5 Tips For Writing Strong Cover Letters

The all-important first impression that your resume documents make on an employer depend just as much on how the cover letter represents you as how well the resume represents you. 

It's true that not all employers read cover letters, but most do, and you should always prepare a cover letter as though it will be read word for word by people who in positions to hire you.

Here are five tried and true tips to keep in mind when you're writing cover letters:

1.  Address it to the reader. You can call the company directly to get a name, job title and company address. If you can't come up with a name, or you're being told on the phone to "just send it to HR", you can address it to "Dear Hiring Professional".

2.  Tell the reader what they want to know, not what you want to tell them. Put yourself in their shoes. It doesn't matter to them that you feel you've outgrown your current job and need a new challenge, that you've always wanted to work for an insurance company, or that you want to move to San Diego. What will matter are things like: What background/skills/experience do you have that makes you a good candidate for an insurance company? How are you ready to hit the ground running in their organization? Why should they encourage your candidacy if you live in Maine and their business is in San Diego?

3. If you live in Maine but the job is in San Diego, find a way to include a San Diego address on your resume. If you're planning to move to be near family or friends, ask one of them if you can use their address temporarily as your local address. And—before sending that resume and cover letter—think through the interview part. The employer wants to know that you can be there when they want you to for an interview. Are you prepared to do that?

4. Include information in the letter that shows you know something about the company. Learn as much about them as you can from on-line research before contacting them. Look for places where your experience somehow connects with something significant about their company. Find a way to subtly weave that information into your cover letter.

5. Proofread, proofread, proofread! A good rule of thumb is to keep reading and making changes until you've read through the document two or three times without finding anything that needs to be changed. Then ask someone else to read it to see if they find any errors.

Take advantage of the opportunity to capture the reader's attention and hold it. You want to be THE candidate they're interested in!

Do your resume and cover letters  make you stand out to employers as someone they want to meet? Are they getting you interviews? If not, visit my website—cnyresumes.com—for more information. I'd love to help!

The High Cost of a Resume That's Not Getting You Interviews

Consider this: If your resume isn't *working* for you, you have to ask yourself what the cost of that is to you. 

If you'd make $500 a week at a job, a three month loss of income represents $6000 loss to you. 

If $500 spent on a new resume, this week, gets you interviews and a new job within a week or two -- you could GAIN most of that $6000 instead of losing it!

A well-crafted resume should get you interviews for at least 50% of the job you're applying for. Is your resume getting you interviews? 

If not, I can help. I'm an award-winning resume writer who has been writing powerful, interview-getting resumes for more than 20 years. 

Email your current resume to me 
for a free consultation to help you get on track.

 The process is easier than you may think! 

resumesetc.com
terrieosborn@gmail.com
(315) 676-3315

A Most Charming Letter Seeking Employment, Written Long Ago By One Of America's Best Loved Authors

For your reading pleasure, jobseeker:

Eudora Welty to The New Yorker—

The best job application ever

May 19, 2014 by Shane Parrish

In March of 1933, Eudora Welty, then 23 and looking for writing work, sent this beautiful letter to the offices of The New Yorker. “It’s difficult,” writes Shaun Usher in his introduction to the letter in Letters of Note, “to imagine a more endearingly written introduction to one’s talents.”

March 15, 1933

Gentlemen,

I suppose you’d be more interested in even a sleight-o’-hand trick than you’d be in an application for a position with your magazine, but as usual you can’t have the thing you want most.

I am 23 years old, six weeks on the loose in N.Y. However, I was a New Yorker for a whole year in 1930– 31 while attending advertising classes in Columbia’s School of Business. Actually I am a southerner, from Mississippi, the nation’s most backward state. Ramifications include Walter H. Page, who, unluckily for me, is no longer connected with Doubleday-Page, which is no longer Doubleday-Page, even. I have a B.A. (’ 29) from the University of Wisconsin, where I majored in English without a care in the world. For the last eighteen months I was languishing in my own office in a radio station in Jackson, Miss., writing continuities, dramas, mule feed advertisements, santa claus talks, and life insurance playlets; now I have given that up.

As to what I might do for you— I have seen an untoward amount of picture galleries and 15¢ movies lately, and could review them with my old prosperous detachment, I think; in fact, I recently coined a general word for Matisse’s pictures after seeing his latest at the Marie Harriman: concubineapple. That shows you how my mind works—quick, and away from the point. I read simply voraciously, and can drum up an opinion afterwards.

