How To Write a Cover Letter For Job Applications 9781311073693

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How to Write a Cover Letter for Job Applications By David Roberts Copyright © 2014 by David Roberts Marketing How to Write a Cover Letter for Job Applications is a work of non-fiction. This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only.

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Table of Contents Foreword Introduction Should We Use Psychology When Writing Job Cover Letters? Do You Feel You Already Know How to Write a Job Cover Letter? I Have Two Secret Weapons! They don't ask for a cover letter, so I don't have to send one, right! The Job Advertisement Content The Job Cover Letter Stage 1 – The Advertisement So let’s get down to the task of applying in writing. Sample Email Intro Message: Stage 2 - The Cover Letter More Secret Tips

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Adjusting a Résumé to Suit a Particular Job Position Case Studies Conclusion Book Reviews Where I Am Today! About the Author I moved to Internet marketing in 2000 More Publications by David Roberts Marketing

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Foreword While there are many people giving advice on how to write job cover letters, not all of them can be one hundred per cent correct. Some are giving advice that is absolutely incorrect, some are dishing out advice that is outdated, and some just don't know what they are talking about. This is only my opinion, of course, and that is formed on what I know and what I know that works. The advice contained in this guide is based on my work as a resume and job cover letter writer, and all round job application specialist. It is based on what I have learned to be correct and the right thing to do, and most of all, on the results that I have seen while working in this field. I have different opinions than others who purport to know something about writing job cover letters. For example, many purveyors of information and advice state that they are former head-hunters, or former recruiters, or former anything that is designed to convince potential customers that because of their former positions they ought to know what they are talking about. Former head-hunters do not necessarily know how to write a job cover letter. Former recruiters do not necessarily know how to write a job cover letter. However, from their former positions, the inference does imply that they do know, and sometimes this has a persuasive effect on a customer. I do not claim to be anything more than someone who has written job cover letters, resumes and complete job applications for a living and have been very successful while

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doing it. All advice given in this guide is based on real-time results, real information as offered by people employed in human resource positions, and real and factual feedback supplied by successful clients who I have helped over the years. All references to psychology are my own opinions derived from what I have observed and learned throughout my working life. Life in itself is a form of psychology but few people ever think of it that way. I base my opinions on what I have seen and how people have reacted to various situations presented to them. It is not exactly rocket science; it is more common sense than anything else. I would like to emphasize that I am not a psychologist; I am not trained in any form of psychology, and have no qualifications in that field. My psychology statements are purely my own opinion that I am sharing with readers of this guide. Finally, throughout this guide I have tried to explain things from both an American and British point of view. While I am British born and bred, I have lived and worked in the USA for the past 20 years. I have seen both sides of the coin, so to speak, and have worked with both American and British clients. But no matter which way you look at it, the science is still the same, the psychology is still the same and so are the principles. During most of my examples, I have referred to Southampton and London, but not for any particular reason. They could easily have been New York and Seattle. I favored the UK, though, mainly because I am British. 6

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Introduction It's a well-known fact that many people couldn't write a letter to save their lives. And if they could, they'd have a problem with the spelling and grammar side of things. This is not a criticism of people; it is a simple fact, and that is how a lot of people are these days. Even many "so called" educated people are not that clever when it comes to writing letters and putting a string of words together. You can have one of the finest engineering minds that can design a massive airplane, but ask him to write a letter... ah, well that is something else, he may say. Letter writing and copywriting (not to be confused with copyright protection) are an art form in themselves and it takes a lot of practice to get the words on the page and in the right order. As many folks are not able to write a meaningful letter to apply for a new job, they are mostly overlooked when the interview selection comes along. A poor cover letter often gets no further than the nearest waste paper basket. And yet the applicant could be a brilliant and very clever worker that is let down by his lack of letter-writing skills. I have spoken to a lot of people who just cannot get to the interview stage for any job they apply for. Many are despondent at their lack of success in securing that all important interview. After all, if you can't get an interview, you can't get the jobs you are applying for. When talking to

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them, I try to find out the reason for this and it is almost definitely the "job cover letter" every time. As soon as I see, or they tell me what they have written, I generally know right away what the problem is and will continue to be until they take action and get some help. There is no shame in getting help to apply for a job you fancy. Why should there be? If letter writing is not up your alley, then get help from someone who works in that alley. I repeatedly hear that "Uncle Fred" wrote their cover letter for them - and he works for Microsoft. Well "boo-hoo" for Uncle Fred. I have seen letters from Uncle Freds all over the place, and while they are a slight improvement on the applicant's skills, they still won't cut it. All too often I am hit with this type of statement and its inference that because Uncle Fred works for Microsoft or British Telecom he knows what he is talking about, or he is smart. This is not so, and I rarely take any notice. I have met a stack of people that work for Microsoft and trust me when I tell you they are not all smart and knowledgeable. This goes for all similar inferences whether they are Boeing, Airlines, British Airways, British Telecom, or any other such prestige companies. There are savvy secrets to applying for a job, and if you follow most of my reasoning, you will almost certainly find yourself getting interviews and your job-changing chances greatly increased. At this juncture, I would like to share with you some of the background information of how I got into this business and 9

what I did to make it work for my clients. In the next section I want to tell you about all the people I contacted to extract as much information as possible to make this venture a success. How I contacted top-notch employment agencies in London & Southampton, England, and how I got a good honest critique from an Oxford University professor in Human Resources. All this information was so critical to how you present a résumé and job application. The best thing I ever did, though, was to send a questionnaire to a selection of around 100 human resource managers asking them for their views and comments on some of their experiences in selecting suitable applicants for the interview stage. I also asked what was the most important part of the job application process for them. Unanimously it was the job cover letter and NOT the résumé. I found this amazing, but when I started to analyze things, it became all too apparent why. I have several years experience of creating résumés for many clients. All too often they went away clutching their nice new résumé only to come back a few weeks later saying they can't even get an interview. I asked to see their job cover letter, and sure enough, therein lay the problem. So the application process was becoming a real problem for many people, and still is to this very day. I was repeatedly asked if I would help them with their letters. So I did, and have become very successful at it, and with so many success stories I have lost count. The other information can be found at the rear of this guide.

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Should We Use Psychology Writing Job Cover Letters?

When

Absolutely - Yes We Should! Disclaimer: It is important that you know that I am not a psychologist, never have been, nor likely ever will be. My views on using psychology are my own views and mine alone. However if you think like I am going to suggest to you, then I am sure you will agree with a lot that I am going to say. Nearly everything we do in life has some form of psychology attached to it. This can range from offering kids some candy in exchange for them shutting up, or to stop making that noise, and other such behavior. Or a little psychology could be applied when trying to get a work colleague to do something that he doesn't like doing. Doing this for someone in exchange for them doing something in return is not only part of our daily barter system, but also a form of psychology. Using psychology when applying for a job is something that many people have just never heard of, or thought of, in their lives. That means they never ever think about it, which in turn would suggest that when applying for a job, they would rattle off a cover letter in the same old fashion that they normally have without a thought for anything except for thoughts about themselves. For readers of this ebook, this is the best news you could possibly hope to hear, because when you follow the guidelines I suggest, you will have a clear advantage over the

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applicants who really don't know how to use psychology to write a meaningful cover letter. I guarantee you will think differently about your job cover letter after you have studied this guide. You will definitely have an UNFAIR advantage over your competition. Throughout this book you will be reminded constantly of the most important factor of any job application - the reader on the other end. Remember, this is nothing about you at all, it is all about what the other guy thinks about YOU. If you can remember that, then it is more likely than not, that you will win every time. Let's look at this a little closer. The other person has something YOU want. It is not about you at all. It is all about giving that person what HE wants in order to impress him sufficiently to grant you an interview. He is not going to take notice of you whatsoever unless you have WHAT HE WANTS. You don't even count! Trust me, this is the best information in this guide - right here! Winning is all about getting an interview for the job you have applied for. Nothing more, nothing less. This is not about getting the job... you will do that at the interview. This is about making sure you get that interview in the first place after all, no interview = no job! So, throughout this book we will be using our own form of psychology to try and persuade the reader at the other end to

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be impressed sufficiently with our skills and abilities to invite us in for an interview. Remember too, that this is only a "mind contest" between you and the reader initially. Using a little subtle psychology as directed will ensure that you get the very best chance of an interview.

