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#BestofFSCBlog : Today’s Job Market, Yeah, Crafting A Compelling Letter Of Interest(Cover Letter) To Ignite Your Job Search is a Good Thing…. Want to Stand Out? Cover Letter is a Good Idea?

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“How important are cover letters?” wondered Ashley after hiring a resume writer and realizing most jobs also required to send a cover letter. This is probably the #1 question candidates ask when applying for a job. Many jobs have the cover letter as optional, but it leaves job seekers wondering if they should send it and how much they should customize it.

The simple answer is that it is very important if you want to stand out from the crowd. A well-crafted letter of interest can set you apart from the competition in today’s cut-throat job market. Whether you’re seeking a new opportunity, changing your career path, or simply striving to make a lasting impression, mastering the art of writing a captivating letter of interest can be a game-changer.

Understanding the Purpose of a Letter of Interest

A letter of interest is a crucial tool for expressing your interest in a specific position, company, or industry, even when there’s no formal job opening. The ultimate goal is to leave a lasting impression and position yourself as a valuable asset to the organization. A well-written letter of interest can be highly effective in uncovering unadvertised opportunities and showcasing your proactive initiative.

Although a resume summarizes your skills and experience, a cover letter provides a detailed account of your desire for a specific job and an opportunity to showcase your personality. You can think of the cover letter as the marriage between the prospective job description and your resume: your chance to show your interviewer how well your skills match the job right before the interview.

Sometimes cover letters are optional, but they are always a good way to tailor your experience to the specific job. While it may seem daunting to create a cover letter for every role you apply to, it can force you to be very specific and focused on the job you want to avoid overworking and spreading yourself too thin in the job search. Having a clear understanding of your goals can greatly simplify writing a cover letter.

Writing an outstanding statement of interest

1. Start with Research: Research the company, its values, mission, and recent achievements. This knowledge will enable you to tailor your letter to the organization’s needs and demonstrate your genuine interest.

2. Make Your Opening Engaging: Capture the reader’s attention with a relevant anecdote, striking industry statistic, or thought-provoking question.

3. Showcase Your Value: Highlight your skills, experiences, and accomplishments that align with the company’s requirements. Be specific and focus on how you can contribute to their success.

4. Customize Your Letter: It is important to avoid using generic templates when writing a cover letter. Instead, tailor your letter to the specific company and job you are interested in. This will show your dedication and help you stand out. Elainy Mata emphasizes in Harvard Business Review the importance of writing only one page and, of course, having a template to start, but always tailoring it to make it sound like you and to make it sound like it is only for them.

5. Express Enthusiasm: Clearly state your interest in the organization and the role you’re targeting. Convey your passion for the industry and your excitement about the potential to contribute.

6. Highlight Cultural Fit: Emphasize your alignment with the company’s culture and values. This demonstrates that you’ve done your homework and can seamlessly integrate into their team.

7. Address Needs and Challenges: Address specific challenges the company might be facing and briefly propose how your skills could help tackle those issues.

8. Maintain a Professional Tone: Make sure to maintain a formal and professional tone throughout the letter and proofread for grammar and spelling errors to demonstrate attention to detail.

 

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How to craft a cover letter when switching careers

If you are changing careers, crafting a new cover letter can be challenging. Upwork recommends including in the cover letter the following: your transferable skills, why you are switching careers, your expression of interest/excitement in the company and a powerful closing paragraph.

Crafting a compelling expression of interest

Crafting a compelling Expression of Interest (EOI) is crucial to make your application stand out. These five tips can help you create an EOI that resonates with the hiring company:

  • Identify your unique strengths and experiences that differentiate you from other candidates.
  • Quantify your achievements whenever possible.
  • Strike a balance between confidence and humility.
  • Mention any relevant connections within the company.
  • Conclude your letter with a call to action.

In the ever-evolving job market, a compelling letter of interest can open doors you never knew existed. By meticulously researching the company, tailoring your letter, and effectively showcasing your value, you can leave a lasting impression that sparks curiosity and potential collaboration. Remember, a well-crafted letter of interest is not just a document; it’s your foot in the door to a world of career possibilities.

Forbes.com | August 25, 2023

#JobSearch : Write A Cover Letter To Get Noticed (And Hired!): 4 Best Practices. Best Way to Stand Out, Get Noticed! MUst REad!

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Despite headlines about layoffs and companies downsizing, the job market is still strong. But to find a great job, you must set yourself apart, and a primary way to make an impression is with a compelling cover letter.

                                Question: How do you stand out?

The cover letter is still critical to the way you present yourself—and perhaps more importantly—the way you distinguish yourself from so many other job seekers.

Cover Letters Matter

Fully 56% of employers prefer a cover letter, according to an article published in Business and Professional Communication Quarterly. And 45% of recruiters said that not having one could result in your application being rejected, according to stats collected by Resume Now.

