Job search ? for any employers out there...
- Thread starter rose2boys
- Start date
morningstar
Cathlete
I have been told a million times I should help people write resumes and cover letters for a living. Interviewers have complimented me over and over on them, even if I didn't get the job. I often do others' resumes for them.
Make your resume perfect- that's it. A simple design, with some punch helps, but your resume needs to be completely free of typos, spelling errors, be grammatically correct, have proper punctuation, etc.
Do your research on the company before doing the cover letter. Always address it to a particular person - if the ad doesn't say who that person is, call the company and find out. Have a cover letter that is clear, precise and explains exactly how your background, skills and qualifications match their requirements. Use the cover letter as an opportunity to showcase who you are, but never forget who the employer is and what they need. Change your cover letter for each company- this is not the time to save time by being generic.
Have someone check your resume and cover letter over carefully, not just for proofreading, but for content and to ensure that you are really highlighting what's important and perhaps de-emphasizing your less than great areas.
Make your resume perfect- that's it. A simple design, with some punch helps, but your resume needs to be completely free of typos, spelling errors, be grammatically correct, have proper punctuation, etc.
Do your research on the company before doing the cover letter. Always address it to a particular person - if the ad doesn't say who that person is, call the company and find out. Have a cover letter that is clear, precise and explains exactly how your background, skills and qualifications match their requirements. Use the cover letter as an opportunity to showcase who you are, but never forget who the employer is and what they need. Change your cover letter for each company- this is not the time to save time by being generic.
Have someone check your resume and cover letter over carefully, not just for proofreading, but for content and to ensure that you are really highlighting what's important and perhaps de-emphasizing your less than great areas.
Liann
Cathlete
Rose - Here's a few things. I'm sure others will have lots of ideas, but this is from my experience going through hundreds of resumes and banging my head against the wall.
1. Even if there is an online application, still sending in a hard copy cover letter and resume is a good idea. Company's get THOUSANDS of online apps and it's easy to miss someone when screening them, plus they are just plain ugly to look at. Sending in a nice looking resume and cover letter will help get you noticed. Also, call the company and ask who to send it to.
2. Sounds silly, but I recommend hand writing the address on the envelope that you mail your resume in. Typed envelopes look like junk mail. When you are sorting through tons of mail and you come upon one with actual handwriting on it, you know it wasn't turned out by some mass market mailing company. My eyes go to those first. (Make sure the handwriting is neat though, otherwise it could go against you!)
3. Edit your resume for the job your are applying for. Sometimes all it takes is a little re-wording to make your past job experiences relative to the position you are applying for. You want to sell yourself and show why you are qualified for the position you are applying for. Just recently I was screening resumes for an Internal Auditor position and your wouldn't believe how many people sent in resumes with completely non relevant work experience. A few of them could have put some effort into showing how even though they hadn't been an internal auditor, here are the things in their past jobs that show they have the skill set to do it. But nope, few bothered to give me much info. at all.
1. Even if there is an online application, still sending in a hard copy cover letter and resume is a good idea. Company's get THOUSANDS of online apps and it's easy to miss someone when screening them, plus they are just plain ugly to look at. Sending in a nice looking resume and cover letter will help get you noticed. Also, call the company and ask who to send it to.
2. Sounds silly, but I recommend hand writing the address on the envelope that you mail your resume in. Typed envelopes look like junk mail. When you are sorting through tons of mail and you come upon one with actual handwriting on it, you know it wasn't turned out by some mass market mailing company. My eyes go to those first. (Make sure the handwriting is neat though, otherwise it could go against you!)
3. Edit your resume for the job your are applying for. Sometimes all it takes is a little re-wording to make your past job experiences relative to the position you are applying for. You want to sell yourself and show why you are qualified for the position you are applying for. Just recently I was screening resumes for an Internal Auditor position and your wouldn't believe how many people sent in resumes with completely non relevant work experience. A few of them could have put some effort into showing how even though they hadn't been an internal auditor, here are the things in their past jobs that show they have the skill set to do it. But nope, few bothered to give me much info. at all.
nancy324
Cathlete
I agree with every word Morningstar wrote above!
Lastchance09
Cathlete
I see suggestions for calling the company but I have noticed that a lot of companies that place ads online remain confidential and if they provide the name, they say - No Phone Calls Please. Most of the time I don't know who I'm dealing with until they call and my caller ID shows the name of the company.
Liann
Cathlete
I'll never understand why companies do that. You want educated responses, but you don't even tell the applicants who the heck you are until you call them in for an interview. I find that happens a lot when a company is replacing people and they don't want those people to see their job posted. That's always awkward!
Lastchance09
Cathlete
I'll never understand why companies do that. You want educated responses, but you don't even tell the applicants who the heck you are until you call them in for an interview. I find that happens a lot when a company is replacing people and they don't want those people to see their job posted. That's always awkward!
It also doesn't help the applicant who does not want her current employer to know that she is job hunting. What if someone applied for a job at her current company?
What if you apply for a job at a company you recently left? that's my situation now. I am unemployed and I have to make sure, somehow, that I'm not sending a resume to my former employer - now that's awkward.