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Do You Feel You Already Know How to Write a Job Cover Letter? I am asking this question because no matter where I go whether it is in the United States or United Kingdom - if ever I get talking to someone about what I do for a living, and mention that I also help people to write Job Cover Letters, I always get the same answer: Oh, I am OK on the cover letter, or I know how to do those OK, or I can write a pretty decent cover letter. But can they? I hear this all too often and if I ever get the chance to see one of these cover letters, I can immediately see that the person is kidding themselves big time. Here's another good example of people who think they know how to write a cover letter. Next time you are on your computer browsing around, take yourself over to Yahoo Answers - you can easily get there by typing that phrase into any search engine. When you are in Yahoo Answers, do a search for job cover letters and then select ones that are still open and for the last 30 days. This will give you the very latest answers. Answers to what? These are answers to questions that people have been asking in Yahoo Answers. These people genuinely do not know what to do when it comes down to writing a job cover letter. Most of them don't even know what it means. I recently saw one guy saying that he lied on his job application and does anyone think he might still get the job. Even if you think that you can write a job cover letter, take a look at what others are saying. The basics are the same as

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they have always been. However, some of the necessary content and advertising might have changed. If you change your job regularly, then it would be wise to make yourself aware of any changes that have happened over recent years.

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I Have Two Secret Weapons! That's right! In addition to my ability to get words onto a page in a meaningful way, I really do have two secret weapons sorry, let's make it three - that I can share with you to make your job cover letter even more damaging to your competition. Here they are: 1) Always Think of the Other Guy - This is Not About You! 2) Keep It Simple. 3) My Wife is a Human Resource Manager Trust me! If you always remember the first one, you will always beat your competition.

My Wife Manager!

is

a

Human

Resource

That’s right, I am married to an HR manager. How cool is that when you are writing job applications for people? While I am not writing them for a living anymore, I still try to help people to do the best they can. I don't actually write the letters for anyone these days; I go one better, and that is I teach them how to do it for themselves. This guide will show YOU exactly how to do it for yourself, too. Having an HR manager in the home does lend itself to certain advantages that, most probably, very few people can attest to. Think about it for a minute!

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I am running both sides of the fence here: I have first-hand knowledge of what HR people and interviewers want to see – because they told me. I also get to see how a modern-day HR manager works. I get to see the résumés and job cover letters that come in to my wife’s company. Is this a triple bonus, or what? At the time of writing, I actually get to see the incoming job applications of many people. I see horrendous mistakes, grammatical errors, spelling mistakes by the dozen, typos like no tomorrow, and so much more. At times it is a comedy of errors, so to speak. Later in the guide I will be showing excerpts of the mistakes people make. I also see some good quality people that are trying so hard to make the grade, and deserve a little help. I see also the arrogant and egotistical manner of many people that feel they are far more important than they really are. And the list goes on. The hiring part of things is not my concern, nor do I have any part in that process. But I count myself fortunate that I get to see these applications. I wonder how many other job application writers see this. Very few, I would guess. I also get to see cover letters that are worthless and terrible some examples of these appear later in the guide. I also get to see how the process of elimination takes place before my very eyes: instant "rejections" to the left, "possibles" to the right. I see what puts the HR person off an applicant before the résumé is even looked at. And I am going to share this knowledge with you and give you a heads up like never before. 18

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They don't ask for a cover letter, so I don't have to send one, right! Wrong! Before we go any further, this would be good time to say that many people don't even write a cover letter at all. They don't see the need for one, or they think the job they are interested in does not warrant one. So many times I have seen a résumé arrive on my wife's desk, and that's it. No cover letter, no explanation, not even a little note - just the résumé. What on earth are these people thinking of? Do they think that by just sending a résumé on its own that the employer is going to be jumping up and down doing cartwheels after receiving it? Of course not. There is only one reason for sending a résumé to a company without any accompanying documents, and that is because the sender is too darned lazy. Simply put, we have two things to think about here: Is the application going to succeed by just sending in a résumé? Or will accompanying the résumé with relevant documentation hurt our application? Sending documents to support your résumé - even though they were not asked for, will certainly not hurt your chances. In fact, there is every chance they will be increased. The fact that a cover letter may not be asked for is no reason to think they don't want one.

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To some extent, by sending additional documentation, you are practicing your own form of psychology on the employer here. Always send a cover letter regardless of what Uncle Fred or anyone else will tell you. Take no chances - send one! Now then, let's get right to the really good stuff!

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The Job Advertisement Here's Where the Psychology Really Starts The initial thing that starts off the whole job application process is usually the advert (ad) for the job. This is usually in the local paper, an employment agency, or an online site that specializes in employment positions. Judging from a lot of cover letters I have seen, too many people don't even read the ad properly. This is a huge error on their part. And here's why! The Advert (Ad) is the most important part of the application process. That's right! You really have to look very closely at the ad as it contains everything you need to know about the job, but more importantly, everything the hiring company NEEDS. This is crucial... remember, think of the other guy. Too many people think they are so smart and know what to write and just rattle off what they can do, how they can improve the company, and how they are good at motivating fellow workers. And the best one is how they can be an asset to the company. How the heck do THEY know? Don't ever say that. It is stupid and not necessary! Psychology Secret - give the employer exactly what he has asked for. Why do you think the hiring company has placed the ad? Because they know what they want and what they want it for. They know who they want and what that person needs to be

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capable of. That's about it. But they may be playing a little psychology on you, too. The smart applicant will give the employer exactly what he has asked for. She'll be head and shoulders above the rest of the applicants in the letter reader's mind. Giving him exactly what he wants just cannot fail to impress the reader of the cover letter. This is crucial to the application, and probably the most important secret you are going to learn from this guide. Always think of the other guy and how he is likely to perceive you - the applicant. Make sure that he gets a positive image of you in his mind. Hopefully, some light bulbs are already starting to pop in your head already. A job cover letter says so much about the writer. Recruiters and Human Resource managers are able to find out more things from the letter than they can from the résumé. This really is true! They are able to look at what you say, how you say it, and also what you DON’T say. When an employer reads your letter, she will form a picture in her mind of the person she is reading about. Is she looking for negatives about you or is she looking for positives? It is all a form of psychology. Nobody will really know.

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Content It is important to have the right content in your letter – just enough to hit the target. You do not have to write your life history in it, neither should you try to be smart, and above all, you do not have to crawl, beg, brown-nose or use any other form of subservience in your letter to gain that all important interview. The easiest way is to keep it simple – but you have to know what to say – and most people don’t. The company's psychology may be testing YOU to see if you can follow directions. While you already know I am not a psychologist, never have been and probably never will be. I do know a few psychologists though, and they are crazier than their clients in many cases, but that's for another day. Please note: I am also not advising you about psychology in its official sense. I am merely trying to convey the simple and intelligent approach one might be advised to take when writing a Job Cover Letter. As is my mantra - always think of the other person - using a type of psychological and sensible approach will definitely help if you can try to imagine exactly what that person wants and is looking for. It's relatively simple to figure out if you look at things from the employer's point of view. Remember, you don't count here.

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The Job Cover Letter You have probably seen the adverts offering "killer" cover letters. There is nothing killer about a cover letter at all. In my opinion there is no such thing. One size definitely does not fit all in this business. Yet many people still try that strategy. Why? Because they don't know what you are about to find out. Spend some time studying this in your mind; think about it until you can see the benefit of sending different cover letters for different types of work. Secret - Stop Thinking About Yourself! That's right! Stop thinking about yourself when writing a cover letter for a new job. It is not you that matters here. It is the guy reading the letter that matters. Always keep that in mind and never forget it. Make that your daily mantra... always think of the other guy, what he thinks and what he wants. Once you start thinking this way, things will start falling into place in your mind. You will start thinking of the other person more and more, and your letters will take on a different meaning. The above is the most important paragraph in this guide. Read it again! The purpose of a cover letter is to introduce yourself to the company you are applying to. As well as introducing yourself, the ultimate goal will be to convince the letter reader that you are a worthy applicant and worth granting an interview to. The "operative" word in this paragraph is CONVINCE. That is precisely what your cover letter's purpose

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is. You have to write some compelling words to pull this off, and I am going to show you how to do it. When you are writing a job cover letter, it is pretty much YOU against the LETTER READER. A psychological battle, perhaps. It is very easy to play that game, once you know how. That's all it is, and you don't get very much time to gain the reader's interest either. He/she will know within a few seconds whether you are worth considering. When I read incoming cover letters I can usually tell from the first sentence or paragraph. You don't get a second chance either. You would be surprised at how much time you don't get. When your letter is opened it must grab the reader's attention. It must contain the right information or you are in the waste paper basket with the rest. By the way, if you are one of those people that think you can just send in a résumé on its own, then you need to sit up and pay attention from this point on. Just putting a résumé in the mail is lazy, rude and discourteous Always think of the other guy! Remember this and you will not fail.

