With the turn of a page or the click of an app you'll be looking at January 2012 on your calendar—a perfect time to start fresh with a brand new cover letter to help you land the job you've been dreaming about.
Employers are ready for a new beginning, as well. They want to match qualified job-hunters with quality jobs. You can be one of the people they're looking for. Get started now with a top-notch cover letter that catches their attention and compels them to call you in for an interview.
Raise Your Glass!
Imagine yourself chatting with a friend over a Coke or coffee. You'd speak in everyday English with a relaxed and easy tone. No clutter. No camouflage. No confusion. You'd talk and smile, toast the new year, and end with a handshake or a hug.
Think of a winning cover letter in the same way. It's a friendly, yet professional form of communication that does the job clearly and succinctly so each party understands what's important, necessary, and useful. To reach this goal, here are five tips for writing a brand new cover letter that will bring you face-to-face with a hiring manager who wants to hire—you!
Be friendly. Start you letter with a warm greeting.
Example: Thank you for listing your description of the position of store manager now open at your company.
Be focused. Stick to the point of your cover letter.
Example: My experience as an assistant store manager has motivated me to move to a new level of leadership. I feel ready to assume the full responsibilities of store manager.
Be forthright. State your goal.
Example: May we meet in person to talk over this job? I'd welcome an opportunity to hear what you're looking for in the man or woman you hire and to share more fully why I believe I'm qualified to fill this position.
Be far-sighted. See what's ahead.
Example: I plan to invest myself in the company for the long run and to do my best to promote its mission and vision.
Be firm. Say what you mean.
Example: I've played sports all my life and know the value of performing and leading with integrity, enthusiasm, and commitment to reach the team's objective.
Kick the Clutter!
Read your cover letter aloud. Take a hard look. Does any of your writing sound like this?
"Regarding your listing for a job in administration on jobsaplenty.com I am taking time today to respond to that post in high hopes that you will take some time to consider me for the job of administrative assistant, given that I have six years of doing this type of work for the employer I used to work for before I saw your listing. It would be great if you decided to interview me, although I realize there are other people hoping to win this job but if you meet me in person I think you'll agree I'm a good candidate. If you want I can provide you with more information about my qualifications. Just ask. Please consider me for this job. I have been unemployed for the past six months and need to get to work soon so I can pay my bills and keep my family going."
Now's the time to cut, slice, and chop any words that give the impression you're desperate, discouraged, or disappointed. Follow the suggestions in the list above and you'll create a cover letter that will catch any hiring manager's attention.
Tip Your Hat!
Add a dash of personality, a pinch of humility, and a bit of gratitude. Then tip your hat to the new year—the year that will change your life and your employment because of a great cover letter that is uniquely yours.
Happy New Year and happy job hunting!
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Celebrate the Holidays With a Job-Winning Interview
Whether you light a pine tree for Christmas, a Menorah for Hanukkah, or kinara candles for Kwanzaa, the holiday season for each of us can be a bit overwhelming. Shopping, decorating, gift-wrapping, cooking, baking, and entertaining consume our time and thoughts.
This year, however, you may want to consider taking the following three steps to achieve a happy and restful season:
Slow down. You don't have to do it all yourself. Enlist the help of family and friends with cooking, gift-wrapping, and mailing.
Simplify. Let go of some of the time-consuming rituals so you can relax and enjoy the celebrations. Order gifts online. Set up a potluck. Pay a teen to clean up.
Stop! Take a breather—and while you're resting, make a list (and check it twice!) of where you are now and where you want to be a year from now.
If being employed in a new position is on that list, remember that every great job starts with a terrific interview. Start thinking about what you'll bring to this meeting: your appearance, your ability to speak with confidence, and your skills and work experience that will grab a hiring manager's attention. Use some of the spare time you have during the holidays to make a plan so that when you're called for an interview you'll be ready.
1. Tell me about a time you took charge of a situation that was out of control.
2. Give an example of a goal you set at work and how you achieved it.
3. Have you performed beyond the requirement of the job you held? If so, how?
4. If you made a mistake in judgment how would you handle it with management?
5. How have you dealt with difficult co-workers or customers?
Be prepared to provide details, dialogue, and a description of what occurred and how you resolved it.
2. Jot down a few experiences that illustrate situations and times when you successfully resolved conflict, stood up for the truth despite criticism, or used your creativity to negotiate a challenging relationship.
3. Take your emotional pulse. If you're smiling and feeling comfortable and well suited to the job in question, go for it. If you feel stressful, confused, or overwhelmed, consider setting this opportunity aside and looking for a job more appropriate to your skills and experience.
