The Perfect Fit

Are Cover Letters Essential or "Old School"?

Are Cover Letters Essential or Useless

I continue to be amazed by the number of job applicants who do not support their application with a cover letter.  In my job descriptions, I specifically ask interested candidates to “include a cover letter detailing their specific interest in and qualifications for the opportunity, as they imagine it”.  I’d say about one in five actually does that.

I understand that in many circles, cover letters are considered “old school” or unnecessary.  Some believe resumes are in that same category of “old school”.  LinkedIn encourages recruiters to accept applications with the Profile only.  I understand how convenient that can be, especially for mobile users.  I don’t think candidates understand the opportunity missed by not utilizing a cover letter (in tandem with a compelling resume!).

The cover letter is your opportunity to explain (perhaps most importantly) why you have interest in a particular employer and how you believe you can add value.  This is a critical piece of information that can be powerful in making the employer understand that a candidate really would love to work for their company.  Inversely, the lack of that statement makes that candidate “just another applicant”.  Why not take advantage of that opportunity, especially if you really do want to work for that particular employer?

Those of us who read resumes for a living, tend to initially scan them to see if something (anything) grabs our attention . . . you’ve heard that viewers look over a resume for less than 30 seconds, prior to making a judgment.  That’s true enough, sadly.  It’s unlikely that the viewer will be able to understand how a candidate’s prior experience might relate to their particular opening, in 30 seconds or less.  Smart candidates explain the how and why in their cover letters . . . This is not to say that you simply re-iterate what’s in your resume on your cover letter.  Here are other articles I've written, "10 Reasons Why I Ignored Your Resume" or "Want to Apply For a Job? Introduce Yourself with Impact!"

Want to Apply For a Job? Introduce Yourself with Impact!

I'm amazed at how candidates will often introduce themselves in a timid or uncertain way.  This frequently happens when a candiate is applying for an opporunity they saw on my blog, or through Twitter (please follow me @HeadhunterBob). It's an approach that is not impressive and rarely results in moving forward in the recruiting process.  It's also why I'm not posting as many positions to online job sites any more.

I'm sure you'll agree with me that it's imperative that a candidate consistently and confidently introduce themselves, then conduct themselves with confidence.   Candidates will respond with an email asking "Do you think this position is right for me?"  Or, they'll say, "Look at my LinkedIn Profile and let me know if you think I"m a good fit".  If you don't know, you probably shouldn't introduce yourself or apply.

The first thing to do is decide if you're interested in the position, and if so, are you qualified for it.  If those answers are both yes, introduce yourself like you're qualified and want the position.  Think about it and decide how to best present yourself with impact.

It's important that you tell me why you're excited about the opportunity and why you believe you're qualified and ready to excel in the position.  Get my attention with a powerful cover letter tht makes me want to know more about you.  See "Cover Letters II".  Write a resume to get the job.  (See a previous post "Your Resume is Boring! How to Write a Resume to Get a Job").  Your whole goal at this point is simply to get the hiring manager's (or the recruiter's) attention, so that you move to the next step, a conversation with the hiring manager.

As I re-read this, it all seems so obvious.  I guess that's what's so surprising to me.  It's just hard to imagine the approaches that some take to introducing themselves.  I hope I'm making the point that it's not extremely difficult, it simply takes some forethought.  There's a best way to introduce yourself for each opportunity.  It's not going to be using the same cover letter and resume that you used for the last position you applied for!

Dos and Don'ts of Cover Letters

Do I or don't I write a cover letter?  I’ve written posts about cover letters in the past.  There was a rather detailed post  entitled Cover Letter Follies, Part II.  For the life of me, I can’t find Part I!  There are lots of online resources giving advice on How to write a cover letter.  This post is about whether or not you should "bother".

I wrote myself a note a few days ago to write another piece on the importance of cover letters, because for several weeks,   I’ve been seeing very few with candidates’ resumes.  I’ve always been an advocate of the cover letter’s ability to provide an additional dimension of depth and understanding that goes “beyond the resume”.  I see them as complementary.  

I’ve just run into an employment advisor who categorically disagrees with me.  He believes that recruiters, whether in house or third party, just don’t take the time to read a cover letter.  I read that and thought, he means “they won’t take the time”, not “don’t”!  He talks about the huge number of applicants for any position posted online, resulting in a necessarily fast preliminary screening process.  There’s simply no time for reading cover letters.