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Stage 1 – The Advertisement We’ll call this the advert stage because most jobs are advertised in the local newspapers or online in places like Craig’s List or Monster-dot-com. However, some positions might be posted internally on office notice boards. They are all adverts of sorts, so that is how we will refer to them. The first mistake people make is they do not read the adverts (ads) properly. They scan them, see the salient points or what they WANT to see and make their application. A lot of mistakes are made this way. You really do have to read exactly what the ad says. Most employers are a clever lot, you know. They are not out to trap prospective applicants in any way, but the ad is where they include certain things that are requirements of the position. So many people do not read the ads properly and tend to fall down with their application because of this. For instance: an employer might ask you to include a written reference. They rarely do, but they might do, and if you don’t include one in your application, you are going to be marked down right from the start. Some applicants phone the company when it is clearly stated in the ad: “no phone calls.” These are all areas where you have to really pay attention. You need to dissect that ad and look at every part of it several times to be absolutely sure you have understood exactly what the advertiser is asking for. Here are one or two things that an employer can obtain from your cover letter.

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Your ability to read correctly. Your ability to comprehend what is written. Your ability to follow instructions. Your communication skills. Your organizational skills. Your writing skills. Your spelling ability. Your grammatical probably more.

knowledge,

and

You see, there are at least 7 critical issues that they can glean info about you on - just by what you write in your job cover letter. Staggering isn't it? They're all out to get you! I am going to show you how to reverse this to your advantage. Secret - you must follow the advert’s instructions. Once you are satisfied you fully understand what the ad is requesting, you need to make sure you can meet all the terms of the advert. If they want references included, you had better include them. It is no good saying that references are 28

available. If they ask for them, give them and follow the ad’s instructions. If you don’t, you will definitely be marked down for not following the ad’s instructions. The job you are applying for could actual entail following written instructions. So if you can’t follow the ad's instructions, then the employer might be forgiven for thinking that you might not be suitable for a job that does require following instructions. There are many other things that are sometimes included in an ad that you need to pay attention to. Some employers ask for the application via email, via phone, or via fax. It is important to follow these instructions and apply exactly as requested. This is not the time for offering any negatives about your application skills. Follow the ad's instructions to the letter and give them exactly what they ask for. Don’t give them any reason to mark you down. This is an excellent psychology to use. More kudos for you! These ad requests may be there for a reason; to test your powers of observation; perhaps your ability to follow instructions. It is not worth taking a chance on it. You may be applying for, let’s say, a warehouse job that doesn’t appear to need too many qualifications to be able to do it. But this particular job might entail inventory management, or control of the in-bound loading bay. These are all areas where accuracy and attention to detail will be required. Let’s refer back to the Job Advert again. There are usually three ways to apply for a job position, however, you need to look closely to what they are asking you to do to apply. Some companies have web sites with job application forms all ready to fill in and submit to the company. More about this later in the guide. The normal routes of application are: 29

Apply over the telephone - only if requested. Apply in person - drive to their location and walk in. Apply in writing - Mail or, if requested, Email.

Apply via the telephone: For some of the more non-professional types of jobs, you may be asked to telephone or apply in person. This is because your written and grammatical skills are probably not considered an important part of the job. As long as you can do the job, the employer will be happy. When telephoning for a job application, make sure that you speak clearly and don’t mumble or chatter on too much. And most important of all, don't interrupt when you are being spoken to. Let the other person finish before responding. The potential employer might well be listening for good telephone diction, communication skills and manners. She will be listening to see if you are speaking clearly and effectively. The job might entail a certain amount of telephone work, so this might be the reason why the employer has asked for a telephone application. Always have a pencil and pad handy so you can write down things like the name of the person you are talking to, and certain other things they might tell you.

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Applying in person: When you apply in person for a job application, always make sure you present yourself well. Always dress tidily and never ever think that just because you are applying for, say an entry level job, that you don’t have to turn up looking respectable. You do, and this is most important! More good psychology on your part. You have heard of the saying: “First Impressions Count,” well, this applies here, and in a big way. The potential employer doesn’t want to see someone turning up for an interview looking scruffy or unkempt, or in need of some deodorant. Always look your best when applying for any job in person. Most companies today have a more relaxed policy towards standard dress code for employees, and as long as you show up looking clean, tidy and respectable you will do fine when applying in person. If, however, you are showing up directly from your current job and won’t have time to change or shower, make sure the person you talk to you knows that you are coming directly from work so they will know what to expect. Apply in writing: This is by far the most sought after way to have applicants apply for any job position. As I have previously said, a written application says so much about the applicant and gives the employer more chances to gather information about you. Even if the job advertisement does not say to apply with cover letter, you should ALWAYS include one. No 31

exceptions! Even though it isn’t always asked for, it is usually expected. Don’t just send a résumé in the mail or via email. This is probably as rude as you can get when applying for a job. Don't waste the opportunity to tell the employer a little more about yourself and any qualifications and experience that would support the application. Let’s go back to our “get into the mind of the other person” scenario again. Think of the other guy, remember! Imagine a Human Resource manager advertising for 6 different positions. She may have something like 39 applications on her desk and along comes yours with no cover letter, no nothing, just a résumé via email or in an envelope. She won’t have a clue what it’s about, what job it’s for, or what to do with it. Think about what they may think! ALWAYS consider the other side as well. Ask yourself what they are asking for, what are they expecting to see. Then try and give them exactly what they want. This is how to get to the top of the list every time. If you can think of the other guy more than you are thinking of yourself, you won't go wrong. Try putting yourself in the shoes of the other person. Ask yourself, "If I were the HR manager, what would I want to see?" Makes you think just a little, doesn't it? Do it right, and apply with a little psychology that you are learning here.

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So let’s get down applying in writing.

to

the

task

of

Applying in writing means via the good old US Postal Service, British Royal Mail or via email. It is all written text, and therefore, in some form of writing whether it be physical or electronic. So, I will use email as our example, but it will apply to both methods. Secret - do not use an email message as a cover letter. This is an incorrect and lazy way of doing things. As I said previously, most people don’t have a clue on how to write a cover letter if their life depended on it. But if you keep thinking “presentation” all the time you will soon get the hang of it. First of all, if there is a name in the job advert, use it. If not, try and get a clue as to whom you should address your application to. I have even called a company in the past and asked the receptionist the name of the HR manager - and got it! If there is no clue in the advert, then simply use the company name. I don’t like Dear Sir or Madam, or to whom it may concern and never have done. It seems too crass and old fashioned to me. I would much prefer: "Dear Johnson Brothers," using the company name. If there is a female name of, let's say, Jane Smith, do not under any circumstances address this lady as Dear Jane. It is rude, disrespectful and out of line. You address her simply as Dear Ms. Smith. And you retain that respect for her until she tells you otherwise. Same goes for a male name. John Smith

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is always going to be Dear Mr. Smith until you are told otherwise.

Sample Email Intro Message: Compose a short email message that says something along the lines of: Dear Johnson Brothers, Please find two attachments: one cover letter and one résumé, as my application for the position of Assistant Sales Manager. Sincerely John Smith. Now remember here, that this is just an email conveying your cover letter and résumé to the company in question. It is not a cover letter, it is just a short email note accompanying your two documents. Secret - The Subject Line. Very often people don't even think of their subject line too much. They don't tend to think about how it will look when it comes into the recipient's Inbox. Generally, the subject line is the most important part of any email message. It is used by most Spam Tracking software as the criterion for dumping messages into the waste paper basket or not even getting past the recipient's incoming mail server. Be aware, the Subject Line is very important.