Once you're clear in your mind that this is the job you want, you'll be able to walk into any interview and establish a good rapport with the hiring manager. Following that,
all that's left is the question only you can ask and answer for yourself. "Is this the job for me?"
Happy holidays! May you land the interview that will lead to the job you really want.
Jimmy Sweeney is the president of CareerJimmy and author of the brand new "Secret Career Document" job landing system. Jimmy is also the author of several career related books and writes a monthly article titled, "Job Search Secrets."
Visit our friends at Job Interview "Secret" and discover Jimmy Sweeney's breakthrough strategy that will have you standing out from the competition like a Harvard graduate at a local job fair… DURING your next job interview.
This year, however, you may want to consider taking the following three steps to achieve a happy and restful season:
Slow down. You don't have to do it all yourself. Enlist the help of family and friends with cooking, gift-wrapping, and mailing.
Simplify. Let go of some of the time-consuming rituals so you can relax and enjoy the celebrations. Order gifts online. Set up a potluck. Pay a teen to clean up.
Stop! Take a breather—and while you're resting, make a list (and check it twice!) of where you are now and where you want to be a year from now.
If being employed in a new position is on that list, remember that every great job starts with a terrific interview. Start thinking about what you'll bring to this meeting: your appearance, your ability to speak with confidence, and your skills and work experience that will grab a hiring manager's attention. Use some of the spare time you have during the holidays to make a plan so that when you're called for an interview you'll be ready.
Take Charge
Keep in mind that today's hiring manager is more interested in who you are as a person than who you are as a professional. Behavior-based interviewing is now the norm. Employers are looking at a candidate's previous performance as an indicator of future behavior. They're not only interested in your resume, but also in the way you interact with others and how you respond when part of a team. They want to know what they can expect if they hire you and how you'll handle tricky situations that call for calm and confident leadership. It will be up to you to convince them that you're the one for this job.Tell the Truth
Following are some of the hard-edged questions and directives you could face in a behavior-based interview. Answer each one honestly to the best of your ability.1. Tell me about a time you took charge of a situation that was out of control.
2. Give an example of a goal you set at work and how you achieved it.
3. Have you performed beyond the requirement of the job you held? If so, how?
4. If you made a mistake in judgment how would you handle it with management?
5. How have you dealt with difficult co-workers or customers?
Be prepared to provide details, dialogue, and a description of what occurred and how you resolved it.
Trust in Yourself—A Three-Point Review
1. Recognize your good qualities and review them often in your mind.2. Jot down a few experiences that illustrate situations and times when you successfully resolved conflict, stood up for the truth despite criticism, or used your creativity to negotiate a challenging relationship.
3. Take your emotional pulse. If you're smiling and feeling comfortable and well suited to the job in question, go for it. If you feel stressful, confused, or overwhelmed, consider setting this opportunity aside and looking for a job more appropriate to your skills and experience.
Once you're clear in your mind that this is the job you want, you'll be able to walk into any interview and establish a good rapport with the hiring manager. Following that,
all that's left is the question only you can ask and answer for yourself. "Is this the job for me?"
Happy holidays! May you land the interview that will lead to the job you really want.
Jimmy Sweeney is the president of CareerJimmy and author of the brand new "Secret Career Document" job landing system. Jimmy is also the author of several career related books and writes a monthly article titled, "Job Search Secrets."
Visit our friends at Job Interview "Secret" and discover Jimmy Sweeney's breakthrough strategy that will have you standing out from the competition like a Harvard graduate at a local job fair… DURING your next job interview.
Thursday, December 1, 2011
AMAZING Cover Letter for the Holidays
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."
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."
Monday, August 8, 2011
Tips for Resume Writing and Layout
Here are some tips for resume writing and layout from McKinsey, one of the world's most admired employers by other employers. Let's read some tips from an empoyer's perspective before we we talk about the hands-on skills to write an impressive resume.
The first part of the candidate screening process at McKinsey is a resume review. We use a resume to help us determine whom to invite to our interviewing process. Therefore, it is important for your resume to be the best possible reflection of you and of your achievements to date.
Your resume should not only accurately reflect your achievements to date, but also provide some sense of the scale of those achievements. A successful resume will also give the reader a sense for who you are as a person, as reflected in the activities and achievements you view as important in your life.
Source: Mckinsey Tips for Resume Writing and Layout
Cover Letter Blog - Resume Writing and Layout
- Your resume/CV should be neatly typed and clearly laid out.
