Tag: Cover Letters

Just when I thought I had seen it all, a job seeker threw a new curve.  I received a resume that had this cover letter:

Dear Recruiter:

I'm interested in <job title>. I'm confident I'd be a good match for <job title> position coupled with my <industry> background. So, I've attached a copy of my resume for your review and further consideration.

I've provided additional information to further assist you in consideration for <job title> position. I'm available IMMEDIATELY and would appreciate the opportunity to meet with you for a personal interview. I'm currently on vacation in <vacation destination> so a phone interview would be ideal at this time.

Salary is negotiable, however is primarily driven by the high cost of living in the <metro> area, therefore request an annually comp. package in the range of $##K – ###K.

In the interim, I thank you for your attention, consideration, and anticipated response.

With kind regards, I am,

There are a number of mistakes in this cover letter.  The grammar needs work.  I deleted the personal identifying information, so it may not be as obvious to you as it was to me.  The job seeker is not in the marketing field, so we'll use this as an example.  The first sentence is structured like this: “I'm interested in Marketing Manager.”  All it would need is a couple more words to read much better:  “I'm interested in a Marketing Manager position.” 

Although the grammar is a problem, it's not the reason I decided to write about this cover letter.  The second paragraph is what caught my eye.  In one sentences, the job seeker emphasizes their “IMMEDIATE” availability for an interview.  Then in the next sentence, they explain that they are actually unavailable and discuss where they are on vacation. 

I'm not sure if I've ever read a cover letter that talked about a job seeker's vacation before.  This is information that does nothing to help sell the candidate.  There is no reason to provide this. 

The situation is made even worse with the statement regarding the immediate availability.  The job seeker makes a statement and then in the next statement, admits that the claim is actually a lie. Don't lie in your cover letter or resume.  It doesn't make a positive impression.

The rest of the cover letter doesn't help.  I don't think salary information should be in a cover letter (unless you are responding to an ad that specifically requests it).  If you decide to include your salary, don't try to justify it.  Your background should demonstrate why this salary is appropriate for you.  By justifying the salary with a statement of the high cost of living, the job seeker sounds apologetic and unsure they are worth this salary.

This job seeker is completely outside my firm's recruiting specialty, so there is no way I would pursue them.  If they were in one of the niches we work, I would probably delete the resume based on the cover letter.  The cover is bad enough that I would be concerned about the risk to a client relationship by presenting someone like this.

Occasionally, I receive a resume or cover letter that tries to convey the capability of the job seeker by giving their opinions on management issues.  This is what I ran into today. The first line of the cover letter is:

The art of motivation and the need for qualified managers will always be essential to the population at large.

I really don’t know what the motivation is to pontificate on the “art of motivation” but statements like this don’t help a job seeker.  A cover letter should be designed to create interest in your resume and answer any key questions your resume doesn’t cover.  A cover letter is first and foremost a sales letter. A statement of the value managers provide to our society doesn’t help sell the job seeker. 

I’ve run into instructional statements like this a number of times.  Usually, they seem to come from one of two places – managers talking about leadership or technical people talking about the importance to quality.  There are exceptions – one resume I read a few years ago had an entire page about the importance of the music of Christina Aguilera. The worst part was that the job seeker was not pursuing a career in music or anything even close to the music industry. I wish I was making this up.

The example from the resume I read today really isn’t all that bad. It’s only one sentence and it’s far from being controversial.

Giving an opinion risks several things.  First, if the hiring manager disagrees with the conclusion, it will cause them to question the qualifications and judgment of the job seeker. I have run into examples that take a firm stance above a single leadership technique or style and alienate anyone with a different leadership style. Second, even if the reader agrees with the statement, they may consider it just a bunch of B.S. This can lead to doubt about everything the resume.

My feeling on opinion statements is that they waste my time.  I don’t read resumes to learn about management, leadership or quality – I read them to assess job seekers.

Remember that your cover letter and resume are sales pitches for why you should be hired. Extraneous information that doesn’t support that end should discarded.