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Use the Subject Line to your advantage and write something appropriate. Don’t just put “Johnson Job” in there. Put something meaningful. The subject line is not for your benefit, it is for that of the reader at the other end. Look at the other side again. Has this HR person got 100 email job applications this morning? And is yours sitting in her Inbox that says Johnson Job? Also remember, that with modern technology working away to stop incoming SPAM type messages, a poor subject line could easily not make it to the HR manager's desk. It could easily end up in the junk mail folder - your application lost forever. The subject line is VERY important here. I would put in the subject line something like this: Application For Assistant Sales Manager Position. There, that's pretty clear and can be found and identified in any cluttered Inbox. You will certainly get brownie points for this. Then you insert your two attachments. This next stage is an absolute MUST. You must go back through your message and read it again (and again) to make sure you have no spelling mistakes or typos etc. The last thing you want is a spelling mistake or typo in anything you send when applying for a job. Secret - Spelling Mistakes & Typos. Sending off an email, cover letter, or résumé with a spelling mistake or typo will not do you any good at all. In fact, it might even harm your chances of getting that elusive 35

interview. Many employers will dump you immediately at the first sight of a typo or spelling mistake. As I said earlier, these human resources people are very clever and didn't get their jobs by accident. They know a thing or two. They know how to read between the lines and how to interpret what you say, and very often, what you don't say. I wouldn't mind betting they have been on courses and seminars for interpreting body language (think interviews here). All forms of psychology. For instance: if you sent off an application with spelling mistakes and typos in it, they certainly won't miss them. They will see them and are likely to imagine you actually in the job making these types of mistake. If the job entails emailing and/ or writing to customer clients, you may get passed by because of your mistakes. If you think that typos are an acceptable part of email messages these days - then think again. They are NOT. So, make sure you go through all the documents you are sending and the intro email and check them for mistakes and typos. When you are satisfied hit the send button. You are already building up a stack of brownie points in the HR department - just for clarity, neatness and savvy writing. They will be impressed - and THAT is psychology. More kudos for you! So, now we have your email message and subject line all figured out. Now we can move on to the cover letter itself. 36

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Stage 2 - The Cover Letter Let’s tackle a typical cover letter step-by-step, and remember, it is probably the most important part of your application. The company you are applying to will get to see a lot about you from how you write this letter and what you say. Secret - Letterheads. If you have a simple letterhead on your résumé, it might be an idea to copy and paste that over onto your cover letter. Make them a matching pair, so to speak. If not, then always create some type of heading for your letter. Our letter will assume we don’t have a letterhead, so I will create a simple one and put this in place first. It doesn’t have to be fancy - just neat, tidy and easy to see and read. The following page shows a sample cover letter showing a simple heading and the correct way to format it. It has been sized down a little so I can show pointers to the most important areas. In addition to sizing down for pointers, I have also retained a fully justified format for easier reading and illustration. Normally, your cover letter would be left justified only – just like this paragraphs you see on this page.

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I have used the format of this letter over and over for many years and it has always paid off for the job applicant. This is mainly because it is clear, concise and uncluttered. It is easy

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to read and addresses everything the HR department will want to know. Yet it is so simple. Let’s analyze the letter a little: Page margins: It is so important to keep an easy-to-read format. If you keep thinking along these lines, you will present yourself well. A letter should not be too cluttered and should have plenty of white space. A good idea would be to draft out your letter using standard margins of 1 inch all round. Microsoft Word's default margins are 1.25 inches (38mm) left and right. Unless you are struggling to fill up the page, I would change this to 1 inch (25mm). Your letter should easily fit a standard page with 1 inch margins. If it doesn't, you are probably trying to say too much. I would chop it down till it does fit a standard page. If you really must include everything in your letter, you might try to lessen the left and right margins by .25 inch (6mm). You could also take the top and bottom margins down to .75 inch (19mm). Justification: Standard business letter writing style is for left justified text and ragged right lines, not full justification where the text is neatly blocked left and right of each paragraph. This manual is mostly fully justified because it is not a formal business letter, and it is styled more in presentation mode than business style. When writing your cover letter, keep it left justified with ragged line endings. Just like this paragraph here. Heading:

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I did not have a particular letterhead for this letter, so I created something simple which gives all the relevant information that the HR department might need to contact me. Phone numbers: Some people give a whole series of mobile phone and pager numbers. If I was an HR manager, I would not want to call a series of numbers to try and track you down. I would look for one number, get an answer, or simply leave a message. Don’t expect the hiring department to do too much. Don't expect them to chase you down. They won't! And if you do have a voice mail on the phone, then make sure it is a nice business-like message and not some stupid fun-like message. Remember, you are trying to get a job here, not play fun with the HR people. Here it comes, yet again: Think of the other guy! Email address: It is always a good idea if you can give an email address that is not one of the free ones, like Hotmail, Yahoo, Google Gmail and other such types. When you use a free email address, your messages are always followed by a series of advertising on behalf of the email company. This does not always look very good when your application comes in with a string of adverts after the message. If you have an email address that is not one of the free types, always use that instead. Some people like to have fancy headers, and to be honest, it doesn’t really impress anyone. You will almost certainly get better responses by keeping things simple and businesslike. This has always worked for my clients over the years.

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Date of letter: You should always include the date of your letter above the addressee of your letter on the left side. Addressee: It is always important to have an addressee - the person or place the letter is going to - on the top left of your letter. It is the correct way in formal business writing. If you have a contact name, you should use it and put it above the company name, either as a formal name: Ms. Jane Smith or you can put it: For the attention of: Ms Jane Smith. Either way is quite acceptable. Remember to always use Ms. or Mr. before their name. Reference: A reference line is always an excellent addition. It will usually be the title of the job you are applying for. Salutation: This is the starting point of your letter and reinforces who you are speaking to. If you have no contact name, I would prefer to use the company name over the old fashioned Dear Sir or Madam format. If you prefer Dear Sir or Madam, then go ahead. However, I think that Dear Johnson Brothers looks just a little more professional. If you happen to have a contact, then use it. But make sure you get it right. This time you don’t use Dear Ms. Jane Smith - that is for addressing only. This time you use a slightly more formal approach with: Dear Ms. Smith. Even if you know a lady is married, it is still more proper and respectful to use Ms. than Mrs. The use of Ms. for a female contact doesn’t assume anything and leaves nothing to chance.

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Secret - First Paragraph. Before we start, think of the other person again. They haven’t a clue who you are or what you want. They are probably getting dozens of applications through their hands daily especially if they have several positions they are advertising. Getting a letter from you that states you would like to apply for the job at Johnson Brothers will mean nothing to them. They might think, what job, where, what department? It is so important to put yourself in the other person’s shoes. Leave nothing to chance. Tell them why you are writing. This immediately clarifies exactly what you want and the reason for your letter. So, our opening paragraph says: I am writing to apply for the position of Assistant Sales Manager as advertised in the Southampton Echo of September 14th 2011. This tells the HR department three things. The job position you are applying for, where you saw the advert and when. All great info in just a line and a half. The body paragraphs outline a little about yourself and should be complementary to your résumé and not a copy of it. Do not repeat what your résumé says in your cover letter. Take this opportunity to give a little more personal info about yourself and your skills and talents without repeating what’s on your résumé. And take this chance to tell them why you think you might be particularly suited to this position - especially if the ad contains specific requests about certain skills. You can emphasize your ability for these skills in your letter. But don’t ramble on and on about how good you are, or how you can transform their company or how you can become an asset to 43

them. That is a big turn off. How can you become an asset if you don’t know much about them? Let them decide that. Secret - here’s a good thing to include. If you have done your homework on this company, then you will have almost certainly visited their web site to find out a little more about them… what they do; what they sell etc. Inserting a small addition to your letter regarding this shows that you have done your research and already know a little about them. This could get you a few extra brownie points with the interviewer. Important Tip: Make sure that you do know about the company you are applying to. Research them on the web etc. Know what they do, and for how long etc. Not knowing anything about them may well cost you the job. The third paragraph of our sample letter can be rewritten to look like this: I have researched Johnson Brothers' web site and found that your product line is very similar to what I have been successfully promoting for the past 10 years. As I am now ready for some new challenges, I feel that this position at Johnson Brothers may provide me with the opportunity to share my experience, knowledge, and motivational techniques with a new sales team with a view to increasing sales for your company. It is always a good idea to learn a little about the company you are applying to by visiting their web site. Try to memorize as much as you can about them. It might prove helpful at the interview stage. 44

