| After working for days creating my resume, I'd | | | | place where you don't look, and would never |
| carefully constructed my employment history with an | | | | consider looking. In my case, and in the case of many |
| eye to grabbing my prospective employer's attention | | | | job seekers, the "blind spot" is the cover letter. |
| with what (I hoped) would be my spectacular | | | | In preparing the application package we send off to |
| accomplishments. I went over it repeatedly, looking | | | | employers, most of us spend the least amount of |
| for mispellings and typos, trying to find places where | | | | time on the cover letter. Often we regard it as more |
| I could "word things" better. | | | | or less of a formality...a sort of a "window dressing" |
| Finally, after two weeks, it was ready. I sent it off | | | | to the resume. But in actuality it's the first thing the |
| to the printers to have it printed professionally on | | | | Human Resources person sees...and IT CREATES |
| the best stock of paper available. When it came | | | | THE FIRST IMPRESSION OF YOU. |
| back, I decided it was beautiful in every way. It was | | | | If it's pedestrian, if it's boring, and, what's more |
| ready, and I was ready to get the job. | | | | important... |
| I dashed off a cover letter: "Dear Sir or Madam, I | | | | If it shows no relevance to the job you are applying |
| read with interest your job opening and as you can | | | | for, you will stand a very good chance of having |
| see from my attached resume..." | | | | your resume tossed without even being looked at. |
| I carefully inserted the whole package into an | | | | This is particularly true in this job market, where HR |
| expensive business envelope, addressed it and sent it | | | | has stacks of resumes on her desk for every open |
| off. | | | | position. |
| WHAT YOU HEAR BACK | | | | GRAB ATTENTION AND BE RELEVANT |
| A few years ago an employer would send you a | | | | Today's job market is a tough. If you are out of |
| reject letter if he/she weren't interested (or | | | | work, or think your job is "on the line" and have been |
| impressed) with your resume. Many times today, | | | | updating your resume just in case, you are wise to |
| however, you get no response at all. | | | | realize that there are tens of thousands of job |
| In my case, I did get a response. I heard something | | | | seekers like you out there, many of them with higher |
| that sounded like a yawn, followed by the crinkling, | | | | education and more experience. |
| shredding noise paper makes when it's been wadded | | | | Competition is fierce. HR's desk is going to be |
| up and thrown in the wastebasket. That was | | | | stacked with resumes, and she is wading through |
| followed by the deafening silence of no further | | | | them one by one, looking first at the cover letter of |
| response. | | | | each. Over and over again she will read, "Dear Sir or |
| WHAT HAPPENED? | | | | Madam, I read with interest..." |
| Once again, I was left holding an empty bag | | | | Trust me, that phrase is repeated ad nauseum. |
| wondering what had gone wrong. | | | | And not a single one of the cover letters will actually |
| I'd spent so much time on my resume and had | | | | address the job at hand, or attempt to show WHY |
| followed every rule in the book. I'd emphasized my | | | | the candidate is the best person qualified for it. |
| accomplishments; I'd clearly shown, line-by-line, my | | | | THE DISEASED COVER LETTER |
| experience and education; I'd put it on top notch, | | | | If you are scrounging a cover letter example off the |
| professional paper; I'd been respectful and confident. | | | | Internet and changing it a little here and there or |
| I was clearly qualified for that job, I felt, and I should | | | | using some "stock" example tucked away on your |
| have at least gotten something back, if it was only a | | | | desktop, you are carrying a sort of job seeker's |
| reject letter. | | | | version of malaria. You've got a "diseased" cover |
| Time passed. My phone was dead. My mailbox was | | | | letter that you repeatedly call up to produce the |
| empty. I chafed to call Human Resources to find out | | | | same results: no job offers. |
| if they'd even received my resume, just barely | | | | There's only one way to stop sabotaging your job |
| holding myself back from flipping open my cellphone. | | | | search campaign. Get rid of your old, overused cover |
| The fine print in the job advertisement: "No Phone | | | | letter. Begin a real study of cover letter writing skills |
| Calls Please" made me feel muzzled -- not given a | | | | and what it takes to make your prospective |
| chance. | | | | employer "sit up and take notice" of you and your |
| What happened? I asked myself over and over again. | | | | background. Discover how to compel her to take |
| I had no answer; not even a clue. | | | | that next step...to read your resume...and the step |
| THE OVERLOOKED ITEM IN THE APPLICATION | | | | beyond that... to call you for an interview. |
| BAG | | | | Excise the disease, start over, and your phone will be |
| It's hard to look into your "blind spot". After all, that's | | | | ringing off the hook with invitations for interviews |
| what a "blind spot" is...a place where you can't see...a | | | | with employers eager to hire you. |