When
I think of the average job seeker’s approach to cover
letters, I’m reminded of the Publishers’ Clearinghouse
Sweepstakes. You know, all those crazy coupons and stickers
and NASA-level procedures on how to put it all together
correctly. You become excited that you’re going to
win that $10-million prize because the letter says so…it
has your name all over it, just as if they wrote it to you
personally, right?
Of
course, most people get it that the “personalized”
letter from the Publishers’ Clearinghouse is actually
produced by a word processing system with a mail merge feature.
Likewise, most hiring executives can spot a form letter
even if it has their name inserted at various points.
What’s
that, you say? You don’t even bother putting a contact’s
name on a letter of application? Well, that’ll really
grab them, won’t it?
“Do
I ALWAYS need to send a cover letter with my resume?”
ask my clients. To which I’d usually reply:
“Why,
yes. You need a cover letter to introduce your resume if
it’s presented without you or your agent to say a few
words.” Note: an agent can be a colleague employed
at your target company, a recruiter, a temporary placement
office, even your mother (assuming she has connections…).
These
days, my answer is a bit different. When asked if they REALLY
have to write a cover letter, I ask them to rank the job
lead on a scale of 1-10, with 10 representing “Oh boy,
this is the perfect job for me. Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy!”
If
the job lead in question is a 7.5 or above, then by all
means, do the most outstanding cover letter writing you
can muster, or hire someone else to do it. Demonstrate your
appreciation of the company’s recent strides, current
mission, and future direction. Figure out how you fit into
their corporate plan, and demonstrate an understanding of
what the ideal candidate will contribute to the bottom line.
Keep your tone vigorous, businesslike, and positive, without
being stilted, overly formal, or lawyer-like.
If the
job lead in question is a 7 or below on your interest scale
and yet you still have some compulsive need to apply for
it, by all means, take the “Slacker Approach.”
All you have to do is passively mail, fax, or e-mail a resume
alone and see what happens. Don’t even bother with
the pretense of a form letter – in my opinion, it’s
a waste of time, energy, and resources. If your resume is
really sharp, or the company is desperate for someone with
your qualifications, you might even get a call anyway.
However,
I believe that if you’re going to go to the trouble
of writing to a prospective employer, you should write a
really amazing letter. The first thing you’ll need
is a contact name. Got one? Great. Call your contact and
make sure you understand the nature of the opportunity.
DO NOT ask questions about salary – but if you are
really unclear, you can ask what “level” of a
position it is. Gather the facts you’ll need - not
only to write a winning letter, but also to follow it up
properly.
Once
you’ve sent a letter and a resume, do you smack the
toner dust off your hands and congratulate yourself on a
job well done? Wait for phone calls? Nooooo. You really
do have to follow up within a week or so. Beyond finding
out if your application made it safely to the pile (or more
likely, the database), you’ll get an opportunity to
ask other questions, such as the timeframe for interviews,
who else might be involved in making the hiring decision,
etcetera.
The
day of “shotgun” approach – sending 200 form
letters and generic resumes to prospective employers by
mail -- is over. It may have worked in the 80’s, but
generally speaking, is not going to be effective in the
new millennium. If you’re going to take the shotgun
approach, by all means, do it electronically and save money.
Even better, post your resume to a job-oriented web site
like Monster.com and see what happens. Your probability
of success in this type of job search is really dependent
on your skill sets, but considering how little effort and
money you have to put into it, why not try it?
At a
certain point in one’s career, it truly does become
more effective to narrow your focus to just a few hot leads.
The process is simple: do your research, network and build
contacts, write great letters, follow-up several times,
and repeat with another small batch of leads when necessary.
This is the approach that my clients earning $70k+ use,
knowing that the power of their network and the “personal
touch” leads to the higher-quality positions (including
the “dream-up-your-own-position” opportunity).
When
sending your letter of application and resume via the U.S.P.S.,
use a 9” by 12” white envelope. This keeps your
documents neat and clean, easy to handle, read, and scan.
Don’t tri-fold it and stuff it into a cutesy envelope
that matches your resume stationery. Don’t staple your
cover letter to your resume. NEVER use those ostentatious,
outdated, ecologically incorrect cardboard presentation
folders that say “Confidential Resume Enclosed.”
Of course,
the advent of online job applications and e-mail has befuddled
us job search etiquette experts once again. If a letter
is going by e-mail, the conventions are different. The most
important thing here is to know what sort of information
the company is seeking and how they want it sent (Resume
and cover letter? Just a resume? Just a cover letter? Text
message in the body of an e-mail? Text message as an attachment?
Word document (and watch your fonts) as an attachment ?
Cut-and-paste-here?).If you’re unclear, call the company
and ask!
If you’re
going to e-mail a cover letter, there are a few modifications
to the paper version. Naturally, you don’t need to
write the date or the company mailing address on your e-mail.
You should use the subject line to identify the position
sought. And when addressing your contact, add their title
and company name. Write a condensed letter (not much more
than a screenful of text) that covers the most significant
points about why you’re excited about the opportunity.
If you’re sending your resume as an attached file,
be sure to note the fact that you did and identify the file
format. Ask them if you’ve sent your resume in the
proper way. Attachments may not seem like a big deal to
you, but consider this: how long would it take you to open
50 e-mails, download, open, and move the attached files
to an appropriate location, assuming they’re all virus-free
and in a readily usable format?
The
advent of the Information Age, what with all its exploding
technologies and global impact is wreaking a bit of havoc
for the average person, including Joe Jobseeker. It will
take some time before we all “get on the same page”
technologically. The best thing to do to cope in the meantime
is to be patient, strive to communicate clearly, and keep
a sense of humor. For all its flashiness, an electronic
job search still requires the strong writing skills and
proper business etiquette it always has. Sooner or later,
you’ll be dealing directly with human beings upon whom
you’ll have to make an impression.
