Otherwise, you risk not being considered because some employers only want text, some only want formatted, some don’t open attachments for fears of viruses or other security reasons, and some may not be able to open your attachments because of software incompatibilities.
As with everything else, there are guidelines to follow when doing a text-based resume. I encourage you to read my article, Scannable Resume Fundamentals: How to Write Text Resumes. (Note that “scannable” resumes are rarely used anymore, but they are fundamentally the same as the text resumes employers prefer.)
You might also want to read my Tips for a Dynamic Email Cover Letter.
Irina writes:
Can you please send me a sample for a cover letter asking for a informational interview — one that will get me in the door.
You are on the right track by asking. An informational interview should be an integral part of your networking and job-hunting plan. An informational interview involves talking with people who are currently working in the field to gain a better understanding of an occupation or industry — and to build a network of contacts in that field.
You can find a sample cover letter in the Quintessential Careers Informational Interviewing Tutorial.
Margaret writes:
I had a flyback interview at Bristol, CT, and the inteviewer said that I would get the notice in 2-3 weeks. But it is almost three weeks now, and they have not sent me any notice. I called and found out that they have not interviewed other candidates so far. How can I follow up on it? Shall I call the decision-maker? I really feel that I am the match for the position and am enthusiastic about the position. Please advise.
You are at a critical junction in your job search, and you must take action immediately.
First, have you sent a thank-you letter to all involved from your flyback interview of a few weeks ago? Thank-you letters are extremely undervalued by job-seekers. If you have, then move to the next paragraph. If you have not, then you will need to do some fancy footwork and send out letters immediately — thanking them again for their time and considerations, making it sound as though you are simply following up again.
Assuming you have sent the first thank-you letters, now is time to certainly take action — don’t wait another minute. I want you to call the decision-maker immediately. Call this person with the simple reason that you are following-up on the position and wanted to know where things stand. To a certain extent, the old saying about the squeaky wheel is true here: be persistent about calling and getting the status, but don’t call every day. At best, you’ll get an answer; maybe there is a temporary hiring freeze. At worst, you’ll get strung along some more, but at least you are showing your interest in the position and the company.
I hope things work out for you… now go make some phone calls!
Read this article from Quintessential Careers: The Art of the Follow-Up After Job Interviews.
Pano writes:
I would like to know whenever you need a name for the addresee of a cover letter and one does not know whether the person is a male or female, then is the only way to write the salutations is addressing as “Dear Sir/Madam.”
Is there a better way of writting this salutations?
There should be very few times in your job-search correspondence that you do not know the name of the person you are writing to. For example, when you are writing to a blind email or postal box. Even if a want ad says to send the letter to the Human Resources Director, it is quite easy to call the company and get the name of the director - in fact, doing just that action often results in your letter and resume getting more notice because it shows initiative.
But to answer your question. On those rare times when you do not know the name or gender of the person you are writing to, “sir or madam” is marginally acceptable. Better forms, in my experience, include: “Dear box holder,” “Dear hiring manager,” or “Dear friends.” While there is nothing wrong with “sir or madam,” it is too stilted for modern communication.
So, remember that your goal is always to try and track down the name of the individual. As a last resort, use one of the above salutations. Lots more information on cover letters can be found at the Quintessential Careers Cover Letter Tutorial.
Jen writes:
I am 16 years old. I need help finding a career because I think it is so important to start making these decisions now. I am thinking of a career in the sciences, most likely biological studies, or perhaps psychology. I am much better at the arts, but I want a career where I can make good money. I get really good grades at school, so I am up for a challenge. I would very much appreciate any help you could give me.
The Career Doctor responds:
Jen, I first want to praise you for thinking ahead about your future education and employment goals, but I also want to let you know that it is okay not to have everything set in stone at age 16. My advice for you between now and college is to continue taking college-prep courses that you need and that interest you, work or volunteer at a couple of different companies and organizations (such as an art gallery?), and continue to discuss your career goals with family, teachers, and counselors … you might also consider reading the job descriptions available at our Quint Careers job board and other job sites to get a feel for the types of jobs available in a variety of fields.
In fact, an article on Quintessential Careers may be perfect for you. Check out Choosing a College Major: How to Chart Your Ideal Path.
One final piece of advice: don’t eliminate any possibilities just yet. The key to a successful work life is finding employment that you love to do — not just a job that pays well. If you like the arts, there are plenty of jobs that offer a good salary while allowing you to work at something you enjoy… but keep in mind that your interests may change as you further mature and continue your education.
Anonymous writes:
I just had a job offer for a sales position. I asked many questions of HR, and my soon-to-be manager because I wanted to make a well-informed decision. I got totally burned at my current position by not getting my offer in writing. I felt kind of rushed by the HR person who made me the offer. The employer wanted an answer overnight. I asked many specific questions trying to glean my anticipated income so I could determine if my expenses would be covered by base salary and commission. The HR person said that the company could guarantee me a specific commission during my training period when I could not be proactively working my account base. I said I would like to have my offer in writing. She said they did not usually do that, but she would if I needed it. Then, she called me at WORK to tell me they rescinded the offer because they felt I had too many concerns for income in a risk/reward structure.
If they are on the up-and-up, why would they not want to share information on the position? Is it in appropriate to ask for your offer in writing? Is it possible to ask too many questions when they all say if you have any questions please call and ask?
I always advise job-seekers to get job offers in writing if employers don't offer any form of contract. If an employer seems unwilling, one way around the issue is to write an acceptance letter of the job offer in which you spell out what you understand to be the conditions of employment.
For a position such as sales, where there are various salary issues, including commission levels, it is extremely important to get the specifics in writing.
Were you wrong in any way? No. Does the company's behavior seem a little odd? Yes. Are you better off without this job? Yes, though I know it doesn't feel that way now. Consider yourself lucky, because the situation might have been worse if you had accepted the job and then did not receive the promised pay.
Sales does have risk, but wanting the details in writing does not seem to me a preoccupation with risk/reward.
For tips on negotiating salary, visit Salary Negotiation Resources. This page has some links to some great salary and job-offer tools, including a salary negotiation tutorial.
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