Cover Letters – Purpose and Structure by Ford Myers, Career Coach
Cover letters are not so much a part of your “Job Seeker’s Tool Kit” as they are part of the implementation of your overall “self marketing” strategy. That’s right – a cover letter is a sales presentation in disguise!
With cover letters, you’re reaching out for a very tangible goal – a job interview. Cover letters are the most commonly used method to introduce your credentials to an employer. And they can serve as one of your strongest selling tools!
Avoid the “standard, boring” types of cover letters that employers receive every day. “I’m very interested in a position with Motley Corporation as a programming analyst. Enclosed please find my resume…” A letter like this basically says, “Hey, I need a job and here’s my resume!” Not a very impressive sales presentation, is it? More importantly, it does nothing to distinguish you from the crowd of other applicants sending the very same kind of drab, standard letters with their drab, standard resumes.
In a professional-level search, there are different letters for different purposes!
There are many times during the implementation of your full search campaign when you will rely on a written letter to speak for you. The way you present yourself on paper can make or break your success during any phase of the process.
Just think about all the different situations in which letters might be useful in opening doors, making a strong first impression, and in keeping your candidacy on the “front burner” in the eyes of key decision-makers. These include:
- Letter responding to an advertised opening
- Letter following-up on a personal or professional referral (this one is my favorite)
- Letter introducing yourself to a decision-maker (called the “cold approach letter” – my least favorite type of cover letter)
- Thank you letter (after first meeting) bullet Follow-up letter (after multiple meetings/interviews)
- Response to a job offer letter bullet And others …
In general, there are three parts of a cover letter – and the middle part is a kind of sales presentation. Here is the outline:
Part 1: Introduction – Explain why you’re writing to the employer. Did you see a job posting; were you referred by a friend or colleague; did you see one of their executives present at a conference or meeting; did you read something in the business press about the company? Be specific and use your research. Give the recipient of your correspondence a sense of your knowledge by referring to industry trends, specific events, or media coverage. This is the best way to demonstrate your interest in the organization.
Part 2: The Sales Presentation – To sell yourself effectively, tell the employer your qualifications and give examples of your relevant experience. The same elements that make your resume effective work in your cover letter: use action words; be brief; be specific. Write about particular accomplishments and use facts and numbers to back them up.
Part 3: Wrap-up and Close – Be sure to restate in one sentence what you can do for the organization. Wrap-up your cover letter as strongly as you opened it. Restate your interest in working with the company, and why. It’s difficult for an employer to resist genuine interest and enthusiasm, combined with your knowledge of the company! Close the letter by directly requesting an interview. Take charge of the process by stating a timeframe in which you will call. Then follow-up precisely as promised, to demonstrate how responsible and professional you are!
As you can now see, cover letters can serve many purposes – the most important of which is to “sell you” when you aren’t personally in front of the hiring manager. When your cover letters are written correctly, they should create a great deal of leverage in your job search. This, in turn, will lead to more interviews and ultimately more job offers!
About Ford Myers
Ford R. Myers is President of Career Potential, LLC. His firm helps clients take charge of their careers, create the work they love, and earn what they deserve! Ford has held senior consulting positions at three of the nation’s largest career service firms. His articles and interviews have appeared in many national magazines, newspapers and television interviews, and he has conducted presentations at numerous companies, associations and universities. In addition, Ford has been a frequent guest on television and radio programs across the country. He is author of two books: “Get The Job You Want, Even When No One’s Hiring” and “The Ultimate Career Guide.”
Learn more about Ford Myers and how you can reach your career potential at: www.CareerPotential.com or contact Ford directly at 1-888-967-5762.
Are You a Commodity in the Employment Marketplace? – Part 2 of 2
If you are a commodity, it will be difficult to differentiate yourself in interviews. However, most of us are not commodities – we just haven’t defined our value-adds, or learned how to articulate them. Here are some tips to determine your value-adds:
Know Yourself
Take an inventory of your skills. Do not limit the inventory to skills applicable to the job for which you are interviewing; do a full inventory. This inventory should include skills connected to your job, interests, hobbies, and leisure activities. When you have a full inventory, you can choose which skills serve as value-adds for the type of jobs you are seeking.
Know Your Profession
Every profession has areas of concentration and a large skill base. For example, within human resources, you might be applying to be a Compensation Manager. But the human resources field has a number of other specialty areas and required skills, such as diversity management, employee retention, benefits, training, and international employment. So, even though you’re applying to be a Compensation Manager, having international employment experience could be a differentiating value-add for a multinational company, or a company that is expanding internationally.
