Searching and applying for jobs is all about selling yourself. Sure, people have probably told you this many, many times. But, let's think about this in a simple way that most people (consumers) can find understandable using a few retail examples.
Example 1
Candy bars are on sale at the grocery store. You can get 2 for $3. OR, you can buy 1 for $1.75. Which one is the better deal? Answer: 2 for $3. You'll be saving 50 cents and you get TWO candy bars, not just one. This makes sense, right?
When you talk or write about your work experience and skills think about bundling. For example: Let's say the employer wants to hire someone who has social networking skills. Candidate A only knows how to use Facebook. Candidate B not only knows how to use Facebook but has experience with twitter, blogspot and wordpress blogging, digg, delicious, myspace and AIM. You'd hire Candidate B right? Bigger bang for your buck.
Example 2
You're searching for a Christmas gift for your aunt. She likes soaps, perfumes, lotions, and things of that nature. You stop into your local fragrance store in search of the perfect gift. It turns out that the store has a gift set with just the right items that your aunt will love. The items are in a beautiful gift box complete with Christmas ribbons and a gift tag. The gift set is $40. The only other alternative is for you to buy the items separately for $50 and wrap them at home. Which one are you going to buy? Answer: The gift set for $40. No brainer, right? It is nicely put together and cost less. Why would you spend more for the same items which you will have to wrap later?
Think about what experiences and skills you have (what you're trying to sell) and step into the employers shoes. Do your skills fit the job annoucement? Are your skills "the perfectly packaged gift set" that the employer is looking for? In addition, your cover letters and resumes should be "put together" just like that gift set. No typos or rambling in your cover letters. Be specific and succinct.
Example 3
You need a new coffee maker. Your friend tells you that he just got one at the local department store for a good price. He says his new coffee maker makes the best cup of coffee and he'd rather have that over a Starbucks. You decide to buy that coffee maker because your friend recommended it and you trust his taste.
Same thing goes for jobs. If you were the employer wouldn't you rather hire someone who came with a recommendation (or a referal) from a co-worker? This is why networking is so important! You may be one of the better candidates for the job. But, if you come with a referral then you may become the best (and only) candidate.
Showing posts with label cover letter. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cover letter. Show all posts
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Cover letter professionalism
+Tailor your cover letter to the job announcement. Yes, you will have to create many cover letters.
+At a minimum, triple-check every cover letter for errors before submission. Do not rely on spell-check. (During one of my interviews my interviewer kindly informed me that I had misspelled the scientific name of a plant. Yikes. He was correct. I apologized and told him I would fix it immediately.) So...Do you have the correct date? Is the potential employer's name spelled correctly? Did you spell your name and address correctly? (It is hard to believe someone would do such a thing but it has been done...).
+Email cover letters in a PDF unless specified otherwise. This file format looks more professional. Don't know how? Here is a video from Microsoft that demonstrates how to do this.
+At a minimum, triple-check every cover letter for errors before submission. Do not rely on spell-check. (During one of my interviews my interviewer kindly informed me that I had misspelled the scientific name of a plant. Yikes. He was correct. I apologized and told him I would fix it immediately.) So...Do you have the correct date? Is the potential employer's name spelled correctly? Did you spell your name and address correctly? (It is hard to believe someone would do such a thing but it has been done...).
+Email cover letters in a PDF unless specified otherwise. This file format looks more professional. Don't know how? Here is a video from Microsoft that demonstrates how to do this.
Friday, September 25, 2009
Cover letter tips
There are a million things I could say about cover letters. Here are some starter tips:
+Writing a cover letter is like putting attractive packaging on a consumer good. You want to look good on the outside (enough to entice the potential employer to know more) and you want to be a quality product upon purchase (a good investment for the company/organization).
+I have found that it is not necessary to indicate in the cover letter where you found the job announcement unless the announcement says to do so or unless you have a referral.
+When creating your cover letter ask yourself, "WHY would someone want to hire me instead of someone else?"
+Cut to the chase. In your cover letter explain EXACTLY why the employer should hire you. Don't beat around the bush or add superfluous sentences.
+If you cannot read your cover letter out-loud without laughing or stumbling through it, re-write it!
+Again, get people to look at your cover letter for free to gain perspectives and catch any misspellings. Triple-check your cover letters for mistakes!
+Writing a cover letter is like putting attractive packaging on a consumer good. You want to look good on the outside (enough to entice the potential employer to know more) and you want to be a quality product upon purchase (a good investment for the company/organization).
+I have found that it is not necessary to indicate in the cover letter where you found the job announcement unless the announcement says to do so or unless you have a referral.
+When creating your cover letter ask yourself, "WHY would someone want to hire me instead of someone else?"
+Cut to the chase. In your cover letter explain EXACTLY why the employer should hire you. Don't beat around the bush or add superfluous sentences.
+If you cannot read your cover letter out-loud without laughing or stumbling through it, re-write it!
+Again, get people to look at your cover letter for free to gain perspectives and catch any misspellings. Triple-check your cover letters for mistakes!
Saturday, September 19, 2009
To the Forgotten, Jobless Graduates:
There is not much in the news about jobless, recent graduates. In our current recession, many of us have been and will continue to be crushed by those who have years of work experience for entry level jobs. This presents a bit of a financial problem for most of us...
My name is Genevieve. I am a scientist and I recently secured a full time position completely unrelated to my academic background. When I began applying for jobs in November 2008 I had no idea how to write a cover letter, apply for a federal government job, create an effective resume instead of a curriculum vitae, or what to prepare for a phone interview. Trial and error can be quite time consuming. The process I use to apply for jobs now is completely different from when I started. If only I knew then what I know now.
This blog was born out of my desire to provide helpful tips for recent graduates entering the job market for the first time, for those re-entering the job market after a long period of unemployment, or for those just looking to improve their job searching and application techniques. I truly believe that the best tips come from those who are currently searching for jobs, have held many different jobs, or are hiring personnel. I have experience in the first two categories. Many of the tips come from my personal experiences and from kind friends, family, and colleagues of mine representing many occupations and fields of study. This blog is an open forum. We can agree to disagree. As I post my tips, please add your likes and dislikes as well as comments about what you have found that works and does not work. Comments should be written in a way that will be helpful for all readers---this is not a blog for personal tirades. Happy job hunting!
My name is Genevieve. I am a scientist and I recently secured a full time position completely unrelated to my academic background. When I began applying for jobs in November 2008 I had no idea how to write a cover letter, apply for a federal government job, create an effective resume instead of a curriculum vitae, or what to prepare for a phone interview. Trial and error can be quite time consuming. The process I use to apply for jobs now is completely different from when I started. If only I knew then what I know now.
This blog was born out of my desire to provide helpful tips for recent graduates entering the job market for the first time, for those re-entering the job market after a long period of unemployment, or for those just looking to improve their job searching and application techniques. I truly believe that the best tips come from those who are currently searching for jobs, have held many different jobs, or are hiring personnel. I have experience in the first two categories. Many of the tips come from my personal experiences and from kind friends, family, and colleagues of mine representing many occupations and fields of study. This blog is an open forum. We can agree to disagree. As I post my tips, please add your likes and dislikes as well as comments about what you have found that works and does not work. Comments should be written in a way that will be helpful for all readers---this is not a blog for personal tirades. Happy job hunting!
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