Hiring managers say cover letters make them more likely to pay attention to an application. They say they read them, and they are an important factor in the hiring decision. In addition, 47% of people include a cover letter, based on the Resume Now stats.

Cover letters admittedly require a lot of effort to research, customize and write—but they are worth it and a necessary part of the process. Write one whether or not it is requested, because it will make you more memorable and separate you from the pack. Just make sure you provide a high-quality cover letter, because a poor letter is worse than none at all.

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Did you know?  First Sun Consulting, Llc (FSC) is celebrating over 32 years in delivering corporate & individual outplacement services & programs to over 1200 corporate clients in the U.S., Canada, the UK, & Mexico!   Visit & contact us @ www.firstsun.com

We here at FSC want to thank each of our corporate partners for the opportunity to serve & moving each of their transitioning employee(s) rapidly toward employment!

Article continued …

Write on Purpose

When you’re developing your cover letter, be sure you write with its purpose in mind. Use it to introduce yourself and as a vehicle to create your first impression. A cover letter should communicate why you want the role, why you’d value working for the organization and why you believe you’re a good fit to the role and the culture.

A cover letter is meant to provide details which go beyond your resume, expanding on responsibilities, giving examples and highlighting your achievements and results. If necessary, you can also use it to explain gaps in your resume or extenuating circumstances related to your employment.

Write for Relevance

In addition to writing a cover letter in the first place, perhaps the most important thing you should do in the document is to show a match between your talents and the job you’re applying for.

Do your homework, researching the job and the organization so you can reflect the company’s direction and priorities and make a case for how you can contribute to reaching them. Highlight the way your achievements relate to the role you’re applying for.

In addition, be humble. Talk about making a contribution to something, not achieving it by yourself. Communicate what you have learned about the job or the organization through your research, but stop short of saying you understand it perfectly. Hiring managers want to know you’ve put in the effort to read, review and learn, but they also want to know you get that there’s still a lot to discover.

Write for Alignment

Be sure your cover letter is aligned with your resume, but doesn’t repeat it. Be consistent in the format you use for both documents, and ensure your name and contact details are identical between the two.

In addition, align what the reader will see on each document. If your cover letter includes an example of the results you drove in your project management role with a volunteer association, be sure you reflect the details (for example, the name of association and type of responsibilities) similarly so they can make easy references. In addition, be sure the experiences you’re referring to in the cover letter are actually reflected in the resume.

The cover letter is also an opportunity to highlight which elements of your resume are most relevant. You may be a brilliant financial mind and previous roles demonstrate this—but if the job you’re applying for doesn’t include a finance component, you should use the cover letter to highlight the skills which are most related to the job you’re pursuing.

Write for Accuracy

Your cover letter should include a header (your contact information as well as the organization’s) as well as a salutation. Be sure to address it to a real person if you can determine the name of the proper recipient.

After these, your letter should include an introductory paragraph which talks about why you’re interested in the job and a body which provides details about how your experience is a match. Finally, it should include a concluding paragraph which summarizes your interest and invites the hiring team to contact you.

Be descriptive in your cover letter, but also concise. Fully 70% of hiring leaders prefer a shorter letter, according to the Resume Now stats. In addition, be creative and let your personality show, but avoid being goofy or gimmicky.

Always be sure to proofread your letter multiple times and even ask a friend to check it for you—to be sure it strikes the right tone and is error-free. When you’re deciding what to include in your cover letter, also be sure to follow directions from the organization, including all the necessary specifics they request.

A Reflection of You

Your cover letter is a reflection of you. It demonstrates your commitment to making the effort and putting in the work to make a case for yourself in relationship to the job and the organization. These will send a strong message to the potential employer about how you’ll perform and present yourself in a job.

Done well, a cover letter takes a significant investment of your time, but it will surely pay off in finding a great role!

Forbes.com Author:   Tracy Brower, PhD Follow me on Twitter or LinkedIn. Check out my website or some of my other work here.
Forbes.com | June 5, 2023

#BestofFSCBlog : Must REad! Job Hunters Take A Stand- We’re Not Writing Cover Letters. Today’s approach? Contacting employees at companies you want to work at over LinkedIn. Thoughts??

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To Whom It May Concern: Job applicants are putting a hard stop to those dreaded cover letters.

Many hiring managers say a sharp cover letter remains one of the best ways to make the case for why you are the right person for the job. Yet many job seekers say the self-promoting exercise is too torturous and time-consuming to be worth the effort for a less-than-dream role. It’s also just plain insulting, they argue, since it’s often an algorithm, not a human, that screens and sorts the applications.

Now, as employers struggle to fill millions of openings, job seekers are using their leverage to say no to what, until recently, was a must for landing a decent position.

