Depending on whom you ask, cover letters are either an absolutely critical part of setting yourself apart and landing a new job -- or they're a dying convention and a waste of time. Frankly, I've tended to lean towards the latter camp for years. While obviously there are special situations where a cover letter is warranted, and you'd always want to submit one if an employer explicitly asks you to do so, in cases where [...]
I'm sure all of you out there have heard the old saying that "imitation is the highest form of flattery." There's one along these lines that I like even better, however. It's from playwright Wilson Mizner and it states: "“If you steal from one author, it’s plagiarism; if you steal from many, it’s research!” Today's blog article is written In the spirit of these two quotes and their relation to the job hunting world. Simply [...]
Okay, can't resist lobbing out another post. For those who read yesterday's blog entry, and the various examples I shared about what NOT to do in a cover letter, I just so happened to receive yet another surprise solicitation today from another would-be "guest poster" to my blog that was even farther from the mark in terms of what would ever possibly -- in any universe -- be effective.This latest note I received below, though, [...]
If you haven't needed to look for a job in many years, I can virtually guarantee you're going to be shocked by one particular aspect of the job market once you start hunting around for a new position in earnest. You'll be stunned by how often you send people an e-mail, or leave them a voice-mail, and get totally blown off. For better or worse, most professionals today (possibly even including yourself?) receive far more [...]
Are cover letters still an important part of hunting for employment? Or does nobody bother reading them anymore? Like most questions related to the modern employment scene, you'll find passionate arguments on both sides. For example, within 15 seconds of poking around on Google, I was able to turn up the article here where an expert advises that cover letters continue to be a critically important part of finding work -- and then another article, [...]
Remember those annoying "reading comprehension" questions on the SAT exam? Boy, I hated those. While I'm generally pretty good with the English language, the idea that there was only ONE acceptable interpretation to a given story always got under my craw. For example, I specifically remember one question that asked "Who built the Erie Canal?" and forced you to choose between 1) Irish laborers; 2) New York government officials; 3) Mules; or 4) Civil engineers. [...]
I can't resist cross-linking to a recent post over at "The HR Capitalist" blog that highlights an extremely creative cover letter the author received -- and one that many people, including myself, would hold up as an example of superior cover letter copywriting. Take a moment to click here and read the posting in question. Pretty original, eh? You certainly won't find many people out there putting this much thought into their materials or going [...]
While many folks get a knot in their stomach at the thought of writing their own resume, even more job hunters, I've found, experience heartburn trying to unlock the secrets behind writing an effective cover letter. Simply put, cover letters are a FAR more nebulous writing exercise than the resume document, in most cases, since with resumes you've at least got a rough sense of the type of content (e.g. work history, education, key qualifications, [...]
If you're in the market for a new job, it's imperative that you give off winning, confident signals to everybody you encounter and that you remain highly conscious of how you represent yourself in every professional interaction. This includes all forms of written correspondence, as well, whether they involve sending a cover letter to a prospective employer, writing a LinkedIn "Request for Introduction" script, or e-mailing the friend of a friend for networking purposes. Unfortunately, [...]
As I shared with many of you in my latest newsletter, I'm finally throwing in the towel -- and yielding to the overwhelming evidence suggesting that cover letters (at least in their traditional form) are no longer an effective or important part of the modern job search process. This may not seem like a big deal, to some, but for those out of work this is a "tectonic" development with significant implications. The reason? The [...]