I emphatically disagree!
The cover letter has been my best friend when it came to getting to not
so certain interviews and I know, for a fact, that my ability to write a
persuasive, descriptive and requirements-aligned letter (sometimes 2 pages long
– I like to break the rules!) has won me interviews for jobs which I may have
had no business getting, but I was able to ‘pitch my case’ as to why I was a
good fit for the job.
For a Career Change job they are ESSENTIAL! And, for a regular “I can do this job with my
hands tied behind my back” posting, they are still a very wise move to make.
THE BIG PROBLEM WITH COVER LETTERS:
Most employers don’t read them!
Why? Because they don’t say anything new about
you. Most are just a blah blah rehash of the resume and BOTTOMLINE:
for busy HR and Recruiter types, they’re
just not worth the time to read them.
So, here are 4 distinctive ways YOU can make your cover letter
worth reading…
1)
THINK LIKE AN
EMPLOYER! If you were reading that cover letter, what would impress YOU about
that person? What would make you want to
hire them? One of the biggest complaints
about cover letters is that applicants often use the space to tell the employer
how the job will enhance their careers.
·
REALITY CHECK: The employer doesn’t really care about your career. They might, once they know you and have
worked with you for a while, but this is a huge turn-off for most employers and
can often get your whole application quickly deposited into the dreaded 3rd
pile of applications (also known as the round file!).
2)
PERSONALIZE IT! What differentiates my cover letter approach
from others is that I make it PERSONAL.
I spell out why I’m a great
fit for their job and I use examples that are directly aligned to the job requirements.
·
Use examples that DEMONSTRATE TRAITS & QUALITIES THEY
ARE LOOKING FOR! Even some they may not
have realized they needed!
Here are a couple of sample
excerpts from a few I’ve written:
This was for a client (she got the interview):
“Hopefully, both my resume and cover letter will
demonstrate that I have often stepped beyond assigned roles to fill gaps and
needs whenever necessary. I’ve also
developed financial and other counselling acumen on the job, by consistently volunteering
to assist personnel (and occasionally their families) from all ages/backgrounds
with issues requiring both research and the development of in-depth knowledge
on various key subjects. Over time, I have
become recognized as the local Subject Matter Expert and go-to person for any
concerns/questions related to pensions, financial and budget planning,
severance pay and numerous other related topics. Interestingly, one of my previous EMPLOYER’s ORGANIZATION
NAME financial counsellors, CONTACT NAME, even used to call me for information
on the NAME OF process and policies.”
And one of my own (I got the
interview):
“I feel so many people have
amazing transferrable skills, and yet they have no idea how to coherently
describe that transferability either through personal networking or via their
resume. This is one of the specialties I
bring to the table which could be a great asset for your clients and I would be
happy to send you a few samples, if you are interested. The way I write resumes with clients has
proven to be very helpful in that it 1) helps the client prepare for job
interviews, especially if a career change or various career options are
involved, 2) builds the client’s self esteem and confidence as they learn how
to promote themselves more effectively and 3) learn how to retool/adjust their
own resumes for future opportunities/changes.”
3)
READ BETWEEN THE
LINES: Do
your homework! Analyze the job posting –
think about what it takes to do the job and then write something that aligns
seamlessly to that need.
o You can use a few
bulleted Accomplishment
Statements in your cover letter.
o You can use great
quotes about you that others have written from your Personnel Evaluations or from people you have asked for
Testimonials. Keep them short but also
long enough to showcase something that stands
out about you. Something that other
employers would be interested to know about.
·
Research the company/organization
on the internet (dig in and look at ALL the pages, not just the homepage; check out their mission and values statements) and
through any other means available then “SHOW” them -- through relevant examples -- why you would be a fantastic addition to their
organization.
·
Use LinkedIn to research the company and
see if you have any connections to an insider.
Then reach out and ask for an information
interview with that person!
4) SELL YOU! (this is your chance to have one more page to sell yourself for the specific job … make good use of it!)
·
Not in some smarmy salesy way but in a real and
authentic way. Figure out what about the
job makes you excited or intrigued and “pitch” to that. If you feel excited about an aspect of the
job it will translate into your writing.
·
This is also a good place to SHARE your PERSONAL
PHILOSOPHIES & BELIEFS about what you do and how you do it.
Here’s another
example from my personal stockpile. I
often use the cover letter to “explain” why I’m applying to a job that isn’t an
obvious fit from my resume (Again, I got the interview – one of 10 out of 100
applicants). I’m convinced this is an essential piece when seeking a minor or major
CAREER CHANGE.
“So, you might
ask: if you’re doing this kind of work, which you obviously enjoy, why would
you want to switch gears to sell pet food?
Well, as someone who is interested in working more with my own gifts and
loves, I have been hoping to find a way in which I might work more closely with
animals and animal health. Victoria –
and BC, in general –is extremely pet-friendly. We have tons of off-leash parks,
pet events and rescue organizations. In
other words, we LOVE our pets here
and spend lots of money keeping them healthy and happy. Just last week, our rescue group, NAME, met with our local SPCA to discuss
partnering to bring in even more dogs from the US. We want to help with the huge foreclosure
problem in the States and we have many more homes wanting small-medium sized
dogs than we actually have dogs for.”
FINALLY, to sum up: Imagine
your cover letter is the back cover blurb on a book about you!
If you read it, would you buy it?
_______________________________________________________________
Interested in writing a kick-ass Cover Letter, I can
help! www.resumecoach.ca