Closing paragraph: Again, keep it simple, and state that you can attend an interview at any time, or whatever your circumstances might be. Try to make yourself available at any time if you can. This will show you are eager to talk to them at their convenience. Secret - Signing the letter. Always sign your name on the bottom of a letter and also print your full name underneath it. Within the United States and the UK there is such a diverse mix of cultures from all over the world that sometimes there are many first and last names that appear to be unpronounceable. It is always advisable to print your full name in case someone needs to contact you. Make it easy by writing your name for them. Tip: If your last name is one that is difficult to pronounce, you could consider making it easier for the HR department by adding an advisory on how your name is spoken. For example, you could add in parenthesis after your name: Nguyen (pronounced as "nuwin or win"). This is a personal choice situation and is entirely up to you. If you’ve had problems in the past with the pronunciation of your name, I would definitely include the advisory. How long should the letter be? Your cover letter should be one page only - never more. Just one page, and if yours is more, go back to work and cut it down. Use a simple format like my sample letter and don’t try and say too much. Sending in your application:

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Your application should be sent in as per the instructions in the advert. Check this carefully and apply accordingly. Many companies are now asking you to email your résumé, complete with cover letter to an email address in the advert. Even though your ad might not ask for a cover letter, you should still send one - always. Never ever just send a résumé and expect to get action from it. To just send a résumé with no cover letter or even a brief note will be considered rude and lazy. Are you expecting them to be jumping for joy at getting it? They are more likely to be thinking, hey, if he is this lazy in applying for the job, how is he going to be when working for us. When sending your application via email, always send your cover letter and résumé as two separate Word documents. The majority of companies today use Microsoft Word as their default word processor. A few companies use Word Perfect, but they are few and far between. When composing your résumé and letter, do so in MS Word if you have it and save them as native Word documents with DOC extenders. If you only have Word Perfect and not MS Word, then you have no choice other than to send as a WP document. However, when saving from WP, it would be a good idea to check to see if you can actually save the output as a Word DOC file. Many word processors can save the other program’s file format. Now, here’s a thought! If the job entails use of Microsoft Office software and you send in your application documents as Word Perfect files, how is that going to look for you in the eyes of the HR department? In this scenario I would definitely try to get a friend to copy and paste your documents into Word and save it out as a genuine Word document.

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To recap: You send in your application via email with a short, polite email explaining what is coming - attachments etc. Then attach your résumé and cover letter in MS Word format if possible. If you are requested to mail in your application via US Postal Service or UK Royal Mail, make sure you use a regular white, business envelope and address it in a neat and tidy fashion, and with the correct postage stamp on it. Remember, a neat and tidy application smacks of a neat and tidy applicant. Electronic Résumé Sorting. Many of the large companies now use a form of electronic sorting as the first tier sorting of resumes. Incoming résumés (and possibly cover letters) are run through scanning software that scans the document(s) for certain inclusions. These inclusions are almost certainly going to be keywords and descriptors related to the advert containing the vacancy. So make sure your cover letter has the keywords mentioned in the advert. Most electronic résumé-sorting methods are hit-and-miss. If an employer's search criteria don't find a match in your résumé, your document may not be selected. Most companies, however, will probably use the human type of résumé sorting in the Human Resources office. Only the larger companies use software scanning. Online Applications. As modern technology advances, companies are now finding it more cost-effective to place their job applications online and have them applied for online at the same time. It also 47

offers the potential employers more chances to get exactly what they want from an applicant. There is virtually no limit to how many questions they can ask, and how many statements they can make, and above all, it is the perfect platform to test applicants' comprehension skills. It's getting to be a hard world out there on the Internet, but it is still easy to manage if you follow the advice I am giving you. Applying Online. When applying online you may find yourself limited to what you can say when using the form-filling process. There may not be much room to say anything about yourself. It may appear to be all pre-planned for you. There is probably nowhere where you can attach a file or two with your application. This is where you have to work harder and smarter. There is always going to be somewhere you can add more info. Most online forms have an area toward the bottom that allows you to add comments if you wish to. If there is nowhere else to add comments, then cut and paste the whole cover letter into that section. OK, so you might lose the formatting and emphasis points, but you will get the words and paragraphs into the application. Even though they are not as you wanted, you are still getting them in, so it is a case of being thankful for small mercies here or at least getting the next best thing. Sending Attachments: Look closely for a section that allows you to send attachments. If there is one, drop your Cover Letter and Resume right in there in your Word format. They should see it exactly as you have written it.

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If there is absolutely nowhere to include your cover letter info, then try and slot it in the places that are available for answers to questions. That might not look very good at their end though. I think that if it were me that was doing this application I would go to the company web site, look for the Contact Us page and find an email address so you can inquire where to send your files. They may not be too interested, but they may have a customer service number where you can attach your files and ask to have them forwarded to the Human Resource offices. Apart from that, there is little more that you can do. Secret - Follow-ups. Some people say in their letter that they will follow up with the company about their application. Some recruitment web sites say this is a good thing, others don’t think so. I sometimes wonder why we should have to follow up. Is it to reinforce our application? I recently heard of an applicant that followed up - even though the advert asked for no follow ups - and he said the wrong thing on the phone. That error killed his chances. I also heard of one applicant that was clearly advised at his interview that there was no need to follow up and that he would be contacted. He ignored this advice and continued to phone every other day, until he was finally told "no," just to get rid of him. Now this really is one time when you should think of the other guy! Follow ups can be annoying and irritating. Do it at your peril.

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Important Tip: Follow-ups are normally implemented after an interview has taken place. Some employers like them and reward the applicant for persistence and tenacity. However, I am pretty sure that most employers do not want to be bothered with them. .

I have never really heard of following up after an application has been sent in. You could use it as a reason to make sure that your application has been received. If the person you talk to is friendly and easy to talk to, you could politely ask if you can look forward to an interview - but don't push your luck too far. New follow-up technique, perhaps brilliant! After an interview has ended, you could politely ask the interviewer if he has a business card. No need to give a reason for asking, just try and get one. Today's business cards come complete with email addresses, too. If you can get hold of the interviewer's business card, then you can send him a simple 'thank you' email. This is far better than a follow-up. It shows courtesy and appreciation. How long after your interview should you send your 'thank you' email? It would be great if your 'thank you' email landed in the interviewer's Inbox just after he had finished the interview process stage. This is all going to be mostly a 'hit and miss' situation in trying to gauge when the interviewing process has ended. Perhaps I would try for the second morning after the interview, say, Thursday morning after a Tuesday interview.

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A follow up email should be simple and reasonably short. Here is a possible sample: Dear Mr. Johnson, I am writing to say how much I enjoyed the interview with you on Tuesday of this week, and to thank you for the opportunity. I will be happy to attend a further interview if necessary. Sincerely, John Smith. Anytown.

Back to the cover letter: Below is a sample of a finished and polished letter that should be sent in with your résumé CV as your application. Obviously you are going to have to make changes to suit YOUR cover letter, so stick to the same format and just fill in the blanks, so to speak.

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You will notice from the cover letter above how I have changed the body of the cover letter to reflect on the job advert itself. These changes pretty much cover everything that is required for the job as set out in the advert. Meeting the requirements for this particular job has been done mainly in just one paragraph and gives the employer everything she needs in one simple letter. There is nothing in this letter that the employer could use to eliminate you from the interview list. If I or my wife saw this cover letter it would go straight to the interview pile. Here is an example of a typical job advert's requirements found on Craig's List: Required Qualifications: Knowledge of Microsoft Office. Excellent organizational skills. Attention to detail. Customer service experience. Ability to deal with a variety of personalities. Reliability. Self-starter.

