Bill writes:
I’ve sent out 175 resumes. Some I’ve received an email acknowledgments and others I received snail mail acknowledgments, but the rest I’ve received neither. How should I handle the no replies? Should I send another resume — or email or phone them?
Bill, okay … I am assuming you sent out cover letters with your resumes, and I am further assuming you followed the proper cover letter techniques — specifically, writing to a named individual, requesting an interview, and promising action — I would strongly suggest that you put all those recipients into a spreadsheet and start contacting them right away. You should never expect employers to respond to your inquiries, and as you have discovered, very few do so.
Not knowing how much time has elapsed, you may need to send out another cover letter and resume once you’ve spoken with the people. If that’s the case, then send those people your resume and cover letter and follow-up about a week to 10 days later with a phone call.
If you did not write a cover letter, or you did not follow the cover-letter rules — and the biggest no-no is not addressing each letter to a named individual — then you might as well start all over again because the likelihood that your cover letter and resume are still somewhere in the employers’ offices is pretty darn slim.
You can read more about cover letters and job-hunting at Quintessential Careers: Cover Letter Resources, which includes a link to the cover letter tutorial.
Follow-up is crucial in all aspects of job-hunting.
Sheila writes:
Although I currently reside in San Francisco, I am planning to relocate to Indianapolis within the next 3 months (or so). My boyfriend suggested that I submit my resume with a cover letter to various companies in hopes of establishing a relationship and inquiring about employment opportunities. My problem is that, I just don’t know what specifically the cover letter should say. Can you please help me?
A cover letter is an extremely important part of your direct-mail campaign. Before I get to cover letters, though, I want to make sure you have some overall strategy about relocating. You are smart to contact companies before you move, but you need a strategy in terms of the types of companies, finding the companies, and finding the right people to contact. And once you’ve sent out your cover letter and resume packages, you need to make sure you follow up and contact these people and try to get some interviews — either by phone or as soon as you get to Indianapolis.
In terms of a cover letter, here’s the short version. The cover letter is a crucial marketing document that must be directed to a named individual and create enough interest on the part of the potential employer to have him or her then look at your resume. You must create interest while also quantifying your qualifications for the position you seek. You must also demonstrate some knowledge of the company and stress what you can do for the company. Finally, you must request action — an interview.
The long version? Go visit Quintessential Careers: Cover Letter Resources, where you’ll find a cover letter tutorial, a do’s and don’ts of cover letters, and a cover letter formula, and much more.
And for more help with the relocation, check out this section of Quintessential Careers: Job-Seeker Relocation Resources.
Elaine writes:
I am seeking help with my cover letter. I have a basic resume, but would like to improve it. I need help. I currently quit my eight-year-long job and went to work in an environment I am very unhappy in.
You are right to want to try and make your cover letter and resume as strong as possible. Your resume, especially, should be polished regularly.
Let’s start with your cover letter. Your cover letter is a marketing document — in which you are trying to spark the interest of the potential employer. I am amazed at how many cover letter “experts” advise people to waste their first paragraphs — which are the most important part of your cover letter. In this first paragraph, you need to attract the interest of the potential employer, not simply state that you are applying for a job.
You can read more about the Dynamic Cover Letters Cover Letter Formula or visit the Quintessential Careers Cover Letter Tutorial.
Now to your resume. Resumes have not changed all that much over the last few years, with the exception of text-based resumes and the move toward using keywords or skills summaries in resumes. You should make sure your resume includes strong action verbs to describe your accomplishments (not your duties). You may also want to read up on transferable skills. All this resume information can be found at Quintessential Careers: Resume Resources.
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.
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.
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.
Russell writes:
I am new to career-hunting online. I am curious to know if I should include a cover letter when I send my resume via e-mail or via fax. If I should send a cover letter via e-mail, should I draft a traditional letter and attach it to the e-mail, or should I write one in the body of an e-mail message such as the one I’m sending to you now?
Unless an employer specifically states no cover letters, you should always include a cover letter! Why would you want to eliminate a key selling tool in your job-search portfolio? The whole point of a cover letter is to draw interest in you and get the potential employer to look over your resume.
By the way, for some great tips on writing a dynamic cover letter, I suggest you visit my cover letter resources section, which includes some great links, such as to the cover letter tutorial (for those who need a lot of help with writing cover letters) and the cover letter formula, as well as many other tools and resources.
When sending a fax, of course, you would send a normal cover letter, but email is a little trickier. For email, I suggest sending your cover letter both as part of the email and as an attachment. You need to make a quick sale in your email, so why not take advantage of the possibility?
Another factor is whether the company wants a regular resume or a text resume. There are a number of format differences, as well as some minor content differences. For more information on resumes, visit the Resume Resources section of Quintessential Careers..
EmpoweringSites.com -- DeLand, FL 32720
Home Page: http://www.empoweringsites.com/
Copyright � EmpoweringSites.com. All Rights Reserved
Serviced by Movable Type Solutions Company