Since I have bought an India print, and a large number of phonograph records from a Mr. Nussbaum who picks them up, and a Cezanne Bathers one inch long (that shows you I read e. e. cummings I hope), I am anxious to have an apartment, not to mention a small portable phonograph. How I would like to work for you! A little paragraph each morning— a little paragraph each night, if you can’t hire me from daylight to dark, although I would work like a slave. I can also draw like Mr. Thurber, in case he goes off the deep end. I have studied flower painting.

There is no telling where I may apply, if you turn me down; I realize this will not phase you, but consider my other alternative: the U of N.C. offers for $12.00 to let me dance in Vachel Lindsay’s Congo. I congo on. I rest my case, repeating that I am a hard worker.

The New Yorker, missing the obvious talent, ignored her plea before eventually correcting their mistake. Welty went on to win multiple awards including the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1973 for her novel The Optimist’s Daughter.

Bob's old resume didn't work for him... he'd send it out but, no interviews, none, zip-o.

Bob was very eager to get out of the stop-gap job he'd taken when his former company closed, and there was one job in particular that he was very interested in applying for, but he'd bumped up against some dead ends. 

For one thing, he'd applied once to the company and been rejected, so it seemed pretty clear that the home-made resume he'd been using wasn't working for him. Also, the company had removed the posting a couple of months ago. 

To give himself his best shot, Bob hired me to create a sharp new resume for him that clearly states the value he can bring to employers — and the resume worked!

Bob sent me this note last week:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hi Terrie-

Just wanted to let you know that the resume you wrote for me worked! I accepted the position that was number one on my list [specialty products sales rep] and start next week. 

[I sent Bob an email reply of congratulations and asked if the salary was what he'd hoped for, and he responded:] 

I'm so pleased - the organization is outstanding - love the management, the business plan, the product line - the values and mission statement. And the money they offered was more than I expected. Can't say anything negative. The HR manager told me they had been looking for the right candidate for over a year! 

Terrie, I had sent them a resume previously and never heard back - I figured they weren't interested but [you suggested I] send it again. So I did. 

Within 5 minutes of sending the email I had a call from the HR manager wanting to schedule an interview. The part I forgot to tell you is that I had ANOTHER offer come the same day.  

I told a friend in Washington DC about what you did - you may hear from her as she's considering moving back to the area. She works for [major global media organization] now so she doesn't know what potential there is for her in this area but I gave her your contact info in case she decides to take the plunge. 

Thank you for the great work and if you need a reference I would be happy to provide one. 

Bob

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Yay Bob!!!

Terrie Osborn, CPRW

Resumes Etc.

Certified Professional Resume Writer

(315) 676-3315

CNYResumes.com

If interviewing for jobs is an ocean where all the candidates look the same, how can you stand out?

A group of employers were recently asked this: During an interview, when you ask “Have you any questions?”, what are the questions candidates should be asking? And here were some of the replies and comments:

− Questions that show they've researched the company. This shows me that they put some work in up front.

− Questions about my company's culture. This shows me that they want to fit in and might not see the job as just a job. We spend so much of our lives at work, I like it when people want to be sure they'll be happy here.

− Questions about what projects are coming in the pipeline. This shows that they're eager to get started.

− What would my typical day be like?

− I did a round of interviews last week. The best candidate, when prompted for any questions he may have had at the end, gave us a sort of brief run-down of the position and what he thought he'd be doing. And he asked us if that was accurate, and if we could fill in any blanks. I really liked that. It showed he researched the position well and was a nice expression of interest.

− Why is the position open? (Response to this can tell you a lot about the job and/or company. If the last person was fired, they won't tell you that directly, of course, but usually it'll be because the person occupying it before got a promotion, moved to something that interested him/her more, or something else mutually amicable like that, and that can at least get a conversation started on an employee's potential for internal promotion, movement, and things like that. Depending on when this is asked, it can also provide a much less awkward alternative to that dreaded Where do you see yourself in five years question, since knowing more about how things work in the company can give you more of a feel for what would be realistic for yourself if you were to take the position.  

(Stay tuned – more to follow!)

Thank you to reddit.com contributors DoctorStrange37, Countrykev, BoulderFreeZone, MyOtherCarIsEpona, lazy8s, raloon, charliePAG, Sir Fancy Pants, and radioactdave.