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High level of computer knowledge and willingness to teach others.

Let's analyze these requirements a little further. Knowledge of MS Office. This usually means at least Word, Outlook and Excel. Excellent organizational skills. This could mean filing, keeping a clean desk etc. Attention to detail. Typos, spelling, grammatical errors, accuracy in all things. Customer service experience. Self explanatory - also means front desk and telephone reception. Ability to deal with a variety of personalities. Shy people, introverts, extroverts, I'm important, do you know who I am, type of personalities.

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More Secret Tips Secret Tip: Removing “I” and “Me” from paragraphs. When you are writing your letter and résumé, always try to remove as many of the "I" and "me" references. There is nothing worse than reading a letter that is all about "I"this, "I" that, "me" this, "me" that, and "me" the other. Look at your letter and résumé, analyze them, and try to remove as many of these as possible. The finished letter on a previous page has the minimum of "I"s included, and just enough to describe what is necessary. Secret Tip: How do I get rid of all the 'I's Sample: I am currently employed as fork-lift truck driver and I take care of incoming goods and I also use a computer to record stock inventory at the end of each day. I am also required to supervise junior workers and make sure they stick to the company's rules and regulations. Rewrite: Currently employed as a fork-lift truck driver, my responsibilities also include, placement of incoming goods, inventory management, computer use with knowledge of Windows XP. Further duties include the ongoing training of new staff members to ensure they are aware of company rules & regulations. Please note: The above are only samples of how you can do a rewrite to get rid of most of the “I”s. The wording is purely

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random and not necessarily what I would write. However, it does show you how to get the job done and has removed every “I” in sight. Secret Tip: Tailoring your Resume / CV. Another great piece of advice is to always tailor your résumé to fit the job you are applying for. This does not mean lying or making false claims etc. It simply means adjusting it so that it is a close match to what the job entails and is being requested in the advert. Secret Tip: The Objective. Dump the "objective" section on your résumé and replace it with a "professional profile" instead. The objective statement is way out of date and so predictable. It is useless to include one these days. Use a Profile Statement instead. Now THIS IS all about you! A profile statement says much more about you and your recent work history and should be included as the first item in your résumé. Now here's another little piece of psychology to think about: you should spend as much time on this statement as you can. Write it, then rewrite it, then do it again and then polish it to sound as professional as you can. Obviously, if you are applying for an entry level position at, say, Burger King or McDonalds or similar fast food type of place, a profile statement will not be necessary, but for other positions like store sales associate - Marks and Spencer, JC Penney and other similar stores, then yes it will give you a good advantage if written properly.

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Off the top of my head, here is a typical profile statement for an office manager looking for work in a construction company environment: Profile Statement Example: An office management professional with over 15 years’ experience in staff management, coaching and training to supervisory levels. Strong knowledge of computerized accounting programs. Fully experienced in comprehension of technical drawings and construction costing. Capable of devising ongoing staff training in construction law, code and local regulations. Trained in modern First Aid and CPR techniques via ongoing field and classroom training. From the above profile, you can see how easy it is to not use the words "I" and "me" with just a little forethought. A profile doesn't have to make grammatical sense; all it has to do is implant yourself and your capabilities firmly in the mind of the person reading your application. Putting it right up front can help to ensure a positive mindset is reflecting on the reader.

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Adjusting a Résumé to Suit a Particular Job Position This really is an absolute “must do” if you are to stand any chance of getting to the interview table. Any time that I read a cover letter and resume sent as a job application, I can actually tell just how much effort the candidate has put in to make their documents look as professional as possible. Yet many people still try the “one size fits all” theory. Read on to find out why you should adjust your resume and cover letter for every single job application you make. Most people do not realize that in the job application market the "one size fits all" theory does not apply. Absolutely and categorically NO. This is the biggest mistake that you can make when applying for a job. If you send in your standard résumé for every job you apply for, then expect to be disappointed, and FAST. Why is that? The reason is that no two jobs are the same - well, very rarely. Each job is different and will require slightly different qualities from the applicants. You really have to "tailor" your résumé to fit as closely as possible with the requirements of the job you are applying for. By "tailor" I mean adjust it, omit a few non-relevant items, and polish it to fit the job in question. I do not mean for you to lie, tell untruths and make claims you cannot substantiate. If you do this, you will be found out - probably at the interview stage - and probably to your detriment. Never

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tell lies or make outrageous claims on your résumé. It'll come back and bite you on your rear end. So, you have to tailor your résumé to highlight the best points that are relevant to the new job. For instance, if the job requires telephone reception and talking with customers as the main duties, make sure that your customer service experience is brought to the forefront in your résumé. You can be reasonably safe in deleting your six months service in food preparation. As you can now imagine, no two jobs are the same and therefore no two résumés should be the same - except in rare cases. If you see a job you would like to apply for, print out your résumé, look at what the new job entails, then find your experience that is a close match to what is required and bring that forward so it is in a prominent position. Do the same with other areas of your résumé thus making it a pretty good match to what this company is actually looking for. If you are running a little short of space, highlight all the points that might not be necessary or relevant to this job in this case and delete them to free up some space. Have someone check your résumé to make sure you have got it about right for this particular application. When you are happy with it, you should save it with a relevant file name. Something like: main-resume-customer-service-related. Don't forget, this is a very important aspect of your job application.

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Ideally, your resume and cover letter should be dovetailed so that they complement each other.

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Case Studies I have had hundreds of clients over the years requesting my services. Every one of them was special to me in their own way. Every client needs some sort of assistance. I had some very smart and clever people come to my office. While they were indeed smart and clever in various aspects of their lives, putting words together on paper was not one of their skills. I always felt very honored when professional people asked me to assist them. I always felt it was a case of like peers helping each other. I very often learned a lot from some of these people. Case Study 1: One such case came about when I took a call from a man that was the general manager of a Southampton tool company which was well known throughout the locality and sponsored the city soccer team. They were a big outfit. Anyway, I took him on and he arrived saying he had heard some good things about me. He told me he had been with this company for many years and had just had enough and wanted to try something else. I told him to go off and find some positions he thought he was qualified for. He returned a few days later with a small list, but one position in particular he really fancied. It was in a bank in Central London. I can't quite remember the actual position he wanted to apply for, though. Many Southampton people commute to London as it is only an hour's train ride away. So we analyzed the advertisement,

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pulled it apart into sections and addressed each section individually and gradually created a cover letter built around the advertisement itself. We sat and polished it till we were both happy with it. I could see the look of excitement in this guy's eyes as we spoke. Then we set about his résumé. How were we going to tie in a career of being a general manager for a tool company so that it appealed to a Central London bank? One really important part of submitting a résumé to any company is that you may have to adjust it slightly to be more fitting for a particular position. Here's How We Did It! Naturally, we couldn't send his résumé up with his best asset being related to tool-making. It wouldn't have made much sense to a bank position, would it? We took apart his résumé and identified all the salient points of his career over the previous 20 years with this tool making company. We identified the areas that might appeal to a position in banking and started to rebuild his résumé accordingly. We brought forward and highlighted all his:

Financial experience in managing the company. Experience in modern sales & marketing techniques

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Exceptional techniques.

budgeting

skills

and

Skills in personnel management and recruitment. Training methods. And many other skills that might apply to a position in banking. His skills in tool-making and engineering were not given prominence and were only included if space permitted. As you can see, we turned his image from previously portraying him as a general manager with emphasis on engineering and manufacturing products, into someone who may well appeal to a Central London bank that is looking to recruit, let's say, a banker with responsibility for sales & marketing in the finance industry. With his job cover letter and new résumé all now ready, he mailed off his application. Two days later, he phoned to tell me that he had an interview with the bank in London the following Monday. Job Done! Case Study 2: This next case study could not be more different from the first one. Not only does it show both ends of the spectrum, it

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shows just how easy it is to transform yourself using a little thought and presentation. A young lady called Julie called me one day and asked if she could come in on her way home from work. I said yes, and she eventually showed up. I showed her into my office and she sat down - I thought she was aged about 20. I asked her to run through her needs and whys and wherefores etc. She made a start telling me she worked for a well-known department store and she was so unhappy in her job. I was shocked a little as I had always heard good things about this store - how they had their own hairdressing salons for the staff, and other such nice facilities. She continued for a while, then all of a sudden she burst out crying and proceeded to break down, right there in front of me. Being a mere male of the species, I didn't really know what to do. Eventually she calmed down and proceeded to tell me what was going on. It turned out that the other ladies that worked there were quite bitchy towards her and were always trying to get her into trouble and other such things. I had a hard time imagining that as Julie was such a sweet girl and very attractive too. Who was I to argue! She eventually got around to telling me that she wanted to get into sales of some sort and wanted me to help her with that. I agreed and told her that I would help her and the first thing we needed to do was to take care of her résumé. So we brought that right up to date and changed things to reflect her current status. The deal was, that she would go home and carry on at her current job until such time as she saw a position she thought she was qualified for. So off she went.