Once you have determined your value-adds, be sure to clearly communicate them in your interviews. This could make all the difference, and ultimately lead to more job offers! To learn more about value-ads in interviews go tohttp://www.activeinterviewing.com.
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13 Good Reasons Why You Need a Printed Interview Presentation – Part 2 of 2
In addition, according to David Peoples, author of “Presentations Plus” (Wiley, 1992), using visual aids results in:
- The audience being 43 percent more likely to be persuaded.
- The presenter covering the same material in 25 to 40 percent less time.
- The listener’s learning improving up to 200 percent.
- Retention improving by at least 38 percent.
- The presenter being perceived as more professional, persuasive, credible, and interesting – and better prepared.
You may be asking, “Why should the presentation be in printed form and not in digital form?” The main reason is because using a laptop or projecting a presentation interferes with eye contact and rapport during an interview. Each bullet point in your presentation should be very brief – no more than 170 characters – and quickly read. The goal is to introduce a topic, speak to it, initiate a conversation, and not have the interviewer distracted by reading the information. Also, even in today’s “electronic age,” there is still something about having a printed and bound document that communicates credibility and professionalism.
Here is an actual success story:
Jane was applying for a senior management position at a healthcare company, and she spent a great deal of time developing an Interview Presentation. She had practiced giving her presentation in three mock interviews and had “blown away” all three of her “practice interviewers.” However, during her actual interviews, Jane didn’t see an opening to use her presentation – until the last interview of the last round with the CEO of the company.
Halfway through her interview, the CEO asked Jane, “So, what is your 90-day plan?” Jane smiled and responded, “I don’t have a 90-day plan, but I do have a 30-day and a 60-day plan. May I share them with you?” She took her Interview Presentation out of her portfolio, gave the CEO a copy, and initiated a conversation about her 30- and 60-day strategic action plans. The CEO was impressed and asked Jane to take him through the rest of her Interview Presentation, which Jane was happy to do. After the full presentation, the CEO gave Jane a job offer!
In summary, we have seen many of our clients get more – and much better – job offers as a direct result of using the Interview Presentation. It is very likely that you could improve your interview outcomes as well by using this powerful career tool.
For more information about the Interview Presentation, contact Career Potential today.
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13 Good Reasons Why You Need a Printed Interview Presentation – Part 1 of 2
By Eric P. Kramer
Senior Consultant, Career Potential, LLC
“Men trust their ears less than their eyes.”
- Herodotus, Greek Historian
In our executive career coaching practice, we teach clients how to develop and use a tool called an “Interview Presentation.” It serves many important purposes, most of which are outlined below. Perhaps the real power of the Interview Presentation is that it clearly ties the candidate’s experience, strengths and results directly to the company’s needs, problems and challenges. This, of course, leads to many more job offers!
The Interview Presentation enables you to prepare for your interview and gives you a structure to powerfully guide (not control) the interview. There is no other interview tool or strategy you can use that has the same interview-winning impact. A printed presentation works extremely well in the interview in many ways, including the following:
- It communicates that you are well-prepared and highly-motivated for the interview.
- It clearly differentiates you from other candidates.
- It shows your ability to compile and communicate pertinent information in focused, succinct manner.
- It demonstrates the important job-related behaviors of presenting information and responding to questions.
- It contains the information the employer needs to know to make an informed hiring decision.
- It visually increases the hiring manger’s retention.
- It reduces the hiring manager’s FUD level (fear, uncertainty and doubt), and makes it easier for her to hire you.
- It serves as a powerful leave-behind that the interviewer can refer to as she begins to compare candidates.
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13 Good Reasons Why You Need a Printed Interview Presentation – Part 2 of 2
- Know your strategy before attending the negotiation meeting
- Always negotiate the offer, no matter how good it seems initially
- Finalize the salary first, before negotiating other items such as benefits
- Never misrepresent your former salary
- Don’t confuse salary with the full compensation package
- Avoid tying your potential salary to your old salary
- Use silence as one of your most powerful negotiating tools
- “Fit” is more important than financial compensation
- Leverage one offer against other offers if possible
- Be patient and disciplined throughout the process
- You don’t get what you deserve; you get what you negotiate
- Never accept or reject an offer on the spot – do a thorough analysis
- You can only win at negotiation if you’re willing to “walk away”
- Be sure the compensation package you finally accept is a “win-win”
- Maintain a positive, upbeat attitude and enjoy the “game!”
