Let's start off the new year right with this original
take on cover letters from Tim Tyrell-Smith @ Spin
Strategyâ"¢ - Tools for Intelligent Job Search. Tim's
at http://quixoting.typepad.com/spin_strategy
Be warned - this is not an official study. No one was
harmed in the deliberation of this topic. However, your
ability to obtain a phone or first round interview may be at
risk.
Everyone in the job search advice arena has a different opinion
on the value of a cover letter. My experience and resulting
opinions come as a result of being a hiring manager for 15 years
and as a fellow job seeker.
I am personally not a big fan of cover letters. I am also
not a big reader of them unless they are short, crisp and very well
written. What has caused my falling out? I have seen
way too many cover letters that try too hard and, as a result, end
up triggering a filter alarm that negatively predisposes that
person's candidacy for the job.
Now if you are not a regular user or a reader of market
research, a segmentation study is basically a quantitative research
study that gains as much information as possible about a large
number of people in the qualified target group. All this
information is then filtered until clear groupings or segments are
identified. Each segment is given a name to identify them and
to indicate their leaning.
For example, if you were to take a poll with everyone attending
a LA Dodgers game, you might see the following segments:
Early Birds - get to the stadium early for batting
practice and to avoid the food lines
Latenicks - always arrive in the third inning (don't know
they are supposed to sit down)
Premies - always leave early - no matter the score (to
beat traffic)
Nite Owls - stay to try for player autographs and to watch
the infield get raked
Now that we know something about them, we can market to them based
on their likes, dislikes. Or we can choose to avoid them
altogether.
ANYWAY, back to the topic.
Based on my experience, here are the segments for cover letter
writers and what makes them unique:
The MINIMALIST uses the cover letter as
basically a fax cover sheet. "Attached is my resume.
Please call" . Problem? Feels like no effort - a mass
mailing.
The CAUTIOUS is very careful to say only the
right things. No red flags but no personality and no
differentiating content. Problem? Never had me.
The KICK START begins with a well-thought out
introductory line or paragraph (not cute or too bold) but finishes
with a number of mistakes in tone or content (see examples
below).
The COPYWRITER has obviously spent a lot of
time on "the pitch" and it feels like it. What could be said
in fewer words . . . is not.
The OBVIOUS QUESTIONER asks a number of
questions that all companies will inevitably say yes to like "Are
you looking for someone to drive real growth?" . Asking
doesn't make you the guy or gal.
The CREATIVE has a fancy cover letter template
with matching business cards. It is on stark white paper and
uses fun colors to set it apart. Please don't do this unless
you are sure that your audience will appreciate it.
The CALL OUT will attempt to underline or use
bold type face on way too many points in the cover letter. A
good letter will be short enough and well written enough that the
key points will be obvious and relevant to the reader.
The STATISTICIAN looks to show off his/her
knowledge of the industry by including trends, projections and
things like PE ratios. I wonder how many HR managers care
about this or know enough to understand these numbers.
The I AM YOUR MAN displays a powerful
confidence. They address their letter to the top executive
directly (having sent the envelope by Fed Ex or courier) and
express overt confidence that they, and no one else, are right for
the job. There is an over confidence in this approach
(although the overnight package combined with a good cover letter
can be effective).
The IGNORANT completely ignores the job
description, pays no attention to the submission requests from HR
and usually is either completely under qualified (level) or has no
relevant experience whatsoever.
So, what makes a good cover letter?
There are better experts out there than I (try this site), but I
like to see a short, well written, targeted and well thought out
introduction that helps me mentally place you in the job before I
even review your qualifications.
Article courtesy of the Recruiting
Blogswap, a content exchange service sponsored by
CollegeRecruiter.com, a leading site for college students looking for internships and
recent graduates searching for entry level jobs and
other career opportunities.
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