How do I stand out among all those other candidates for the job? It's a question I hear a lot lately. With an average of six candidates for every job opening in the United States, it's hard to know how to get employers to notice you. Everyone is looking for that special trick or magic codeword. Read More...
October 21, 2009 (1:00PM) by Brianna Raymond, CPRW
Glowing recommendations in your LinkedIn profile can be a huge help in proving your value as an employee, but they're pretty much useless if employers don't take the time to look you up. So why not call attention to them by adding one to your cover letter? It's a great way to make your case for the job. Here's how. Read More...
October 06, 2009 (3:00PM) by Julie O'Malley, CPRW
No matter how much advice is out there, a lot of job seekers still seem baffled by the concept of using cover letters. They wonder if they really need a cover letter (yes); if it should just repeat what's in the resume (no); if it has to be customized for every job (yes), and how long it should be (1 page max). But the burning question, the one that really seems to gets people's knickers in a twist, is: What should I say in my cover letter? Read More...
September 02, 2009 (12:00PM) by Brianna Raymond, CPRW
All the career pros say it's not what you know, but who you know. There's no real scientific proof of that concept, but experience tells us they're right. So if you know someone who works for a company you're applying to, don't be afraid to mention their name in your cover letter. Here are some guidelines to being an effective name-dropper. Read More...
August 26, 2009 (3:30PM) by Brianna Raymond, CPRW
Salary is such a delicate part of every job search. You want the job but you don't want to work for free, and you don't want to take a pay cut if you don't have to. So if you find a job ad that requests salary requirements, how do you address it in your cover letter? Here are three options. Read More...
July 29, 2009 (12:01PM) by Julie O'Malley, CPRW
When you go to the movies, you always see previews of the coming attractions. The goal, of course, is to make each member of the audience whisper to their companion, Ooh, that looks good. I can't wait to see the movie! In career terms, your cover letter is the preview and your resume is the movie. Read More...
July 15, 2009 (1:00PM) by Brianna Raymond, CPRW
Writing a cover letter to an employer is a lot different from writing one to a recruiter. You want to grab the reader's attention in both, but the type of information you include can vary greatly. Here's a chart to help identify the differences between a letter addressed directly to an employer, and a letter to a recruiter. Read More...
June 09, 2009 (1:15PM) by Julie O'Malley, CPRW
Fighting the effects of aging is all the rage these days, with everything from little blue pills for your you-know-what to facial injections that promise freedom of expression (that's expression, singular). If everything else gets softer and flimsier as we age, why does job seeking get harder? This post offers three quick and easy tricks to put that youthful vigor back into your resumes and cover letters. Read More...
May 28, 2009 (1:55PM) by Julie O'Malley, CPRW
There's no getting around it. You need to include a targeted cover letter if you're applying for a specific job (form letters won't cut it). As the name implies, a targeted cover letter speaks directly to the job you're interested in, using words and phrases that match the job description. Thus, no two targeted cover letters should ever be exactly the same. It's a pain in the butt to tweak your letter for every new job application, but it's also one of the best ways to show you're willing to put in the extra effort to do it right. Read More...
April 28, 2009 (1:15PM) by Rick Saia, CPRW
When you meet someone new, it's not always easy to strike up a conversation, especially if you focus only on yourself. Self-absorption is a big turn-off. The trick is to find something of mutual interest and see how far it takes you. If your knowledge matches their interests, and vice versa, it could be the start of a great friendship. The same theory applies to writing your cover letter. Read More...
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