The following article details a study on cover letters , and shows how important they are.  If you want to make a good impression on a hiring manager, a good cover letter is the first step.

UN’COVER’ A NEW JOB Cover Letters Still Play Valuable Role in Hiring Decisions, Survey Suggests MENLO PARK, CA — As the job application process increasingly moves online, some job seekers might be tempted to think a formal cover letter is no longer necessary — not so, a new survey shows. Eighty-six percent of executives polled said cover letters are valuable when evaluating job candidates. Moreover, eight out of 10 (80 percent) managers said it is common to receive electronic resumes accompanied by cover letters. The study was conducted by an independent research firm and developed by OfficeTeam, a leading staffing service specializing in the placement of highly skilled administrative professionals. The survey is based on telephone interviews with 150 senior executives from the largest companies in the United States. Executives were asked, “When evaluating prospective job candidates, how valuable is the cover letter that accompanies the resume?” Their responses: Very valuable 23% Somewhat valuable 63% Not valuable at all   14% 100% Executives also were asked, “When you receive a resume electronically from a job candidate, how common is it for that resume to be accompanied by a letter of introduction or cover letter?” Their responses: Very common 37% Somewhat common 43% Not common at all 18% Don’t know     2% 100% “Submitting a resume without a cover letter is like not shaking hands when meeting someone for the first time,” said Dave Willmer, executive director of OfficeTeam. “Those who aren’t including cover letters with their resumes are missing an opportunity to make a good first impression and set themselves apart from other job applicants.” Willmer added, “A cover letter should demonstrate the applicant’s knowledge of the company, highlight applicable skills and work experience, and explain any resume anomalies, such as extended employment gaps.” OfficeTeam offers the following seven tips to help job seekers develop strong cover letters: 1.     Name names. Address your letter to the specific hiring manager rather than including a generalized introduction. If you don’t know the hiring manager’s name, call the company and ask. 2.     Do your homework. Research the company online and demonstrate how your knowledge and skills fit the job and could benefit the organization. 3.     Solve any mysteries. If you have any long employment gaps, explain how you filled the time. Mention professional development courses or volunteer activities that show additional efforts to keep your skills current. 4.     Leave something for the resume. Limit your cover letter to one page, if printed, or a few paragraphs, if submitted in the body of an e-mail. 5.     Make a plan. Demonstrate your excitement for the position and conclude by identifying next steps such as, “I’ll follow up with you next week to discuss meeting in person.” 6.     Read and reread. Just as you would scrutinize your resume, take time to review your cover letter for typos and grammatical errors. Have a friend or mentor read it as an added precaution. 7.     Be a savvy submitter. When applying through online job boards, always choose the option to add your cover letter to your resume. When e-mailing application materials to a hiring manager, paste your cover letter within the body of your message. Survey Methodology The national survey was conducted by an independent research firm and developed by OfficeTeam, a leading staffing service specializing in the placement of highly skilled administrative professionals. The survey is based on telephone interviews with 150 randomly selected senior executives at the nation’s 1,000 largest companies. About OfficeTeam OfficeTeam provides businesses with the highly skilled administrative talent they need to maximize productivity, achieve cost efficiency and support full-time staff. The staffing firm has more than 300 locations worldwide and offers online job search services at www.officeteam.com.

Here’s a cover letter that I got with a resume:

I am currently looking for a position with a biotech or medical device company in the <Metro Area> area. I have over 5 yrs experience in the pharmaceutical industry and over 10 yrs total in sales. I am extremely driven and I have many accomplishments to my name.

Thank you in advance for reviewing my resume. I look forward to the opportunity to speak with you.

I like this cover letter a lot. It’s very concise, so I’m likely to read it. That’s the key – I usually don’t read more than a few sentences of a long cover letter. If you write several paragraphs, I’ll probably just read the first sentence of the first two or three paragraphs, and then skip on to the resume.

The letter is specific, giving the industry and geography the candidate is seeking. It also provides some interest with some information on the job seeker’s experience.

A cover letter doesn’t need to be several pages long. In fact, a short cover letter is much more likely to get read.