ajcjobs > BlogBreak > Archives > 2006 > September > 19 > Entry
Cover letters: I’d like to introduce myself
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
We all know resumes are an important part of landing your next job, but what about the often forgotten cover letter?
A cover letter is a very important part of grabbing the reader’s attention and holding on to that attention with your resume.
A cover letter is your chance to come across to the hiring managers with amazing intellect and gain enough interest so they go to your resume and give it their full attention.
Here are some tips that will certainly get the reader’s attention with the cover letter so that your resume will be noticed:
NEVER: To Whom It May Concern
Get a name. If you just send it addressed, “To Whom It May Concern”, chances are nobody is very concerned. Not you - for not taking the time to get the name of the person this resume should be in front of, or the hiring manager - why do they want to hire someone so uncommitted? Call around, go online, call and extract this information from the secretary - do something to get a name and spell it correctly. This does a couple of things. It demonstrates your willingness to go the extra mile to the hiring manager and it gives you a name to follow up with (as your cover letter will state).
Short and Simple
A cover letter should be less than one page - always. Stick to the facts. As you start your cover letter, think of the hiring company’s perspective. What differentiates you? Keep this in mind as you begin writing your cover letter. Now begin to introduce yourself. If you got the name by referral, say it: Bob Jones suggested I contact you in regards to the XYZ positions available with Coca-Cola, and I am submitting my resume for your review. If you got a recommendation from a club or organization with which you are affiliated, mention that. It immediately differentiates you from the 100s of other letters right away. Always try to find that edge.
Close it with follow-up
After you have shown the hiring company the perfect candidate for their position through the body of your cover letter, you must keep the momentum and close strong. It is not uncommon to mention you will follow up on a specific day. Close with a take-action plan. When are you calling them? How will you be in touch, e-mail or phone? Phoning is usually best. Then be sure you call them on the day you specify. That is the last chance you have to demonstrate your togetherness. Follow up with a call and get into that interview. That is where you’ll be sure to further display your ability to be an asset to their company.
So put your best foot forward. Now that you have an idea of how to get started on that cover letter, pull up your old drafts, evaluate and tweak, taking the aforementioned into account, and impress your next employer. First impressions really are important, so be sure your cover letter is unforgettable for the right reasons.
Comments
By Evelyn Garrido
September 25, 2006 11:22 AM | Link to this
This may be off the subject somewhat but even a cover letter does not work in Atlanta. It is so fustrating that one can not find a descent job out here. Even those with degrees find it hard to find a job and if you do find a job it’s in the range of $13 to $14 dollars an hour. It is a disgrace because you are worth more. How is one able to pay back a student loan for a four year degree on that salary? Anyhow, I saw a commercial on TV about how Governor Perdue boosted up the unemployment rate but I don’t see a change at all. I had also forgotten that if you do go into AJC-jobs.com all you will find are temp agencies, C’mon!!! What happened to the actual companies putting up their ads on AJC. Also, its the same thing if you go on Monster.com. Why is it that you have to go through a temp agency to find a job. It would be better if one can find a job from a direct company as oppose to a temp agency. Anyhow, my whole point here is that it is really ridiculous out here in Atlanta. I am really looking forward to moving back to the Washington, DC metropolitan area where job seeking is not a problem and there is no need to go through a temp agency. Companies actually hire you directly.
By Claire
September 25, 2006 11:52 AM | Link to this
The thing to note is to make yourself stand out in your cover letter and resume. Place value in your awards and skills. Be sure to mention projects and conferences n things that are specific to the job you are applying for. I always customize my entire resume packet to suit each and every job that I am applying for. It looks like you actually care to make the effort. A standard resume and cover letter just wont cut it.
Oh and, I have used ajcjobs to help me find 3 awesome jobs here in Atlanta. They have much better local listings than Monster or any of the other sites out there!
By Adam
September 26, 2006 09:33 AM | Link to this
The points that they make about coverletters are all correct and it is very good advice. But I also agree with Evlyn on this one. If you are able to get a resume through to a human being then I feel that the cover letter is very important and you should make every attempt to address it to a specific person but…. applying for jobs on AJC or Monster or any number of other online job search agents I feel that the cover letter if not the entire resume is almost useless. I like AJCs format for submitting resumes and all it is short and to the point and does not require a lot of repitition from application to applcation but Evelyn is right it is hard to find a job out there. I have a BS and MS in EE with 4 year experiance and and a PE cert and I have not got one call back from an AJC or Monster job in a month! the really frustrating thing is that I apply for one job that matches my experiance great with company X on AJC or monster and dont get a call back and a week or so later do another search and find, no joke now, at least 10 jobs with the same company that all are right up my alley asking for all of the experiance and education that I have. Why do company’s databases not pick up a resume that is used to apply for one job and say “hey this guy does not fit for this job but maybe he’ll work for this one”. That is the biggest thing that I think is missing with this online job hunting. No HUMAN BEINGS see you resume it is sorted through and sorted out by the computers before anyones eyes ever see it. I still use AJC and Monster but I have recently started just looking up addresses of places and TRYING to just get in the front door to drop off a resume. Very hard but I feel if they will take it, and a lot of them wont, it is much more effective. I have got 3 interviews so far that way.