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Your Resume: 3 Important Letters

During your job search, you will need, not only a stellar resume but three important emails or letters.

The first is the cover letter or email that accompanies your resume when you send it out to recruiters and hiring managers. This letter must:

  • Clearly show your contact information—and that information should exactly match what is on your resume.
  • Identify the position you are applying for in the subject line (for an email) or in a separate Re: line on your letter.
  • Be only a few paragraphs long, focusing on major accomplishments and keywords of interest to that particular company—it is an intro to your resume, not a retelling.
  • Be professional in every respect; this is not the time for email emojis.

The second important email or letter is one that confirms appointments, such as on-site or phone interviews. You may receive an electronic confirmation form from the company concerning an appointment; make sure you reply to this form as requested.  Otherwise, send a short (one or two sentence) email that confirms the date, time, and place of your appointment.

The third letter or email is the thank you, which should be sent to the hiring manager after an interview. This thank you should be addressed to the specific interviewer you saw and should obey all the rules for the cover letter. In addition:

  • Instead of reiterating your accomplishments, focus on the information you took from the interview. For example, “I understand that you are looking for a sales professional who will be able to help you penetrate the following consumer markets….”
  • Cover positive information about you that you discussed during the interview.
  • Clarify points where you may have been weak in the interview to overcome them.
  • Express your interest in pursuing the opportunity.
  • Thank the hiring manager (and any other interviewers) for their time. Consider sending a separate letter to each interviewer

At Robin’s Resumes®, we can help you formulate letters and emails as well as a resume that helps you to stand out from the crowd of applicants. Contact us today.

Resume Q&A: Writing Cover Letters; Transitioning from the Military

Q. Do recruiters and hiring managers actually read cover letters and emails? What about thank you notes after the interview?

A. The answer to your first question is that recruiters and hiring managers may or may not read a cover letter or email—so “maybe.” If the cover letter or email is short, powerful, professional, and targeted, then you should assume it will be read. If it is confusing and generic, it will not be read, or even worse it will count against you.

Should you include a cover letter with your resume? The answer to that question is an unqualified yes. If only one recruiter or hiring manager expects a cover letter or email, then it was worth the time and effort to craft one.

As for thank you letters, they also cannot hurt—if they are short, powerful, professional, and tailored to the actual experience and information you received at the interview.

By the way, “professional” includes correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation, as well as clear and correct contact information for both you and the person you are writing to.

Q. I’m ex-military, looking for a job with a civilian company. How do I make civilians understand everything I did in the military? They seem to get easily confused when I talk about my career, and I’m not sure that any of my experience relates to a corporate job.

A. The military world is filled with jargon and arcane terms that the civilian world has never mastered. The job of your resume is to clarify those terms. This is the same advice I give to civilians who are in high tech careers: spell out acronyms, keep the jargon as minimal as possible, and mention skills in terms of what you accomplished with those skills.

For someone with a military background, that last piece of advice might mean concentrating on your accomplishments in leadership, cost savings, team motivation, training, negotiation, communications, and project management—all valuable assets in the civilian world. A focus on results will make it easier for you to bridge the military-to-civilian gap. A security clearance, overseas experience, and advancement in your military career are all pluses that the civilian world can easily understand.

Robin’s Resumes® has decades of experience helping military personnel transition in civilian jobs. Please contact us today.

Resume Cover Letter or Email: Five Tips That Make a Difference

A resume cover letter or email is always a good idea. It might not be read, but you fail to send one, you could lose a great opportunity to make yourself stand out.

Your resume cover letter or email should be in the same font as your resume and should contain exactly the same content information. The subject line or reference line should include information identifying the job you are applying for: the job title or job reference number exactly as it appears in the job posting or advertisement.

Here are five tips to make your cover letter or email stand out:

  • Always include highlights from your resume that specifically target your qualifications for the position you want. Choose a few examples from your resume of contributions or accomplishments that will make you stand out from other applicants.
  • Always let some of your passion and personality show through. Here is the place to emphasize what you love most about your career and how that passion will benefit the company where you are applying.
  • Keep it short. You can say a lot in a few brief paragraphs. The job of a cover letter is not to duplicate your resume but to pull out the most important information you want to share.
  • Always include a next step: a request for an interview (in person or on the phone) or your own promise to follow up with a call.
  • Always end with a thank you.