“People are fundamentally fed up with having to do so much to get a job,” said Gianni LaTange, a 27-year-old in New York who works in tech. Ms. LaTange calls cover letters an antiquated hiring practice and no longer applies to jobs that require them.

To get her current role, she instead contacted employees at companies she wanted to work at over LinkedIn. One employee, after a brief conversation, connected her with a recruiter, and she ultimately got an offer without writing a letter, she said.

Some job seekers say writing cover letters is a job itself, and one that yields little reward for the effort. Before Devin Miller’s most recent job, he wrote about 10 cover letters to companies he wanted to work for. Each was different, and he wanted to signal that he knew what the work would entail, he said. He heard back from none. To get his current role, he responded to a recruiter who had reached out to him and asked just for a résumé, the 33-year-old Mr. Miller said.

Mr. Miller briefly looked for a new information-technology job in November because he was moving to Boston. This time, though, he said he applied only for openings that didn’t require a cover letter—and got several interviews and an offer.

“It just doesn’t align with my or my peers’ current interests in how they want to proceed with their career,” said Mr. Miller, who, in the end, opted to stay with his existing team and work remotely.

Behind all of the cover-letter hate lurks a major disconnect between job seekers and the employers trying to hire them. A recent Resume Lab survey of 200 hiring managers and recruiters found 83% said cover letters were important to deciding whom to hire, especially when it came to understanding why the applicant wanted the job or explaining a career switch or break. Nearly three-quarters said they expected a cover letter even if it wasn’t explicitly asked for.

 

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We here at FSC want to thank each of corporate partners in the opportunity in serving & moving each of their transitioning employee(s) rapidly toward employment !

Article continued …

If you don’t take the time to explain yourself, they’re not going to consider you,” said Jill Tipograph, co-founder of Early Stage Careers, a career-coaching company for college students and 20-somethings. Early-career applicants especially need cover letters to differentiate themselves, she said. It’s about “laying out the facts and the foundation of what you’re bringing to the table,” she said.

Yet only 38% of candidates attach cover letters to their applications even when it is requested, according to ResumeLab, which provides advice and online templates for building résumés and cover letters.

Kevin Grossman, president of the Talent Board, a nonprofit hiring and recruiting research group, said that many of the employers his organization works with no longer look at cover letters, in part because of automated application-screening tools. The exception, he said, is when hiring volume is smaller and recruiters have the time.

Another reason cover letters often fail to impress: “Most of them are extremely generic,” said Keith Wolf, managing director of recruiting firm Murray Resources, who advises job seekers to tailor them to the specific job opening.

Spending even a few minutes dashing off an enthusiastic message can reveal a person’s strengths and motivation in ways a résumé often can’t, said Sherrod DeGrippo, a vice president at a security-software company whose division hires about 10 employees each quarter.

“Don’t agonize over it—it’s not a make-or-break,” she said. “It’s a help, it’s a bonus.”

Hadassah Williams, 30, who works in administration, has used a similar strategy. She started writing more casual notes instead of formal letters when a job listing indicates cover letters—which she hates writing—are optional. They take about 40 minutes to write and can be customized to the role she is applying for, she said.

Julie Fugett’s views on cover letters have evolved over her career. As a chief information security officer in higher education, she used them to evaluate candidates’ attention to detail and communication skills.

But when she recently applied for a vice president role at a cybersecurity firm, Ms. Fugett decided not to submit one. She had seen tech-industry pushback to the practice on social media, and she didn’t want to appear out of touch.

She got the job—and was delighted she could skip the cover letter. She has since wondered whether cover letters can invite bias against talented candidates who, say, speak English as a second language.

“I have yet to meet a single person, including myself, that enjoys writing a cover letter,” Ms. Fugett said. “I’ve still written plenty of them, but it’s always a little painful.”

 

WSJ.com | March 26. 2022 |  Lindsay Ellis

#JobSearch :How To Use Keywords To Strengthen Your Personal Brand. Recruitment is Changing as Employers Continue to Scramble for Employees. Great REad!

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Recruitment is changing as employers continue to scramble for employees, in-person networking is still a thing of the past, and in-person interaction is just now slowly making a comeback. Recruiting trends are focusing on the candidate experience while streamlining the hiring process.

What does that mean for job hunters? 

Used by the majority of the Fortune 500, a key 2022 trend is the increased reliance and use of more advanced applicant tracking systems (ATS). ATS filters resumes and cover letters based on keywords, decreasing the time-to-hire by as reported by 86% of recruiters, and this improves the bottom line. But this is not without consequence to job seekers.

Keywords are vital in today’s job search – not only in your resume and cover letter but across your social platforms and networking sites. Keywords help increase your visibility and improve your chances of landing your dream job. Today, you need a personal SEO strategy.

According to Job Hunt, there are three areas where to focus your keywords: personal, professional goals, and work history.

