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#JobSearch : Best Practices for a Job Seeker’s Cover Letter. Great Eight(8) Points Checklist.

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In this technology-based age, many companies are foregoing cover letters in the electronic uploads for digital resume storage, but some systems allow cover letters to be added separately.

Recruiters may review the cover letter for various reasons, but here are a few discriminators used to consider or to reject a candidate. 

1- What positive things do recruiters want to see in cover letters?  The ability to write an idea concisely, proper grammar, spelling, and punctuation demonstrate a well-rounded education.  Aesthetic placement of type font, white space, centering (vertical and horizontal) demonstrates a technical skill to use word processing software and awareness of creating a professional look and feel.

It’s hard to address a ‘real human being’ in any HR department. A Boolean search might bring up a point of contact in the company on social sites (company website, LinkedIn, or Facebook).  If your query and find an employee’s name, they may be willing to share an HR rep’s name and contact info.  ‘Dear sir or madam,’ is the professional alternative, if you can’t find any names.

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2- Cover letters should be one page – no more – with one-inch margins and 11 or 12-point type font (Arial or Times New Roman).  If you can’t get the message across in three paragraphs, it’s too wordy.   The contents of a cover letter should be concise and within those three paragraphs. A well-written paragraph has at least three sentences.  Don’t start sentences or paragraphs with prepositions (e.g., and, but, because, etc.).

Recruiters prefer resumes and cover letters uploaded into Automated Tracking Systems (ATS) resume databases or may ask for an e-mailed resume.  Copy and paste it within the body of the email, but place it after your signature line.  You should have a very short notification, e.g., “Per request, please find my cover letter and resume after my signature for your consideration.”  Computer viruses make recruiters nervous about attachments.  Recruiters would rather have an opportunity to scroll down for information versus opening documents to save time and effort.

3- The first paragraph emphasizes the applicant’s interest in the company.  Explain why you are targeting the employer and the job title.  ‘Name drop’ a mutual contact if you have that advantage.  “I am applying for the Whiffle Ball hole-driller position because your company’s reputation is stellar in the junior-league baseball industry for making the highest quality play equipment.  Your emphasis on quality makes my skills as a driller a good match for (name of company)’s strategic objectives noted on your website.”  This shows the applicant has performed research and shows the ability to communicate a point effectively.

4- Name-dropping might be impolite in some circles, but for job shopping, it might get your foot in the door.  Mention a common contact to attract the attention of the recruiter.  “Joe Bob, Pellet Supervisor in your molding plant, suggested my candidacy for this position.”  Additionally, some companies provide incentives such as cash bonuses for employees, so this gives the recruiter documentation of the referral.

The cover letter is not your resume – provide a few salient points of interest in the second paragraph not already explained in the resume.  “A recent trip to the Congo provided valuable experience in creating Whiffle Ball leagues for schools in a district with three different languages.  This experience has enriched my capability to use diverse communications skills to ensure your company has effective methods of obtaining customer suggestions for where Whiffle holes are drilled in the balls.  This explains the gap in employment for the summer of YYY and the change in my career from nursing hamster pups to drilling Whiffle balls.”

5- The third paragraph should emphasize availability and refer to attached (or uploaded) resume and availability for interviewing (either telephonically or in person), accompanied by phone and e-mail information.  The applicant’s return address is already in the resume – don’t waste precious text or white space on repeat information.

6- The cover letter is not a place to try sarcastic or witty humor.  With no context or visible body language, the attempt at humor may backfire.  Write professionally.  Emphasize what you can do for the employer versus asking them to do you a favor.  Try to avoid using the word ‘I’ in the cover letter – it is, but it is not about you – it is about the company’s need to find a qualified candidate for a position.

7- Even English professors can misspell words or get a comma in the wrong place.  Send the cover letter through the grammar and spell check several times and then read the letter out loud to a peer to ensure it makes sense.  Just because a word is spelled correctly, doesn’t mean it’s correctly used (e.g., granite = granted, fast paste = fast-paced).  Get an unbiased outsider to proof the letter, a teacher, mentor, or a student in AP courses to check the spelling.  Look for sample letters on the Internet to compare.

8- The final piece of your cover letter is your signature.  If you have your address on the resume and telephone number and/or email address in the third paragraph, all that is needed is a full name under a ‘wet’ signature.  Applicants can scan a copy of their signature and insert the graphic to look like a real signature, which enables them to send the letter digitally without further scanning.

 

FSC Career Blog Author: Ms. Dawn Boyer, Ph.D., owner of D. Boyer Consulting – provides resume writing, social media management, and print-on-demand author coaching and consulting. Reach her at: Dawn.Boyer@DBoyerConsulting.com or http://dboyerconsulting.com.

 

FSC Career Blog |  April 12, 2020

Your #Career : 15 Grammar Tips to Make You Smarter, From the World’s Coolest Word Nerd Mignon Fogarty is the Grammar Girl. And She is Awesome.

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Does this sentence need another comma?  What’s the difference between emoticons and emoji?  How do I make product names (like the iPhone 7 or 6s) plural?  That’s a sample of questions that Mignon Fogarty, a.k.a. “Grammar Girl,” answers on a weekly basis.

girl-typing-on-computer-5

 Fogarty is the founder and managing director of Quick and Dirty Tips, an advice blog that offers short, actionable advice from friendly and informed authorities to “help you succeed at work and in life.” (Grammar Girl is one of the columns on the site.) She’s also the author of The New York Times bestseller Grammar Girl’s Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing, and has appeared on nationally syndicated television as an English-language expert.