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She called in on her way home a few days later clutching an advert for a sales person for a local automotive parts company. She wanted to have a crack at that one. I explained to her that she just didn't have what they were looking for, but if we could get an interview it would be good experience for her nonetheless. But she must not expect to get the job. She agreed. I put together her application and sent it off for her. She phoned a day or two later saying she had an interview for the sales position. Great! Good for her. As expected, she didn't get the job, but got some good experience from going to the interview. Everything was as predicted and nobody got upset. (I don't know if I could have gone through THAT again.) A couple of weeks passed then Julie returned again... this time with an advert for a Ladies Clothing Store manager, and in her home town, too. This time the roles were reversed, with her thinking she had no chance, but wanted the interview experience again, and me thinking, YES, we can get this one with a bit of luck! So we argued back and forth, with me trying to convince this girl she could do it and she in turn trying to convince me she couldn't. She finally came around and we decided to go for it. Working for a department store, she obviously has quite a bit of experience on the sales floor, and customer service, too. She had also worked in the women's clothing department as well. So we made this the base of the application. She insisted that she had no supervisory experience though. We soon got over that and finished tailoring her résumé accordingly. Next we started on her cover letter. The advert actually asked for one, too! So we were off to a good start. 65

Julie had a few years of retail experience with her store, plus customer service experience also. She knew quite a bit about ladies clothing... sizing, styles, alterations etc. But she didn't have much supervisory experience, and definitely no management experience. So, we offered to go to school to get the necessary experience to manage the store, and we also mentioned that she looked forward to receiving ongoing management training from the store's directors. The application was mailed off by a very excited Julie. I was a little nervous as I had promised her that I would get her out of her current job and into a much better job in 3 months. Three days later Julie got a phone call saying she was wanted for an interview. She was ecstatic about it - I didn't feel too bad, either. She came over and I coached her for her interview. If she was asked this, she would say that etc. But the crux was the management side of things. I decided to advise her to say that she wanted to be trained by the company internally. The company would then get exactly the manager they wanted. Julie attended the interview and thought she did quite well. Two days later she called and said she had got the job. She was on cloud 9 for sure. I was so pleased for her and had kept my promise. I asked her to try and find out what had impressed them most about her. I really needed this feedback to know what works and what doesn't. It was the management part where she wanted THEM to train her to their specifications and needs. That's what got her the job. I felt a little smug inside - I told you so!

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These two case studies could not be any more different. But they do show that you have to treat every job application differently. You do have to tailor your résumé each time to better match the requirements of the job. If you retain the one size fits all theory, then you will really miss out.

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Conclusion I do hope you have enjoyed reading this guide to writing good cover letters to accompany your résumé when applying for a new job. As you will have seen, it's a plain and simple process on how to give the interviewer 'exactly what she wants.' After all, this whole process of writing a cover letter is to get an interview, and to get that interview you must please the person reading your letter. If you read and analyze the advert for the job, then all you have to do is send in a cover letter demonstrating that you have all the required skills to do the job. Be sure you can do everything they are asking for, though, because you will very soon be found out if you can't. If there is something you might not be able to do, do not mention it in the cover letter; wait for the interview stage then bring it up yourself and say you would be happy to have a little training in that area. Everything I have advised and advocated has been proven many times to be both useful and persuasive when used to apply for a job. As we have discussed, it is all a question of psychology between you, the writer, and the person at the other end, the reader. Think of the other guy; the person on the other end who will read your CV and cover letter. Yes, that does seem to be my mantra, and the theme running through the guide. And I am telling you again, right here. 68

Why? Because it is absolutely the best thing you could ever do. Trust me! I kid you not! If you were to write a cover letter all about you, you, and if there is any left, a little more about you, how do you feel the reader will think? She doesn't really care about you; all she cares about is if you can do the job she is advertising for. That is it in a nutshell. At this early stage, it is not about you. It is all about them! Armed with this information, you are already head and shoulders above most others that are applying. All you have to do is convince the reader that you can do the job and meet all the criteria the advert is asking for. You may have to add a little about your achievements and experience to back this up. But that will pretty much get you to the interview room.

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Book Reviews Would you please do me a favor? If you have enjoyed reading this “how to write a job cover letter” publication, would you please consider writing a review of the book on the sales page. You may even be sent a reminder email about writing a review on the book. Here’s why. When people are on an ebook sales web site looking for ebooks and How To guides, they usually read the reviews that other people have written about the book. These reviews are their own personal views and opinions about whether they liked the book, and what they particularly liked about it. This type of review definitely helps potential buyers decide if they are going to like the book based on reviews written by others. So your opinion of this book would be very welcome regardless of whether you liked it or not.

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Where I Am Today! I have gradually moved on now, and although I do still produce the odd résumé and cover letter, I have ventured into the Internet world and now specialize in all forms of Internet marketing, including Google, Yahoo and MSN advertising for my regular clients, copywriting for small business, and producing various types of documents including operating manuals and technical writing. Other specialties include Search Engine Optimization for small business web sites. If you have any questions, I can be contacted at: [email protected] And, as you have purchased this guide, you are welcome to ask any questions you may have about applying for a particular job. I am willing to help you if I can. Kind regards

David Roberts David Roberts Marketing.

Ps. You can learn more about me in the following pages.

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About the Author Hello! I'm David Roberts, the author of this guide: How to Write a Job Cover Letter. Since the early 90s, I have been involved in some form of marketing, whether it's hard-copy that gets sent in the mail or the more modern style of Internet marketing. Having had a penchant for putting words onto paper, I sometimes found that while we are all capable of writing words on paper, I was fortunate in that I was able to put them in the right order - most of the time - so they made sense to a reader. Looking back, I have come to the conclusion that this writing of words is a skill and talent all on its own. I consider myself fortunate that I can do this and express my thanks to whomever will listen every day. My First Computer After purchasing my very first computer - with a whopping 110mb hard drive - I was eager to try out my copywriting talents on a word processor, if I could get hold of one. Printers in those days were of the dot matrix variety, but I didn't know any different and got excited every time my sheet of paper printed out and looked exactly as I had intended. My interest in words has never waned and I am still as interested in them today as I was back in the 90s. I have always found it amazing that there are so many people who are not blessed with spelling and grammar skills. This is an area that lets so many people down. I know several