Personal Keywords:

Your personal keywords include your name, target location, languages you speak, and education. Your name needs to match on all your social platforms (especially LinkedIn) and resume. Use your full name online unless you use an abbreviated name on your resume and all other printed materials you use such as business cards. Also, include your full name as your signature on email.

Also make sure you use the English version of languages you speak: ie. “Spanish,” not “español,” if your profile is written in English. This ensures the proper keyword would be discovered by recruiters.

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Did you know?  First Sun Consulting, LLc (FSC) is celebrating over 30 years in the delivery of corporate & individual outplacement services & programs to over 1200 of our corporate clients in the U.S., Canada, UK, & Mexico!  

We here at FSC want to thank each of corporate partners in the opportunity in serving & moving each of their transitioning employee(s) rapidly toward employment !

 

Article continued …

Professional Goals Keywords:

Choose keywords for the position you want. Include industry keywords as well. Here’s where a few hours exploring job posting will pay off. What words are recurring for the positions you want? Research industry keywords to include.

Work History Keywords:

Most of your keywords will be used here. Again, make sure you’ve done your research and know what keywords employers are using. You need to be truthful when using keywords. The trick is using the words employers use to describe work you do.

If the company you work for uses puns for job titles like Marketing Guru, change that to read Marketing Manager – if the title matches what you actually do. Where you have a lot of liberty is hard and soft skills. There are a lot of ways to say you have rock-solid communication skills including problem solving, confident speaking ability, active listening, and collaboration to name a few.

Use enough keywords when describing your experience, skills, certifications, and job-specific tools and techniques without overstuffing. Your LinkedIn profile, resume, and cover letter need to be readable.

Think like a recruiter. If you submitted a cover letter and resume, the recruiter is definitely going to search your LinkedIn profile. But recruiters also search LinkedIn for viable clients even when they haven’t received a resume. In fact, 95% of recruiters say they search LinkedIn to find candidates for open positions. LinkedIn reports that 70% of the global workforce is made up of passive talent not actively job hunting.

Your keywords need to be an exact match. Job Hunt uses the example of a job description requiring “Microsoft Word” experience. If your resume states “highly skilled with Microsoft Office products” it will not meet the search criteria. You may be well versed in Microsoft Office but if the majority of job postings are only asking for Microsoft Word, you need to include Microsoft Word.

How do you apply keywords to your other social channels? Use your full name or the variation of your name that appears on LinkedIn and your resume. On Facebook you can add keywords to the “about” section of your profile. Instagram allows a short description below your name and title. The same is true for Twitter.

Consistency matters. Your resume and social profiles should paint a picture of who you are, what you do, and where you want to go. Spending time quing into keywords will pay off in spades.

 

Forbes.com – February 11, 2022 – Ashley Stahl

#JobSearch : The Art of the Cover Letter. Cover Letters Can and Will Separate you from the Crowd into 2022 !

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This isn’t a discussion about whether or not you need a cover letter. Always err on the side of caution and include one if it is an option.

            Question: How do you stand out?

So…with that out of the way! Cover letters can be a powerful tool if used correctly. Writing a targeted cover letter for each company you are applying to could be the difference between getting an interview or not.

Here are some tips to keep in mind when crafting yours.

 

Don’t Rewrite Your Resume

Too often, people think their cover letter should simply be a summary of their resume. It is, in fact, an introduction from yourself to your reader. The hiring manager already has your resume, so it’s a waste of time to simply rewrite it. Instead, take advantage of the opportunity to demonstrate your understanding of the company’s needs and follow it immediately with how you can meet those needs. Your language in your cover letter doesn’t necessarily have to be as formal as the resume, but it shouldn’t be as informal as something like your LinkedIn profile.

 

Don’t Use A Generic One

Hiring managers read hundreds of cover letters every month, and they will be able to spot duplicates. They can also identify a generic letter, that doesn’t have anything to do with the position you are applying for or the company itself. They are looking for your specific skills, as well as how you think they fit into what they need. If you just make general statements about how companies today need what you have to offer, there’s a higher chance of your cover letter and resume getting tossed to the side and never really considered.

 

Choose A Few Skills To Match The Job Requirements

Be selective about your top skills that match the position and focus on those in your cover letter. Connect the dots from your skills to the company’s pain points. You want them to leave remembering your key achievements and skills, so keep it short and sweet. A couple of paragraphs and bullets will do the trick. You can discuss your other skills in the interview.

 

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What Skill Sets Do You have to be ‘Sharpened’ ?

Did you know?  First Sun Consulting, LLc (FSC) is celebrating over 30 years in the delivery of corporate & individual outplacement services & programs to over 1200 of our corporate clients in the U.S., Canada, UK, & Mexico!  

We here at FSC want to thank each of corporate partners in the opportunity in serving & moving each of their transitioning employee(s) rapidly toward employment !

