Turn One Piece of Paper Into a New Job Offer
Published November 19, 2009 @ 11:45AM PT
When you think about the most important piece of paper in your job search, you are probably thinking about your resume. And you might be right. However, it is important not to underestimate the power of the cover letter.
If you any bit as lazy as I am, you probably have some form cover letter on file that you make small changes to for each job you apply for. You might even have been using the same cover letter for the past 10 years. (Yes, guilty as charged).
Why is this so tempting? Well for starters, your cover letter is about you, and since you (and your attributes) don't change all that much from day to day, you keep the same information in your cover letter.
It wouldn't be such a bad plan if your cover letter was supposed to be about you. In their weekly blog and newspaper column, employment experts JT & Dale mused about the most effective cover letters that they have received as hiring managers over the years.
The one common theme? All the cover letters focused on the job (not the applicant) and why the applicant wanted to work for their organization. The key here is that applicants (whether they realized it or not!) were showing Dale & J.D. that they had done their homework on the company, understood its mission and vision, and really wanted to work for their organization in particular.
What's the lesson here? Don't wait your one sheet of paper on talking about yourself (your resume already does that). Instead, prove to the hiring manager why you want to work for them over the next guy.
Photo Attribution: Askehbl Files
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Author
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Meghan currently serves as the Project Manager for the AmeriCorps*VISTA Program at Pennsylvania Campus Compact. In 2004, Meghan served as a Corps Member in the Western Region of AmeriCorps*National Civilian Community Corps.
