Cover Letters – the Secret to Getting an Interview

What is more important – the résumé or the cover letter? For many hiring managers, it is the cover letter. Here’s why. People often hire professionals to write their résumé, but they write their own cover letter. Some hiring managers do just glance at cover letters, but others study them, looking for reasons to read your résumé ... or to toss it in the trash. What do you include? You have created a great résumé that highlights your skills, knowledge, abilities and experience in the best possible light. What do you have left to give to the hiring manager? Remember, a résumé and a cover letter have different jobs. A résumé demonstrates that you can do the job. It is all about what you have done and your past accomplishments. A résumé is all about you. A cover letter matches you to the stated job requirements of a specific company and how you will fit into that company. The cover letter is all about the hiring manager’s needs. Assume every hiring manager will read your cover letter. Here are some ways to write an effective cover letter, following a tried and true advertising formula. After all, you are marketing yourself to the hiring manager. GET THEIR ATTENTION Your cover letter should have an opening paragraph makes them want to read more. Here are some ways to accomplish that:

• Drop the name of a mutual acquaintance in your first sentence: “Pat Smith in IT suggested I contact you about your need for a Project Manager.”
• Begin with an intriguing question: “How often have breakdowns in your customer service resulted in lost business and costly headaches? I can help you.”
• Be high energy: “I am very enthusiastic about your need for a HR professional in your Benefits department.”

Notice how “you” or “your” appeared a couple of times? The cover letter is all about the hiring manager and what you can do for THEM. This is your opening statement that tells the hiring manager what to expect from you when hired. DEVELOP INTEREST Next, tell the hiring manager what's in it for them by hiring you. Remember; focus on the hiring manager, instead of on yourself. What do you know about this kind of work that isn’t in the job advertisement? For one, you know types of challenges that are particular to this kind of work. Mention how you have resolved or neutralized these challenges in prior jobs. This presents you as a knowledgeable insider.

• “One of the challenges of great customer service is the varieties of people and situations. Coming up with a “best practices” for common events, helps to take the anxiety off the customer service desk.”

DEMONSTRATION TIME Take the top 3-5 key requirements for the job and match them to your specific experiences and accomplishments. This is particularly great if you can present your accomplishment in the Problem-Action taken-Results format and state the results in a quantifiable way. An example of this is:

• “Instituted a Customer Log of customer service issues. Was able to see repeat problems, came up with “best practices” for most events and quickly return mechanical problems to the manufacturer. This resulted in a 25% reduction in repair service time and $50,000 savings from the manufacturer.”

If your job is not “quantifiable” then tell a passionate story. For a social worker, tell how you helped turn someone’s life around. Go for the heart. Be specific about your accomplishments. The more specific, the better. A PERFECT MATCH Using the job ad, list the needs of the position you are applying for and match those needs to your experience and accomplishments. It is as simple as it sounds. This should not just be a restatement of your résumé. Here’s an example: Your Needs: Marketing experience My Qualifications:

• Five plus years as a successful marketing consultant.
• Significant consumer-oriented technology marketing in the retail industry.

Your Needs: Product Management experience My Qualifications:

• Led product-marketing efforts for an online store, resulting in a 12% sales increase.
• Spearheaded product management efforts for major retail chain as a product manager. This resulted in a 17% cost saving by streamlining the product line.

Your Needs: Leadership Skills My Qualifications:

• Leading by example, led projects and teams to highly successful outcomes.
• Ability to communicate through presentations to all levels of management. Strong ability to influence others.

A word of caution: For some of the more technically able among us, you may create a table and put needs/qualifications side by side. Or, for the more creative, you can use boxes or columns. If you copy this over into an email, be aware if the reader uses a plain text email viewer, it will hopelessly scramble your columns or table. Use the above, admittedly less elegant, design to ensure your intended information is received as conceived. Even if you decide not to use this type of document, this exercise will help you familiarize yourself with how close a match you are for the position to which you are applying. A few steps now will make it an easy task that can serve you well in the long run. THE CLOSING Ask for an interview. In the last paragraph tell the hiring manage that you want to interview for the job. Tell them that you will be contacting them to setup a meeting time. This is not the time for shyness. The interview is the next step in the application process, so go for it. “Thank you for taking the time to read my letter. I am sure I can be an asset to (the Company). I would like to get together to talk in person. I'm available mornings until 12:00 noon. You name the time and date and I'll be there. I look forward to hearing from you soon.” You can send this as an attachment or as the email with your résumé as the only attachment. What is right for you? If it is an attachment, ensure your email is professional, with complete sentences. More than just, “See attached” in other words. FOLLOW UP! You have poured heart and soul into your résumé and cover letter. However, nothing happens! Send a follow-up email two weeks after your first résumé and cover letter, attaching your cover letter and resume. This will give you a second chance to get noticed. A two-week time frame means you aren’t pestering, just following up. In this letter, you inquire on the status of the recruitment, restate your enthusiastic interest, restate that you are qualified and acknowledge how busy they must be. Depending on the company, a hiring manger is conducting the recruitment in addition to all their other duties. So cut them some slack, but not so much you fall off their radar. That is why you wait two weeks to follow up. They are busy. A cover letter is more than just a business letter; it is a sales letter. Is your cover letter selling you to the hiring manager? Need help? I can help you! We will sort through your skills, experiences and your dreams to get the right job for you. Don’t wait, contact me now. A dream with a plan is a goal. A goal without a plan is just a dream. Warmly, Elisabeth Elisabeth Adler-Lund Executive And Life Coaching Telephone: 916 • 803•1494 E-mail: eal@EALCoaching.com