Give Yourself an AMAZING Cover Letter for the Holidays
Do you look forward to the holidays––and dread them at the same time? November and December often blur together as we move from Thanksgiving to the December Holidays. And the next thing you know it's time to celebrate the next twelve months on New Year's Eve!
If this sounds familiar, you, like many people, may be caught in a holi-daze. Cooking, shopping, entertaining, cleaning, and organizing take over. If you're in the market for a new job you may be tempted to put off writing that cover letter till all the celebrations are over.
Don't Give In
Tempting as it might be to glide through the next month, avoid it if you can. The holiday season is actually a great time to keep moving along with your job-search goal. You'll get a jump on all the job seekers who are waiting until January.
While the kids are playing with their holiday toys and games, and visitors are resting or sightseeing, sneak off to another room and spend time drafting a brand new cover letter. Set your sights on what is ahead. Look forward to all the good that will come your way in 2012.
A well-written job-search cover letter is a gift to give yourself—one that will give back to you all through the new year.
Such a letter will:
• Put you in touch with hiring managers
• Plant your name in the mind of those who read your cover letter
• Place you in the running for an interview for a specific job
• Promote your work experience and skills to decision-makers
Get Started Now
Here are four steps you can take immediately to write the kind of cover letter that will capture a hiring manager's attention, one that will compel him or her to contact you for a job interview by phone or in person.
Step 1. Meet the hiring manager's needs. Show him or her how you, the job seeker, can benefit his or her company––if you're hired to fill the open position.
Example:
I'm aware through my friend Rich Lewis, your company CPA,
that you're interested in hiring someone to expand your sales
territory in the southwest . . . I'd like to accept this challenge.
I have a master's degree in Sales and Marketing . . . I opened six
new accounts in less than six months while employed by Fenwick
and Bolton Textile Company in North Carolina.
Step 2. Ask for what you want.
Example:
May we get together in person to talk about how your expectations
for the person you hire and my job expertise can benefit your company.
Step 3. State your goal.
Example:
I'll phone you by the end of the week to schedule an appoint-
ment that works for you. If you prefer to speak before
then, please call or email me using the contact info above.
Step 4. Show your appreciation.
Example:
Thank you for the opportunity to introduce myself. I'm
enthusiastic about meeting in person to see how I might help
fill the opening and enhance the vision of your company.
Keep in mind that hiring managers need you to do their job. They must hire people to fill the available positions. Make them look good by showing the benefits you can bring.
Let your cover letter work for you, not against you. Focus on the hiring manager's needs and in turn, he or she will give you what you want—an interview for the job of your dreams.
Article source: Jimmy Sweeney. Jimmy is the president of CareerJimmy and author of the brand new, "Amazing Cover Letter Creator." Jimmy is also the author of several career related books and writes a monthly article titled, "Job Search Secrets."