I discovered Grammar Girl years ago when googling a question, and was quickly enamored with Fogarty’s ability to make topics like punctuation, syntax and sentence structure entertaining and…dare I say? Fun.

She presents a stark contrast to her archenemy, “the evil Grammar Maven, who inspires terror in the untrained and is neither friendly nor helpful.”

So, if you’re looking to increase your grammar prowess, here are a few of Grammar Girl’s top tips:

1. Who or whom

“Like whom, the pronoun him ends with the letter M. When you’re trying to decide whether to use who or whom, ask yourself if the hypothetical answer to the question would contain he or him. If it’s him, you use whom, and they both end with M.”

2. Alright vs. all right

“Alright” may be a common spelling, but it’s wrong.

“Nearly all usage guides condemn ‘alright’ (written as one word), but it occasionally shows up in the work of respected writers and many average people think it’s fine, or even the preferred spelling,” writes Fogarty.

Of course, Grammar Girl acknowledges that the pressure to save space in status updates and text messages means “alright” is likely to gain currency rather than fade–but if you want your work to appear professional, stick with “all right.”

 

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3. One or two spaces after a period

Until a few years ago, I was one of the millions who use two spaces after a period–because that’s what we were taught in typing class.

But nowadays, it’s wrong.

“The Chicago Manual of Style, the US Government Printing Office Style Manual, and the AP Stylebook are just a few of the style guides that recommend one space after a period,” writes Fogarty.

Why? The complete explanation is complicated, but basically it comes down to this: Certain typewriter fonts needed two spaces after a sentence for good readability, but the transition to computers and modern word processing eliminated that need. (Get the whole story in the link above.)

4. E.g. vs. i.e.

Here’s the original question that introduced me to Grammar Girl, as I couldn’t remember the difference between these two Latin expressions. E.g. stands for exempli gratia, or “for example.” I.e. stands for id est and roughly means “that is” or “in other words.” (One trick is to remember e.g. as “example given” and i.e. as “in essence.”)

Fogarty’s examples make it all clear:

E.g. means “for example,” so you use it to introduce an example: I like card games, e.g., bridge and crazy eights. Because I used e.g., you know that I have given you a list of examples of card games that I like. It’s not a finite list of all card games I like; it’s just a few examples.

On the other hand, i.e. means “in other words,” so you use it to introduce a further clarification: I like to play cards, i.e., bridge and crazy eights. Because I used i.e., which introduces a clarification, you know that these are the only card games that I enjoy.

5. Affect and effect

“By far the most requested grammar topic,” writes Fogarty. “Most of the time ‘affect’ is a verb and ‘effect’ is a noun, but there are exceptions.”

Ergo, a four-page explanation including an example, a memory trick, and a cartoon to help you remember when to use each appropriately–found at the above link.

6. Compliment vs. complement

As you may realize, a compliment is a kind or flattering remark whereas a complement is a full crew or set (i.e., when something complements something else, it means they go well together).

But how do you remember the difference?

Grammar Girl’s quick and dirty trick: “To remember the difference between the spellings of these words, be a nice person and tell yourself: I like to give compliments. Put the emphasis on the I when you say or think it. The I can remind you that the type of flattering compliment is spelled with an i.”

7. Systemic or systematic

Fogarty breaks down these two words with different meanings (although both related to the word “system”):

Systemic describes something that happens or exists throughout a whole system. (The new police chief had to address systemic corruption.)

Systematic describes something that was thorough and intentional, methodical, or implemented according to a plan. (Ending systematic discrimination was his first goal.)”

8. Deep-seeded or deep-seated

The correct phrase is deep-seated…although the way we use the word seat has changed over the years, so the confusion is understandable. (Complete explanation found at the above link.)

9. Done vs. finished

“You may have been taught that you shouldn’t use done to mean ‘finished,’ but it’s not that simple,” writes Fogarty. “The ‘rule’ against done has been widely taught in schools, but no historical pattern or logic supports it, and most credible modern usage guides either don’t address it at all…or simply note that done and finished are interchangeable.”

So after your meal, you’re both done and finished. And so is the turkey.

10. Further vs. farther

“The quick and dirty tip is to use ‘farther’ for physical distance and ‘further’ for metaphorical, or figurative, distance. It’s easy to remember because ‘farther’ has the word ‘far’ in it, and ‘far’ obviously relates to physical distance.” (Check out the link for examples.)

11. Anyway or anyways

Anyway is correct. Anyways, although increasingly more common, is wrong in that “wouldn’t want to use it in a job application or a school essay” type of way.

12. Sightseeing or siteseeing

It’s sightseeing–but to find out why you’ve got to go back into history. (Fogarty explains in the link.)

13. On accident or by accident

One of my favorite grammar pieces ever, this one illustrates how quickly language can change–and raises some interesting questions about what makes an expression “right” or “wrong.”

The short answer: Most usage guides cite “on accident” as an error…but according to a research study, usage of the two different versions is influenced by your age. “Whereas ‘on accident’ is common in people under 40 or so, almost everyone who is older than that today says ‘by accident.'”

14. Is ‘funnest’ a word?

Steve Jobs used it. So, yes.

(Just kidding…there’s a little more to it. Check out the link.)

15. Quotation marks

Want a guide to using quotation marks in combination with other punctuation? It’s too complex to summarize here; instead, check out Grammar Girl’s explanation in the link.

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The opinions expressed here by Inc.com columnists are their own, not those of Inc.com.
PUBLISHED ON: NOV 22, 2016
By Justin Bariso

Founder, Insight