Applying for the Job – My Number 1 Tip
Posted on Thu, Aug 05, 2010
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A Hunter’s Survival Guide - Part 6
Everyone looks back fondly on the days of writing book reports, and term papers, right? No? What about doing a very public introduction of themselves along with a sales pitch in 250 words or less? Not something you are itching to do either? Yet as part of the job seeking process you are asked to write a unique cover letter for each position you apply for which when you think about it is really a book report, introduction and sales pitch wrapped into as few words as possible. They can be a pain.
However, I would count creating a cover letter for each job as my number one job hunting tip. Period. If the job description asks for a cover letter and you don’t send one in, you might as well have not applied. If you send a cover letter that is so generic it could be used for every job you applied for, ditto, you might as well have not applied.
A cover letter is your one chance to sell yourself and set yourself apart from the 200+ people who will apply for the same job. They can be hard to write well, but once you find a good formula, you are set.
A note on online applications: With more and more applications getting filtered through an online portal, it’s sometimes hard to figure out where the cover letter goes. Some will let you upload multiple documents; others want you to paste it in. Don’t waste the opportunity, create the cover letter and get it in there. If you can only upload one document, combine your cover letter and resume.
Here are my tips for cover letter success:
- Keep it to one page – I want to learn about you, but save something for the interview.
- Provide a little more detail on some of your resume bullets – but don’t just copy and paste. Give me something new in your cover letter that I wouldn’t see right away from your resume.
- Relate your past experience to the job you are applying for. Make the connection between the job description, cover letter and then resume. I know that the job requires project management experience, and I see that title on your resume, but give the hiring manager a little more. Make the connection for them.
- Use bullets. Three to four bullets about some specific things you have done and how they relate to the current opening makes it clear that you have done your homework, and will draw a hiring manager into the resume.
It may take longer to write a cover letter with each application, but imagine if you went fishing and sent 10 hooks over the side with no bait – not much comes back. With a cover letter, it may take you as much time to send out 10 applications as it takes to do one, but the one with bait is much more likely to come back with something promising.
For more on Cover Letters, check here:
Creating Your Cover Letter
Don't just plead and harp -- make your cover letter count
Cover Letter Tips
Cover Letter Resources for Job-Seekers
About the author: Kristine Dunn is part of MassBayODLG