 

Article continued …

Be Personal

Don’t forget to show some personality and grab their attention in the first sentence, drawing them in. Make sure the letter is addressed to someone specific. We have enough information at our finger tips to find a name, either through a company website or LinkedIn. If all else fails, make a phone call and ask for the name (and spelling) of the hiring manager.

Invite Interaction

Don’t leave out a call-to-action in the last paragraph. Show your genuine interest position. List your contact information, so they can easily reach out. Be sure to include a Link to your LinkedIn profile, since they will be looking for it anyway. Let them know when you will follow up and then DO it!

Professional Resume Services is a cover letter writing service that also focuses extensively on resumes, LinkedIn, and many other aspects of job searches today. Cover letters have never been more important, so crafting the perfect one will give your job hunt a nice boost. We understand it’s not always quick and easy to write a cover letter, so feel free to contact us if you need assistance with yours.

 

FSC Career Blog Author:  Erin Kennedy, MCD, CMRW, CPRW, CERW, CEMC, is a Certified Professional Resume Writer/Career Consultant, and the President of Professional Resume Services, named one of Forbes “Top 100 Career Websites”. Considered an influencer, she is consistently listed as a “Top Career Expert to Follow” on Twitter and LinkedIn.

 

FSC Career Blog – December 20, 2021

 

#JobSearch : Cover Letters to Boost Your Chances of Success. How to Write One that will Boost your Chances of Getting that Interview? Great REad!

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Cover letters get mixed reviews. They are a tricky part of the job-hunting process, for sure. Some hiring managers won’t even look at a resume if isn’t accompanied by one. Others don’t pay any attention to them. So, err on the side of caution and always include one!

           Question: How do you stand out?

Now that this discussion is over, how do you approach writing one that will boost your chances of getting that interview? Realize that cover letters are a great way to show potential employers how your skills can benefit the company before they even look at your resume. Remember, your cover letter and resume will speak to different facets of you.

Here are some areas to consider when creating your cover letter: 

Conciseness

One of the most important things to remember when writing cover letters for resume is that the two shouldn’t be identical! Yes, your cover letter will contain some of the same information found in your resume, but you don’t need or have to include every single facet. Remember: hiring executives only have a few seconds to read your information. It’s best to keep your cover letter short and to the point, so you don’t waste the recruiter’s time and have a higher chance of getting called back.

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Answer: Simply go to our FSC Career Blog below & Type(#Jobsearch, #Resume, or #Networking) in Blog Search:  https://www.firstsun.com/fsc-career-blog/

What Skill Sets Do You have to be ‘Sharpened’ ?

Did you know?  First Sun Consulting, LLc (FSC) is celebrating over 30 years in the delivery of corporate & individual outplacement services & programs to over 1200 of our corporate clients in the U.S., Canada, UK, & Mexico!  

We here at FSC want to thank each of corporate partners in the opportunity in serving & moving each of their transitioning employee(s) rapidly toward employment !

 

Article continued … 

Talk About the Company

Before you draft the first sentence of your cover letter, you should do ample research about the company you’re looking to work for. Just like your resume, your cover letter should be targeted to the employer. The best way to research the company is to network! Talk to other executives to see how you could contribute to their business and fit into their office culture. You’ll also want to be sure to look into their work within and contributions to the industry, as well as any other companies they compete with. Showing you know quite a bit about their company will prove you’re invested and worth hiring. You may just find something similar to your own work achievements, which you can tie into your cover letter. 

Take your time in crafting a targeted cover letter to highlight how you can address a company’s pain points, showing that you are worth the investment. You can always turn to a cover letter writing service for any extra help you may need to get started or sort out any kinks.

Your Strengths

One of the primary functions of resumes and cover letters is to illustrate your strengths and what you have to offer to a company. Be sure to go into these qualities in your cover letter. Talk about your skills and accomplishments you’ve gained throughout your career, what these mean and how they’d make you a valuable member of the company.

You should be trying to sell yourself as much as possible. Just don’t overdo it! You don’t want to come off as a braggart, though a bit of boasting is okay. Stick to as much factual information as possible by talking about how you’ve affected the industry, any similar or competitive companies you’ve worked for in the past, and your experiences within your chosen field. 

Referrals

Knowing someone who may have turned you onto the company will help you immediately catch a hiring executive’s eye. In fact, you may want to point out this fact right away. Networking is and has always been an important part of landing a job. Over your many years of career experience, you’ve undoubtedly amassed a large number of contacts and referrals. Now’s the time to really rely on them! A referral can vouch for you and your ability to be a great addition to the company. You never want to pass up on someone putting in a good word for you.

Take your time in crafting a targeted cover letter to highlight how you can address a company’s pain points, showing that you are worth the investment. You can always turn to a cover letter writing service for any extra help you may need to get started or sort out any kinks.