A cover letter or email is the perfect place for information that might not fit into your resume or might easily be lost during a quick read, such as a willingness travel, specialized training or an advanced degree, an interest in a specific aspect of your field or your reasons for changing careers. You might also add a testimonial from your supervisor or a satisfied customer.

A clear, concise, focused cover letter or email strengthens your resume and demonstrates the strength of your interest in the job. At Robin’s Resumes®, we write cover letters and emails that support job seekers in their quest for the perfect position. Contact us today.

Four Words to Avoid on Resumes or Cover Letters

Can’t

“Can’t” is the first word to avoid on your resume because your resume should show you at your best, outlining your achievements, skills, education and overall fit for the job you want. If you “cannot” travel, work on weekends, handle certain tasks or function in rush situations, do not share that information on your resume or cover letter. That is a conversation for later, perhaps during the interview. If the job posting lists one of your “cannot” items as a requirement of the job (for example, the ability to lift 50 pounds or travel on weekends), do not even apply. If you find yourself evaluating every job on the basis of what you cannot do, perhaps a Certified Job & Career Transition Coach will help turn your perspective around. That is a service I can offer you.

Want

Your resume and cover letter are not the place to make demands for salary, time off or perks. If a job posting asks for salary information, address the topic but respond with a salary range, not a demand for specific dollar amount. It is fine to say you are open to travel, for example, but not that you “want” to have access to a company jet. Those negotiations begin after the company expresses interest in hiring you.

Only

“Only” is an apology word, as in “I only have a bachelor degree, not an MBA.” You should never apologize for your career in your resume or cover letter; that’s why “only” is one of the four words that shouldn’t appear on a resume. Focus what you bring to the table–on the skills and accomplishments that make you a valuable employee—not on what you lack.

On the other hand, if you were the only one of 20 employees selected for an honor at your company, then please, feel free to use “only”!

Impressive

In this case, “impressive” is standing in for a lot of adjectives (superior, incredible, awesome) that do not tell the recruiter or hiring manager anything of value. Instead of complimenting yourself for being an impressive employee, use the space to explain why and how you were impressive. Did you exceed your sales quota by 25%? Did you lead a multi-million dollar project? Did you turn around relations with an unhappy client? Were you employee of the month? Give the details and let the recruiter or the hiring manager be the one to say, “That sure is impressive!”

If your resume and cover letter contain negatives, demands, apologies and vague adjectives, please contact Robin’s Resumes®. We know how to hunt down the words that should not appear, and we will turn your resume into a positive testimonial to your value.

How to Organize a Cover Letter/Email

Cover letters and emails are important; some hiring managers and recruiters ignore them but others expect them. Why take the chance? Cover letters give you the opportunity to show off your communication skills, direct the hiring manager’s or recruiter’s attention to important accomplishments and facts, and add detail that might not be appropriate for your resume (for example, salary range if the company requires that information as part of your application).

A cover letter or email is normally one page long and should contain the following information in approximately this order:

  • Your contact information: Make sure it matches the contact information on your resume.
  • The company address: Check this carefully, especially the spelling of the company name.
  • Any identifier required by the company: This is optional and could include a job identifying number or the location where you found the advertisement or job posting (for example, a website or newspaper).
  • A salutation: Use the name of the person who will receive your resume if you possibly can.
  • Why you are writing: Write a sentence or two explaining that you are answering an ad or following up on a referral and mention the job title you are interested in. Explain why you are writing; for example, you like the company and/or you have specific skills the company wants and/or you have experience the company would benefit from.
  • Selected past achievements: These should be major achievements most closely related to the job you want. Whether you use bullet points or a short paragraph, the information should, once again, match the information in your resume.
  • A short thank you to the recipient for their time: This is also where you should indicate your desire for a personal interview or your intention to follow up at a specific date.
  • The sign off: Customary professional signoffs include “Sincerely” and “Cordially.”

While your cover letter or email should be written in the first person, try to write so that you are not starting every sentence with “I.” Avoid very specific salary, geographic or other demands; companies prefer employees who are flexible and reasonable. However, the cover email is a good place to mention your intention or willingness to relocate or travel or any other special circumstances.

Robin’s Resumes® prepares cover letters and emails that rev up the interest of hiring managers and recruiters. Contact us today.