Tips on Writing a Great Cover Letter

Be concise. Never use two words when one will do. Always strike the word "very" and eliminate the word "that" as much as you can.

Do not overdo the style elements. Choose a font that is simple but elegant. Avoid uncommon decorative fonts unless you are applying for a job where being quirky is of greater value than being businesslike and the people who are doing the hiring are on board with this philosophy.

Consider namedropping if you are confident that the person you know at the company you are applying to will vouch for you. Sometimes a bit of inside help does go a long way, so don't dismiss this option out of hand if it is open to you.

Make sure your cover letter is visually appealing and coordinated with your resume. Use the same personal information block in the heading of your cover letter and your resume. A cohesive resume package is a very attractive selling point. If using paper (i.e., not online), use the same high quality paper for the cover letter as for your resume.

Tweak your cover letter depending upon your target. If you are applying for specific jobs then make it relevant as possible. Include the job reference number and address your cover letter directly to the company contact (if you have their name). Alternatively, if you are applying speculatively you can start with the salutation 'Dear Sirs,' and finish with 'Yours faithfully' rather than 'Sincerely'

Find your answers to these important questions before you start writing your cover letter:

1. What is the complete name of the company to which you are applying for a job?
2. What is the name of the person to whom you are addressing the cover letter?
3. What is the address of the person to whom you are sending the letter?
4. What is the title of the job for which you are applying and does it also have a reference number that you should include?
5. What is the type of job or level of the position you are seeking?
   
   • "entry-level"
   • "management"
   • "senior level"
6. What skills do you possess that you are not using enough in your current role? Would the ideal candidate for this new role be required to make more use of those types of skills? What opportunities are missing in your current role? Answering these questions will help you explain why you are interested in leaving current position. For example, are you looking for:
   
   • "room for advancement"
   • "an opportunity to learn new skills"
7. What is your current job or educational position? This may seem like an obvious question, but knowing how to clearly define your current role is a tremendous asset. For example, you could be a:
   
   • "graduate student in environmental science"
   • "customer service professional specializing in the high-end retail market"
8. What is a general description of your accomplishments/experiences in the field to which you are applying? For example, you could have:
   
   • "fifteen years of excellent customer service experience"
   • "an outstanding background in scientific research and discovery"
   • "a solid history of dependability in the automotive industry"
9. What assets can you offer to the company? List a few in your cover letter, such as:
   
   • "extensive experience with start-ups"
   • "demonstrated ability to solve problems"
   • "refined ability to manage teams"
10. What will you help the company accomplish, if given the job you desire?
    
    • "increase its bottom line"
    • "meet its goal of providing only the best in customer service"
    • "expand its customer base and increase its revenue"

What Exactly is a Cover Letter?

A cover letter introduces you and your resume to potential employers or organizations you seek to join (non-profits, educational institutions, etc). It is the first document an employer sees, so it is often the first impression you will make. Take advantage of this important first impression and prepare the reader for your application, stating why you are writing, why you are a good match for the job and the organization, and when you will contact him or her.
Cover letters do more than introduce your resume, though. A cover letter's importance also includes its ability to:

• Explain your experiences in a story-like format that works with the information provided in your resume
• Allow you to go in-depth about important experiences/skills and relate them to job requirements
• Show the employer that you are individualizing (tailoring) this job application
• Provide a sample of your written communication skills

Suggestions to Write an Effective Cover Letter will be posted later this week.
 

The Importance of Improving Your Written Communication

How -- and why -- to improve your written communications

 

What do the most effective resumes, memos, emails, blog posts and thank-you notes have in common?

Good writing.

It doesn't matter if you're a designer, accountant, paralegal or IT professional, you should also consider yourself a writer. In an information-driven world full of communication platforms, writing skills are a "must have," not a "nice to have," for any ambitious professional.

Sure, business writing isn't the sexiest of topics. But knowing how to communicate clearly, concisely and convincingly can significantly aid your career. Whether you're sending a cover letter to a hiring manager or an email to a prospective client, people's first impressions of you are often based solely on your writing abilities -- or lack thereof.

Crisp, focused and error-free writing signals that you're a professional who's organized, knowledgeable and detail-oriented. On the flip side, communications that are convoluted, imprecise or marred by typos will leave readers wondering if you're equally careless in other areas of your work.

Writing not your forte? Consider adopting these winning habits:

Think before you type
First-rate writing doesn't happen by accident. Before placing one finger on the keyboard, take a moment to organize your thoughts and identify the primary purpose of the communication. Who is your audience? And what do you want people to know or do when they finish reading? Keep the answers to these questions top of mind as you write.

Embrace plain English
You've no doubt noticed that many professionals weigh down their written communications with buzzwords, jargon and pretentious prose. This approach only muddles the message. (What does, "Let's mindshare to align and synergies our deliverables" really mean anyway?)

Impress readers with your cogent thinking, not your mastery of corporate-speak. Nobody will miss the over used cliches and fussy five-dollar words.

Cut to the chase
"Don't bury the lead" is one of the first warnings every journalism student receives. Translation: Provide the most important details upfront.

In an era of information overload, attention spans are getting shorter. You risk losing people if they have to endlessly sift or scroll to unearth your main message.

When crafting more involved documents, make the content easy to digest through formatting. Break up large blocks of text with bullet points or subheadings.