FSC Career Blog Author:  Erin Kennedy, MCD, CMRW, CPRW, CERW, CEMC, is a Certified Professional Resume Writer/Career Consultant, and the President of Professional Resume Services, named one of Forbes “Top 100 Career Websites”. Considered an influencer, she is consistently listed as a “Top Career Expert to Follow” on Twitter and LinkedIn.

 

FSC Career Blog – May 13, 2021

 

#JobSearch : Mistakes to Avoid for Doing your Own Resumes and Cover Letters. Great Two(2) Min Read!

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In today’s challenging economic climate, many people are choosing to create their own resumes and cover letters rather than hiring a professional to help save on the cost. This is understandable when money is tight. But you still want to present professional looking documents, free from mistakes. When you are writing your own resume and cover letters, it is very easy to make mistakes just because there are so many versions and corrections (we writers deal with this, too). Even if you are a competent writer, it still is a good idea to carefully read your work once more before sending it off to be read by the people you want to impress.

 

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What Skill Sets Do You have to be ‘Sharpened’ ?

Article continued …

Here’s how to avoid some common mistakes in writing:

  • Keep track of grammar when changing a sentence. If you change the noun from singular to plural, for instance, remember to change the sentence structure to match.
  • Don’t rely on automated spellcheckers alone to catch mistakes. Your, you’re, their, they’re, there, two, too, and to are all words which are spelled correctly and won’t show up as an error when used in the wrong way. “Manager” was one I always misspelled as “Manger”. They are both words, so spell check never caught it. Luckily, I’m hyper-diligent about checking and rechecking how I spell Manager– plus there is a little tool in MS Word that lets you auto correct things like that, so whenever I type Manger, it automatically changes it to Manager. Awesome.
  • Avoid the automatic word-finishing features on your word processing program for the same reason. You want your brain to be in control.
  • Look it up if you are unsure. Good spellers and good writers rely on more than their memory. A popular site that helps with more than spelling is https://www.grammarly.com because it checks grammar, spelling, word choice, and style (plus, their Facebook page is informative… and snarky). It’s up to you to take the advice of the computer once the error is pointed out.
  • Take a break before rereading your work. It’s like rebooting your brain and allows you to see the piece with fresh eyes. If you have been working feverishly on something, you read it with your past efforts in mind and can fool yourself.

Of course, all the resume writing tips the pros use apply. Your cover letter and resume, along with the follow-up thank you letter, are huge indicators to the potential employer of your ability and professionalism. Everybody makes mistakes — but you don’t have to leave those mistakes in your writing. It’s easy to fix a mistake once you see it, so learn how to look for it.

FSC Career Blog Author: Erin Kennedy, MCD, CMRW, CPRW, CERW, CEMC, is a Certified Professional Resume Writer/Career Consultant, and the President of Professional Resume Services, named one of Forbes “Top 100 Career Websites”. Considered an influencer, she is consistently listed as a “Top Career Expert to Follow” on Twitter and LinkedIn.

 

FSC Career Blog – January 26, 2021

 

#JobSearch : How To Update Your Resume And Cover Letter During Covid-19. To Stand Out you Need to Make a Few Updates.

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To stand out in a job search during Covid-19, you need to make a few updates to your resume and cover letter. Most companies hiring right now are working remotely for the foreseeable future, so it’s important that your resume showcases your ability to work in a remote environment even if you haven’t done so before.

Here are five ways to make both your resume and cover letter stand out and increase your chances of being selected for an interview.

Highlight how your past experience translates to remote work.

Chances are, you were already using some of the technology used in remote work like Slack, Zoom, and shared drives before the pandemic started. Highlight how you’ve used them in the past to showcase your comfort with the tech that makes virtual work possible. Think about the ways you managed, worked with a team, or worked independently and what skills made you successful, then tie them into the remote position you’re applying for, like working with colleagues in a different time zone or office location. Of course, if you’ve already held a position remotely, be sure make note of that on your resume by adding ‘remote’ as the location.

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What Skill Sets Do You have to be ‘Sharpened’ ?

Article continued …

Show that you’re a team player.

Working as part of a remote team can be more challenging than working together in person, so being a team player is even more important now than ever. To showcase your teamwork skills, be sure to describe times that you worked as part of a team in your resume. When describing a result, write ‘worked as part of a 5-person team to achieve a sales increase of 20% over four months’ rather than just listing the sales increase. You can further elaborate on how your worked together with the team during your interview, so leave it short and sweet on the resume itself.

Update your skills section.

The skills section on a resume is often neglected, but when used correctly it can be quite beneficial. Rather than just listing skills, take it one step further and describe how you used them. If you’re proficient in coding languages, describe how you created a project using that language. You want to highlight skills that are relevant to the position and set you apart from other candidates. Don’t list things like Zoom, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, or anything that practically everyone is proficient in – listing those skills makes you look like a commodity, not a stand out candidate.