- Use a reasonably sized font (e.g., size 10 or larger) and allow some margin around the text for reviewer’s notes.
- Do not be overly creative with the formatting—it will only distract from the real focus of the document, which is you.
- Write clearly and don’t forget to check your grammar and spelling.
- Include your name and contact details at the top, with daytime and evening phone numbers and an e-mail address.
- Lay out your prior jobs (if any) in reverse chronological order, with your most recent role at the top.
- It is best to list dates on the left hand side. You should be able to explain any gaps in your career or educational history.
- The length of your resume/CV will depend on you and your achievements—but don’t pad it out! The trick is to be concise, but not incomplete.
The first part of the candidate screening process at McKinsey is a resume review. We use a resume to help us determine whom to invite to our interviewing process. Therefore, it is important for your resume to be the best possible reflection of you and of your achievements to date.
Your resume should not only accurately reflect your achievements to date, but also provide some sense of the scale of those achievements. A successful resume will also give the reader a sense for who you are as a person, as reflected in the activities and achievements you view as important in your life.
Source: Mckinsey Tips for Resume Writing and Layout
Cover Letter Blog - Resume Writing and Layout
Monday, August 1, 2011
How To Write A Resume
Learn how to write a resume that earns you interviews
Google and Apple always dominate the first positions when employees vote for the most admired employers. Do you know who the most admired employers are in the eyes of other employers?
Well, you may not have thought about this. It is McKinsey. How do I know? Because I’m a headhunter. I’m not here to advertise for McKinsey. Nor is there a public poll on the topic. It is from my personal experience as a headhunter. Many employers had their pupils dilated when they found the word McKinsey on a resume; some even specifically require candidates with McKinsey experience. Of course we won’t tell candidates about this in order not to violate any discrimination law.
McKinsey is one of the world’s top consulting firms with major rivals being Bain and BCG.
My topic today is “How to Write A Resume”. So what has McKinsey to do with this? There is one big good reason I pick McKinsey to kick start my resume writing section in this blog. Because if you know how McKinsey reviews your resume or what they expect from your resume, there is a great chance that other employers are looking for the same.
In fact, McKinsey sets very clear and informative guidance in resume writing in their website. One of the most comprehensive and well written among many of the world’s top employers’ websites. If you want to write a compelling resume that earns you interviews, begin with McKinsey’s resume guidance on Education, Experience, Skills and Achievements and Languages.
Sunday, July 3, 2011
"Be Yourself" Cover Letter
Introducing the "Be Yourself" Cover Letter…
When you're nervous about speaking to a stranger at a party or reluctant to ask a hiring manager for a job interview, consider the age-old advice, "Be Yourself." We've all heard that phrase over and over and yet few apply it. Why? Because most don't believe they're good enough or smart enough or talented enough just as they are. They seem to think that if they add a bit of pizzazz or comedy they can overshadow their weaknesses. But the opposite is true. The other person can see right through the performance, whether in person at a cocktail party, or on paper in a job search cover letter. When they feel 'snowed' by such verbiage, they will likely move on to the next candidate.
Therefore, the best way to get what you want—an interview for the job you're suited for an excited about—is to be who you are right now.
1. Write in conversational English.
Dear Mr. Hiring Manager:
I saw your listing asking for experienced administrative assistants to contact you about a new position at your company. I got excited when I realized that what you are looking for in the person you hire are the very traits and skills I can bring to this job. If possible, I'd like to meet with you in person to talk over specifics and to show you that I understand and can apply your company's mission statement to the work I perform . . .
2. Mention your unique abilities.
While working at ABC Corporation for the past six years I had many
opportunities to contact clients directly, answering their questions and helping them make decisions about which of our products and services to use. I was acknowledged for going the extra mile that resulted in increased sales and revenue for the company. I can do the same for you.
3. Conclude your letter with personal words of thanks.
Thank you very much for reading my cover letter and resume. I appreciate it and look forward to meeting you in person for an interview.
The truer you are to your personality the more likely you are to land an interview for the job you want.
Jimmy Sweeney is the president of CareerJimmy and author of the new, Amazing Cover Letter Creator. Jimmy is also the author of several career-related books and writes a monthly article titled, "Tough Times Jobs Tips."
Visit Jimmy on the web at Amazing Cover Letters.com for your 'instant' cover letter today. In just 3 ½ minutes you will have an amazing cover letter guaranteed to cut through YOUR competition like a hot knife through butter!
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Cover Letter Example - Executive Assistant
This summary is not available. Please
click here to view the post.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)