Remember, compensation negotiation IS a game. Games have rules. Games are supposed to be fun. And as is true in all games, the more you practice, the better you’ll do. By mastering the twenty-one rules of this game, you’ll be on a more “level playing field” with a good shot at winning your next negotiation!
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Funny Job-Search and Work Stories – Part 1 of 2
3. Don’t tell your children that, “If they finish college, they’ll be assured of a successful career.” This may have been true several generations ago, but it certainly isn’t true any longer. Today’s college degree is yesterday’s high school diploma – and it doesn’t guarantee ANYTHING. To succeed in today’s work-world, your children will need much more than a college degree. They’ll need your guidance, along with talent, determination, persistence, a strong work ethic and maybe a bit of good luck. They’ll also need a real-world perspective on what it REALLY takes to succeed.
4. Provide your children with resources, support and encouragement – but don’t coddle them. Many new college graduates have never had to work or assume responsibility for earning any level of income. Naturally, this leads to problems when the child graduates from college and is suddenly thrust into the job market. Even worse, many parents have indulged or “spoiled” their children, leading to a sense of entitlement. Your children will have to work for a long time, and it’s important that they get used to this idea from a young age. Once your children have finished school, make it clear that they must take responsibility for their own career and income, through good times and bad.
5. Explain to your children how important it is to create and control their image on the Internet. Every new worker has (or will soon have) an online presence. In this age of cell phone cameras, You Tube, and Face Book, the trail your children leave on the Internet will follow them for a long time to come. Employers know this, and they research job candidates on the Internet before making hiring decisions. It is vitally important that every young person take control of their online identity, and carefully monitor the “personal brand” they’re building on the Internet. Encourage your kids to use online career management tools such as Linked-In and VisualCV, to optimize and leverage their online presence.
6. Help your children get their first “break” by leveraging family relationships and business contacts.The work world is more competitive than ever, and new graduates face serious challenges in getting their careers started-out on the right foot. Even the most qualified young candidate can benefit from a bit of help in the form of “connections.” Rather than being overly proud and rejecting such assistance, encourage your children to welcome the idea of “getting a break” through friends or family as they launch their careers. It will still be up to your children to prove themselves on the job, or they won’t be employed there for long – even if they’re related to the boss.
7. Allow your children to pursue the career path they truly love; not the career path you think they should love. If your child is fortunate enough to discover a professional path that he or she truly loves, you must encourage and facilitate their pursuit of that career. Put the necessary time and resources into this mission, and the results will be powerful. If your children struggle with identifying their best career directions, engage a professional Career Coach to help them find their right work. Avoid the temptation to push your children into the career paths YOU think they should follow. Instead, let them find their own gifts and passions. This is one of the most generous and healthy things a parent can do for a child.
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10 Mistakes Job Seekers Make … And How to Avoid Them – Part 2 of 2
Mistake #6: Being Unplanned in Your Search
Most people spend more time planning a vacation than planning a job search. I suggest the following tips to conduct a proper job search: a well-thought out methodology, daily solitude and planning, space in the home dedicated to the search, a tracking tool to measure your progress, and a system for accountability.
Mistake #7: Doing it Alone
You pay a mechanic to change your oil; an attorney to create an estate plan. Why would you not invest in professional help with your job search? Career Coaches provide objective guidance, help you articulate your value, and provide a proven system for job search success. Many offer excellent advice on salary negotiations – often exceeding the job seeker’s expectations. If you can’t afford a Career Coach, take advantage of low-cost or free support from non-profit groups, universities, municipal programs, and so forth.
Mistake #8: Letting Others Control Your Job Search
I suggest working with a small selection of professional recruiters – they can serve an important role in your search. But you’ll need to maintain control over the whole process. Of course, it is best to conduct your own research and target the right companies yourself. Remember: only you can “sell yourself” effectively and land a job.
Mistake #9: Not Preparing Well Enough for Job Interviews
When you boil it down, all job interviews are comprised of five basic elements: articulating your value, conveying your knowledge of the company, asking intelligent questions, negotiating compensation, and following-through. Each of these items has to be practiced in advance, so you can “ace” the job interview. “Winging it” just won’t do! Also, be sure to do extensive research on the company and the interviewer ahead of time.
Mistake #10: Not Knowing Your Market Value
You must research and assess your value in the marketplace, so you’ll be able to negotiate effectively. Never disclose your salary requirements – always get the employer to name the salary or range first. The time to talk money is when the employer has made it clear that you are their top candidate, and after they make an offer.
It is very easy for even the savviest of job seekers to make these mistakes. By learning how to navigate these potential pitfalls from the outset, your job search will be more productive and yield more positive results!
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