Showcase your written communication skills.

Use both your resume and cover letter to highlight communication skills. With communication happening via email, chat, text, and video now, the ability to communicate well via writing is a highly sought after skill. A clean, easy to read resume showcases your ability to convey information clearly and concisely. A well-written cover letter further showcases your writing ability and gives a bit of insight into your communication style. Documents free of typos and grammatical errors show that you pay attention to detail.

Be honest if you were laid off or furloughed due to Covid-19.

You don’t want to have a gap in employment on your resume without an explanation. While in the past being laid off would not be something that you’d readily share, it’s no longer nearly as problematic. Now it serves as an explanation as to why you’ve been out of work for a period of time. On your resume, include when and why you were laid off in one of the bullet points under the job description. Don’t mention being laid off on your cover letter, as it’s not relevant there.

 

Forbes.com | September 25, 2020 | Ashira Prossack

#JobSearch : Writing a Stand-Out Cover Letter. What makes a good cover letter?

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Cover letters seem to be difficult for people, even resume writers. Why is that? What makes a good cover letter?

Cover letters can be fun to write. There really aren’t many ‘rules’ to writing them. You can let your personality shine through. They allow you to positively present your skills, accomplishments, and credentials in a way that will encourage the reader to want to read even more about you (and then move on to the resume).

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What Skill Sets Do You have to be ‘Sharpened’ ?

Article continued …

There are lots of things I can get into in more depth (types of resumes, scope, presentation, who your audience is, etc.) but for now, I am just going to touch on the basics. In future posts, I will dissect cover letters more closely.

Here are some easy ideas to keep in mind when writing your cover letter:

  • Make sure your intention is clear. In other words, what is the job you are applying for? Clearly state it. Don’t make the reader guess. You could say something like, “…and this is why my qualifications make me a perfect match for the Sales Management position”.
  • Highlight your top achievements. You don’t have to rewrite everything you wrote in the resume, just summarize some of your top accomplishments. Wow them with what you have done.
  • Add your relevant skills or qualifications. Let the reader know what you excel at and what you are capable of. This is a great place to talk about any extra credentials or training you’ve had that relate to the position.
  • Write toward the position you are applying for. When preparing the cover letter, keep in mind the requirements of the position and add your qualifications that match them.
  • Explain what it is you like about the company. Remember, you are trying to woo the company, so tell them what you like about them. Is it the reputation, products/services, location? Let them know why you like them.
  • You are not writing your autobiography. Keep it short, simple and factual. You don’t need to go into why the last job didn’t work out, “…my boss had unrealistic expectations of the staff, so I decided to check out my options…:. Don’t air your dirty laundry or obvious dislike of your most recent employer. Keep it professional.
  • Double check the entire document for accuracy, errors, and syntax. You don’t want to miss a great opportunity because you wrote, “Dear Hiring Manger”.

Another tip is to save that cover letter, copy, and paste it onto a new document, and tweak it for another type of position you may be interested in. I encourage clients to have several “focused” cover letters for different positions they might have in mind. This way, if an opportunity presents itself, you are ready!


FSC Career Blog Author:  Ms. Erin Kennedy, MCD, CMRW, CPRW, CERW, CEMC, is a Certified Professional Resume Writer/Career Consultant, and the President of Professional Resume Services, named one of Forbes “Top 100 Career Websites”. Considered an influencer, she is consistently listed as a “Top Career Expert to Follow” on Twitter and LinkedIn.

FSC Career Blog – August 26, 2020

 

 

#BestofFSCBlog : How To Write A Killer Cover Letter: 6 Fresh Strategies For The New Normal. A MUst REAd!

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@With 28 million Americans receiving some form of unemployment compensation right now, job seekers are facing a difficult economic climate. It appears the $1200 stimulus check isn’t going to materialize in the immediate future, and only three states have agreed to $400 in extra unemployment benefits. So, if. you are out of work in Montana, Kentucky or West Virginia: Congratulations. You’re getting some good news that most Americans won’t receive. Meanwhile, the need to find meaningful work has never been greater.

That’s why it’s crucial to concentrate on a killer cover letter. Some may say that a cover letter is a thing of the past – because your resumé speaks for itself. But the fact is, your resumé can’t talk, or write, and your LinkedIn profile is never the whole story. That’s why it’s a good idea for you to get going on the number one tool you need in the new normal: a killer cover letter.

1- Cut the Cake – my writing coach turned me on to the work of Jack Grapes. His book, Method Writing, talks about how you have to cut out the “birthday cake” if you want your message to be clear. In Grapes’ world of words, “birthday cake” is the extra stuff you don’t need in any sentence or phrase. Are you ready to skip dessert?