Proofread and polish
Think proper spelling, grammar and punctuation isn't critical? Think again. In a Robert Half survey, 76 percent of managers said just one or two resume errors would be enough to knock a job candidate out of contention. While the occasional misplaced comma in an everyday email isn't going to hurt your career, frequently making sloppy mistakes will damage your credibility.

Review all your written communications -- including social media updates -- for typos, as well as tone and clarity. Sure, it requires a little extra effort, but proofreading guards against embarrassing goofs and time-wasting miscommunication.

Keep working at it
Employers expect solid writing abilities for an increasing number of roles. This means that shying away from writing responsibilities or remaining complacent with sub par skills is a risky career move.

Invest in yourself by taking a business-writing course through a local college or industry association. Explore some of the myriad writing workshops offered online and read some well-regarded books. ("On Writing Well" by William Zinsser and "The Elements of Style" by William Strunk Jr. and E. B. White are classics.)

Most importantly, push beyond your comfort zone and keep practicing. For example, you might volunteer to draft the meeting notes from your next staff meeting or contribute a piece to the company newsletter. Much like muscles, writing skills get stronger only if you use them.

The Best Websites to Post Your Resume

The Three Most Popular Job Hunting Websites are:


Monster.com   http://home.monster.com/home/

Careerbuilder      http://www.careerbuilder.com/  and

Indeed     http://www.indeed.com/


Hiring Managers and Recruiters look at Resumes posted on these sites.  You can also send your Resume directly to Companies looking for Job Candidates.  When beginning your job search this is one of the most common ways of getting yourself noticed.  It is free to join these websites.

We will cover more details on making the most of these sites later.
 

Find the Job that Fits Your Skills

Fit the job to the skills rather than the other way around. Many people search for jobs, then try to see how they can tweak the way they present their own skills and experiences to fit the job description. Instead, try something different. Instead of this top-down approach, start from the bottom up.

• Make a list of all of your skills, determine which kinds of businesses and industries need them most (ask around for advice if you need to) and find businesses that will benefit from having you and your skills around. You might find that you get more satisfaction and enjoyment out of a career that wasn't even on your radar to begin with.
• It's important the nature of the job fits your personality and salary requirements, otherwise you'll have spent a significant amount of time to find a day job you dread getting up for every morning.  So be realistic about what you expect, but be open to what you explore.

Salary Negotiation Strategies

 

In every Salary Negotiation, the time comes when the other side puts an offer on the table. At that point, the ball is in your court. Unless you want to accept that offer or walk away from the table, you have to put forth a Counteroffer.
You will hear all kinds of advice for doing this, and much of that advice is not particularly useful. For example, a friend might tell you, "Always ask for 20 percent more than you will settle for. You can always retreat." A colleague might say, "Always add 10 percent to what they offer. Employers are always trying to lowball you."
While these tactics may work a few times, they have significant flaws. Not only do they lead you to throw out arbitrary figures, but those figures may also not be related to what you really want or need from the negotiation.
Here is some practical advice that can help you develop salary counteroffers that achieve your goals.

1. Get Prepared
Before the negotiation begins, take the time to research standard compensation for the position. Establish a reasonable  Salary Range, a typical benefits package and common additional compensation (e.g., stock options, annual bonus, performance bonus). This work makes it possible for you to know the range in which any satisfactory agreement has to fall.
Then, from those general points, determine the most favorable compensation package for you. You should be able to justify that package given your field, experience, expertise and credentials.
Make sure this package addresses your real needs -- you will likely have trouble asking for more later if you overlook something. This package is your counteroffer.

2. Be Firm
Most negotiators make the mistake of putting out an arbitrary position as their counteroffer, then having to retreat from it because they cannot justify it or because they face a hostile reaction. Avoid this pitfall by selecting a reasonable and appropriate counteroffer -- one based on the data you gathered in your research -- and staying there until the other side offers a persuasive reason for you to move.
By "persuasive," I mean an argument based on additional data or information that justifies a different figure or package than you had developed. For example, an employer might say, "I know that some of our competitors are offering higher salary figures. However, they are much larger than we are, and they expect you to work much longer hours for bigger clients. We offer a salary that allows you to have a reasonable work life and really have an impact on smaller companies."
An example of an unpersuasive argument would be, "Your figure is too high. We can't do that."

3. Be Wise
Keep the big picture in mind. Your goal in the negotiation is to reach an agreement that satisfies your interests, not to win a battle between positions. If your counteroffer is not moving you closer to an agreement, do not hunker down and defend it to the death.
Instead, think of another proposal that addresses your needs and concerns and is supported by data, and put that out as another offer. Use your energy to generate solutions, not to fight battles.
Negotiation is all about exchanging ideas, possible solutions and information. Offers and counteroffers are the typical steps in this dance. When you counteroffer, do so based on rigorous preparation and thinking. If you do, you will find yourself much more effective, and much more relaxed.

Keep Professional on All Electronic Communication

Whether it's the voice-mail greeting on your cellphone or the appearance of your social media pages, make sure everything looks and sounds immaculately professional. If employers interested in you, be assured that they will investigate you, and that includes visiting your online profiles. If you have anything that you wouldn't feel comfortable with an employer seeing online, either remove it or be sure that your privacy settings on Facebook prohibit an employer from seeing it. That way, you present yourself in the best light possible.