Do you know about the 80/20 thing in job hunting?

Eighty (80) percent of all jobs that are available, are not posted.

They’re not posted on line, or on job boards, or in the newspaper. They’re never listed anywhere, and do you know why? It’s because the employer doesn’t have to post them because people basically just show up and ask for them! 

That’s called ‘proactive job seeking’ – you go to the employer to ask for a job. You show up with a great resume and a big smile on your face and let them know that: (A) You’re interested in pursuing employment opportunities at their company and (B) You have great qualifications for working there and that you can bring value to their company!

You already know you’ve got great qualifications – do you also have a great resume? If not, I can help! Because you know what? That new job is waiting for you to show up and claim it!

Is your resume great? Is it getting you interviews for at least 50% of the job you're applying for? It should be, and if not, I can help. I've been writing powerful, interview-getting resumes for more than 20 years. Email your current resume to me for a free consultation to help you get on track -- it's easier than you may think!  cnyresumes.com  •  terrieosborn@gmail.com

How To Land A Satisfying Job

by Terrie Osborn, CPRW

People often spend more time planning for a vacation than in preparing to land a satisfying job! Put some thoughtful preparation into finding a job and you can be happy in it day after day, 40 hours a week, year after year. The secret to finding a job you love is in preparation.

Four-Step Process For Preparing for Job Finding: Make a plan, Invest in a professionally prepared resume, Prepare for interviews, Follow-up after interviews.

Step 1: MAKE a plan.
♦ So you want to be an accountant - but what kind of accountant, and in what kind of industry? And where in the world would you like to live? Is it important to stay close to home, or do you want to live in a different climate, maybe in the mountains or near the ocean? Do you want to work for a small, local, mom and pop widget manufacturer? in health care? aerospace? for a large well-known, global accounting firm? in a federal position? Would you like to eventually be a manager?
♦ Work out a preliminary five to ten year plan for your career. Write it down. You can always change it as you go along, and maybe the best thing is to just take a job, any job, at this point - which is fine - and then change your plan as you go along and discover other career interests. But get relatively clear about what you'd like to do.
♦ The "What Color Is Your Parachute? Workbook" can help you zero in on what's important to you in a career.

Step 2: INVEST in a professionally prepared, powerful, confidence-building resume.
♦ Most 'did it myself' resumes are substandard documents that poorly represent the candidate. You need a good resume to get noticed. It's probably a waste of your time and energy to try to create your own resume.
♦ Employers often look at resumes for ten seconds or less before delegating the resume to the 'call' or 'do not call' pile.
♦ Professional resumes stand heads above all homemade resumes. They get attention because they make a great first impression. They get interviews faster, which speeds up the job finding process. And they inform the entire interviewing process, and can secure the candidate more money.

Step 3: PREPARE for interviews.
♦ A good resume will get you interviews, then, interviewing well will get you job offers.
♦ It's not the person who's best qualified that gets the job - it's the person who interviews best!
♦ You CAN learn how to interview well - it just takes practice, and doggedly overcoming your own personal interviewing fear hurdles.
♦ A great way to prepare is to read two of Carole Martin's books: "Interview Fitness Training" and "Boost Your Interview IQ". Read "Fitness" through two or three times (you can read it through in an hour or so). Read at least the first 20 (or so) pages of "Interview IQ" to get the general idea of how to actually respond to interviewer questions. These books cover it all, from how to dress to salary negotiations and everything in between.
♦ Prepare extensively for the interview. Research the company through Google. Hunt down their annual reports. Make up a list of questions (in your mind) to ask at the interview.
♦ Realize that the company needs you at least as much as you need a job, and that all employees are hired to solve problems for employers. A good interview question is always "What do you feel is the biggest challenge your company is currently facing?"

Step 4: FOLLOWUP after an interview, immediately sending a Thank you Letter.
♦ Statistically, three out of five employers say they are influenced positively by thank you letters sent by candidates after interviews, and only one out of ten candidates sends a thank you letter.

The key that opens doors to interviews is a great resume. Is yours getting you interviews? If not, I can help. I've been writing powerful, interview-getting resumes for more than 20 years. Email your current resume to me for a free consultation to help you get back on track -- it's easier than you may think!  cnyresumes.com  •  terrieosborn@gmail.com