Look at all the adjectives and extras you’ve got in your cover letter: “As a dedicated self-starter, I know I can handle multitasking while staying professional.” What happens if you cut out the birthday cake at the front and the back? It’s counter-intuitive, but sometimes what you leave out actually makes your writing stronger, not weaker. Because the simplest message is the strongest: “I know I can handle multi-tasking. And here’s why….”

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What Skill Sets Do You have to be ‘Sharpened’ ?

Article continued …

2- But Don’t Stop with Why – does your cover letter contain the word “because”? This critical word can transform a sentence from the commonplace into the compelling. Example: “As a manager, it was my job to know everything about the restaurant, from health code violations to the ingredients of all the dishes.” Add a dash of because – does it get a little tastier? “Because I had to handle everything from health code violations to the ingredients of all the dishes, I understand the importance of delivering on the details.

Because of my work with 30 or more employees on any given night, I learned how to communicate across generations. It’s because of this experience that I know I can help you in the following ways…” Don’t stop with why – it’s not enough. Not only is “because” the classic answer to any “why” question. That single word can transform your story from a first-person history lesson into a powerful way to create service, value and impact.

3- Two for the Show – can you find an opportunity in your cover letter to include the words, “so that…”? These two words, like the word “because”, will help you to see the most valuable aspect of your cover letter (and the aspect that most amateurs dismiss): it ain’t all about you.

Your experience enables you to be of service, so that you can create impact for your future employer. Ask yourself, is your cover letter about the past, or about your potential? Two small words – so that – can point you in the direction of powerful service, possibility and opportunity. “I’ve studied finance so that I can create market analysis at a deeper level…” “I became a counselor so that I could help troubled teens get back into school…” I wrote those examples so that you would see what I’m saying…did it work?

4- Be That Thing – there are skills that your employer desires. Skills that perhaps you have developed in the restaurant industry. Or in retail. Travel. Tourism. Or some other market that has been punished in the coronavirus economy. Look beyond your title and see your skills. What is that thing – that one thing – that you can deliver? What’s that one thing that your employer wants and needs?

Take off the label (the job title) and you’ll see the thing that really matters. Write down a list of your skills – your talents. Write out a list of characteristics that your employer wants. See any synergies? These high-level skills transcend your role or your previous company. Can you tell a story around that thing – that high-level skill that everyone wants and needs? If you can, you’re on track to transition into a new role (and maybe even a new industry). For more ideas, you might want to discover how to tell a one-word story.

5- Seek to Serve – so many cover letters are written in the first person: I, me, my. Or, by extension, first person plural: we, us, our. A first person history isn’t compelling, it’s commonplace. “I did this, I did that, I bragged and I noticed you just fell asleep.” Top cover letters contain some verbal jujitsu that changes the conversation. What happens if you make the second person first? Second person, of course, is you. I’m not talking about you, dear reader. I mean the you that’s right in front of you: your potential hiring manager.

How does your cover letter focus on their needs? Here’s a quick example that combines several of the elements I’ve shared so far: “It’s because of my experience in one of Manhattan’s busiest restaurants that I understand the importance of follow-through. In managing a team of 30 and serving over 900 plates a night, I understand service, commitment and persistence. It’s because of my experience I can bring that kind of clarity to the contact tracing team, and to your organization – no matter how many deadlines I have to face.” Do you see the shift to second person?

6 From Conviction to Connection – does your cover letter reveal your passion, values and convictions? I’m not talking about declaring your religious beliefs or explaining how much you love your family. I’m talking about the professional skills that matter most to you. Skills like perseverance, creativity, innovation and communication. Knowing who you are is useful, but connecting your convictions to your career is priceless. That’s the place where work doesn’t feel like work anymore.

When conviction connects, your career is merely an extension of your values. Your identity. Your unique talents and abilities. When what you care about most becomes what you do on a daily basis, you’ve discovered a role that isn’t really work. It’s an opportunity for you to express who you are – and serve at the highest possible level. Does that sound impossible right now? Read on, MacDuff.

Today, we’re faced with the toughest job market in anyone’s lifetime. It’s easy to get discouraged, falling into the mindset that your convictions can’t be a career. That choices don’t exist for you. But, I ask you: Is that true? I don’t mean, true like ‘do you believe it’? I mean true, as in the law of gravity or the fact that water boils at 100 degrees centigrade?

What’s true is that opportunities are all around us, even in a punishing economy. Those opportunities belong to those who can pivot and reinvent in the new normal. There’s never just one job that you can do, no matter who you are. You have capabilities and skills that are untapped.

Because that’s how we are wired as human beings: resilience and reinvention are built into the system, like five fingers on a hand. We all have the ability to change, even though we may not always want to. Why not start small – with transforming your cover letter, and getting clear about the solutions you can provide?

Author:  Chris WestfallContributor  Careers

 

Forbes.com | August 22, 2020