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engineers who have brilliant minds in design, but they couldn't spell if they tried. Each to his own, I guess. As I progressed through my computer learning, I was always interested in software that could do things for me with words and numbers. I loved that sort of thing, and I came across a piece of software that claimed you could become a résumé writer without any previous knowledge. Note: The word "résumé" is derived from a French noun and correct spelling has accents on both the e letters. However, in this type of document it is not normally required to express the accents. Note: CV is an abbreviated version of Curriculum Vitae which loosely means a record of your working life and subsequent qualifications. CV and resume mean exactly the same as each other. Résumés are generally used across the United States and Canada and CVs are used everywhere else where international English is spoken. I decided to send for the software, which incidentally, was very poor and spat out a Word document in the "one size fits all" category. However it did give me a few ideas on how to put a résumé together. I decided I wanted to put my own résumé together and thought that a nice looking document coupled with good words and content - in the right order - would help folks who were struggling to put a job cover letter and résumé together. For the next five years, I wrote job cover letters and résumés for anyone who called my office. There is more to writing 74

these things than most people would believe, however. Anyone can rattle off a job cover letter in the hope that it will do the job for them. Rarely do these folks get a response to their poor cover letters. My clients were getting interviews, but I was not happy with the percentage factor. I wanted more success, so I decide to do a small survey of local companies who had Human Resource departments. I made it easy for them and all they had to do was check boxes etc., so they didn't waste too much of their time. The results that came back were very surprising. Nearly every company said that the "job cover letter" was the most important part of any job application. To me, this was huge, so I concentrated my efforts on job cover letter writing as well as the résumés. I was determined to give my clients the best chance possible. After all, I was getting calls every day from people that were referred to me for help in the job application field. After experimenting with my job cover letters, I decided on a format that would really give my clients a fighting chance. Remember that engineer with the brilliant mind, I'll bet he could design an airplane to the last millimeter, but writing a job cover letter... forget it! And this is why some really good, talented people do not get the interviews that they deserve, all because they cannot express themselves in a job cover letter. Some folks that could express themselves did it incorrectly and blew their chances of an interview. Seeing that the job industry market is still in poor condition with so many people out of work, an employer can now 75

expect to see so many applications for a single job then he ever had before. I have heard of 100 applications being the normal amount in some areas. If the employer or human resource department has to sift through 100 applications, you had better make sure yours is going to stand out and impress them. They will probably only interview perhaps 5 applicants from the 100 or so they received. You only get one crack at it - so you had better make it good, or you'll be standing by your phone for a long time.

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I moved to Internet marketing in 2000 But I still did the occasional résumé for people. I was too busy with marketing. With the advent of the Internet and the way technology has advanced in recent years, we have been introduced to such companies as eBay, Amazon, software outlets galore, and then some. Every man and his dog seemed to be selling résumé writing and job cover letter writing guides on eBay and other similar web sites. It was a quick online sale and most of it was absolute junk. It started to irritate me that ordinary folks that work hard for their money were being duped by so called "experts" and "recruiters" only to still be in the same position. I started to look further into the types of information on applying for a job and résumés that were being bandied around the Internet - mostly eBay. It was still junk, and I even bought a couple myself so I could see the advice that was on offer. I got so incensed and angry when I saw what was being sold to people to help them apply for other employment. My favorite is when I see an ebook being offered on "how to write a résumé," or "how to write a job cover letter," by someone calling himself a "recruiter." May be a recruiter will know a little more than the average person, sure, but recruiters are termed usually as head-hunters or in the human resource department of a company, or being employed in an agency office for temporary staff. I am not knocking them, but anyone can call themselves a recruiter in certain circumstances.

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My claim to fame is that I didn't recruit or work with just one person, I wrote job applications for hundreds of people, applying for hundreds of different jobs across a broad spectrum. No two job applications are the same. Everything is different in every resume and every job cover letter. I did hundreds of them over a period of years and was able to write for many different industries from banking to retail stores. Finally, after seeing this junk being sold to people who, in good faith, are expecting top of the line info, I decided to come back into this market and write my own guide on writing job cover letters. After all, my survey recipients all said that the job cover letter was the most important thing to them. I soon started pounding the keyboard and the resulting document is what you have just read.

Thanks again. Regards

David Roberts

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More Publications by David Roberts Marketing

How to Write a Cover Letter for Job Applications – by David Roberts

This is a real eye-opener for many people who thought that all you had to do to get an interview was write a nice cover letter, attach a CV or resume, and an invite to an interview would soon be forthcoming. This is definitely not the case anymore. Times have changed. David Roberts has blown the lid off this one and is telling it like it is, with no frills or fancy jingles. This is a hard-hitting book which shows you how to write a cover letter the proper way. And if you follow Roberts’ direction, you will almost certainly get an interview. Roberts’ explains every single detail to you and the importance of how you respond to those details. He will tell you things you had never even thought about before and why you should take notice of them now. This book definitely gives the reader an unfair advantage when applying for a new job.

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Top Ten Tips for Writing Cover Letters - by David Roberts Another Job Cover Letter title by David Roberts. It is a mini version of the full book on how to write a cover letter as described above. David Roberts outlines his Top Ten Tips which he believes are some of the most important things you need to know before writing a cover letter while applying for a new job.

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Job Interview Tips & Tricks – by David Roberts & Shirley Miller Another excellent “how to” style publication from David Roberts Marketing. It is amazing just how much people don’t know about attending a job interview. Many people feel they only have to show up to get the job; many feel they can just walk in and it’ll be a breeze; and the majority just don’t have a clue, even though they think they do. David Roberts has nearly 20 years’ experience in helping people to change jobs. Not only is getting an interview very important, but how to conduct yourself in that interview is

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even more important. Shirley Miller has over 20 years’ experience as an executive in top advertising agencies as well as a marketing director for a famous Japanese electronics company in Southern California. Shirley has extensive experience in interviewing applicants for all type of employment from entry-level personnel through to management positions. David Roberts and Shirley Miller share all their experiences with you and offer excellent advice in this publication. They will show you things that you have never even thought of before. Be prepared to be amazed!

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Search Engine Optimization for Small Businesses – by David Roberts Here is an excellent “how to” style book that takes you through the process of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) when building a web site for your small business. David Roberts has over 20 years’ experience in Internet Marketing which includes building scores of small business web sites and optimizing them to satisfy the search engine expectations of that time. Search engines improve their expectations from time to time and when this happens, we should improve our web sites to

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satisfy those new expectations. If you don’t ready your web site for search engine visits, nobody will ever see your site and can therefore never do any business with you. In this publication, David Roberts starts from the very beginning and goes through the whole gamut of how to optimize your web site, and why.

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Golf Tips for Women – by Shirley Miller This is an excellent collection of tips and tricks for lady golfers and beginners of all ages. Shirley Miller has been an avid lady golfer for over 25 years. She has played many international golf courses and arranged and coordinated many tournaments that were sponsored by her Japanese Electronics company employers. Shirley has experienced the ups and down of golfing, the bad lays, the chauvinistic comments made by many male golfers, and the importance of taking golf lessons. This is an excellent read for lady golfers and really does offer tips and tricks on probably most shots a girl is likely to have to play.

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Golf Apparel for Women – Ladies’ Golf Clothes – by Shirley Miller An informative guide on some of the apparel available and worn by women golfers, along with Shirley Miller’s opinion on them and whether they should be classed as advantageous to the golfer or whether they are closer to making fashion statements by celebrities of the game.

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Freelance Writing for Beginners – by Shirley Miller Another informative “how to” style guide for beginners to freelance writing. There are many people who think they have the gift of being able to write good content for books and other publications. However, while they might think it is good, most others will probably not agree. There are two main style of writing these days, and one is for general purpose writing for everyday use, and the other is writing from a business standpoint. A business standpoint is when you are writing with a specific purpose in mind, perhaps to try and persuade the reader to take a certain action, or to instruct the reader in a “how to do it” style of writing. Whether it be “how to” style or attempting to sell something via your

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words, or commercial descriptions, this is all a form of what is known as “copy writing” – not to be confused with copyrighting. Shirley Miller takes you through the beginning process of copy writing and explains how to do various tasks as well as tips and tricks of the writing game.

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Secrets and Short Stories from the Hairdresser’s Chair – by Sheila Shannon These short stories are the start of a collection of stories revealed at the hairdressing chair of Shelia Shannon – a hairdresser in Western Washington State. Sometimes sad, sometimes revealing, sometimes shocking and sometimes unbelievable, these short stories will keep you glued to them until you reach the outcome.

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Last Flight Out - a novel by Shirley Miller

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Set in the Chicago underworld of sex, sleaze and the mob, this novel follows the main character as she tries to advance her career in the advertising industry while balancing demands from her underworld connections. A treacherous path is in her future. Check out Shirley Miller's Murder Mystery Novel.

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Ring of Deception - a novel by Shirley Miller Starting in Seattle, follow this fast-moving novel as it develops into a murder chase by two innocent sisters who are chasing unknown people to unknown locations. Eventually the main characters - the sisters - follow the red hot trail to London, England, where they discover that they might be uncovering more than they bargained for. What starts as a murder investigation, is quickly transformed when romance and drugs enter the scene. Check out Shirley Miller's Murder Romance & Drugs Mystery in London.

Thanks again for your purchase.

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