(I’m inclined to disagree with the notion that there are “so many” applicants for each position.  It depends on the position.  There is not a “talent surplus” in the marketing, there is without questions, a “talent shortage”).

That advisor considers cover letters to be a “distraction”, cutting into the 30 seconds or less the viewer spends reading a resume.  He also contends that cover letters are frequently not even seen, because they are rarely parsed into the ATS (Applicant Tracking System) that all employers and recruiters use.  He’s right about that.  He also says, “If it’s not on the resume, it doesn’t exist”!  He’s only partially right about that.

Cover Letter Follies, Part II

Cover letters are an essential and powerful way of introducing a reader to yourself.  They are usually the first point of contact between you and that reader and as a result, are the most important document in your introduction.  I've written about this before with, "Extreme Cover Letters (That Don't Work)!".  As you're about to see, it's time to write about it again.  Apparently, my point has not yet been made!

The cover letter is your opportunity to set the stage for what's to follow.  It gives you an opportunity to specifically say why you're interested in contacting the recipient.  It can provide valuable context for everything else to follow.  It is extremely important to take advantage of the cover letter!

I'm going to make some comments about the following letters, that I don't intend to be dis-respectful.  I have to admit that I'm frequently astounded by the lack of effort candidates make to introduce themselves.  If a resume submission does not have my name in the cover letter, that candidate is instantly facing an uphill battle.  They are simply too lazy to add a name to a letter.  They think that quantity of letter sent, will make up for lack of quality in letters sent.  Obviously, that's flawed thinking!  (BTW, if I'm included in some blind email to likely dozens and dozens of recruiters, that email is  deleted.)

Conversely, if a cover letter mentions my name, and goes on to mention something specific about my company or my background (for example), I'm immediately more receptive.  It's not an ego thing, it's the demonstration that the candidate took the time to find out something about my company and me, and then made the effort to write a letter directly to me.  If they can spend a few minutes to get my attention, I will certainly spend a few minutes to look at their materials.

Here we go (the punctuation and spelling is just as it appeared in the original letter:

"Hi Bob,
 
Attached please find my resume. I'm interested in a copywriting position.
 
Thanks,
All the best,"

Here's a copywriter who doesn't take the opportuity in a cover letter to write anything interesting.  This person is (obviously) not a strong candidate for copywriting! They can't even get the spacing right!

"Good morning, 

I am reaching out to you in regards to corporate recruiting.

I am a hyper creative marketing wiz. I have learned how to promote on a small scale and now I would like to take those skills and apply them to larger businesses."

I've always believed that it's a better idea to let someone else sing your praises.  It rarely works when you try to do it yourself . . . as in this case.  A "hyper creative marketing wiz" would certainly be able to do a better job of introducing themself!

"Richer Resumes, Portfolios and Cover Letters!" . . . Include A Verbal Pitch

I working with a senior marketing candidate who's just done something I think is just outstanding . . . simple, easy . . . just brilliant. 

I had previously written a post about how a free online service called Dropbox can help add dimension and depth to your resume, cover letter and/or portfolio, without adding additional pages.  As I said previously, "It would be terrific if there was a place to "host" those compliments, recommendations, white papers and other media files, so that they could easily be incorporated into letters of introduction and resumes."  Dropbox provides this ability. Check out more thoughts on Dropbox and resumes/portfolios and cover letters here. 

The new idea that's so simple, is voice.  That's right . . . use your own voice to create a short (60-90 second) verbal pitch for yourself.  You can provide a verbal overview and add context to a resume.  You can highlight one or two brief case studies . . . If you're applying for a specific position and know the name of the hiring manager, you can even introduce yourself specifically to the job and call the hiring manager by name!  You can deliver a "call to action" . . . Ask that hiring manager to give you a call to hear more!  Imagine the impact!

This works with more than introductions during the employment search.  Imagine a verbal introduction to accompany introducing yourself to a new client . . . There are endless opportunities to utilize this.

In addition to your other qualifications, background and skills, you've now set yourself apart from the competition by being clever, and obviously in control of current technology.  I just love the idea of being able to highlight specific career achievements that directly relate to the position you're applying for.

You can also create your own "elevator pitch" for use in other social media applications.  You can add links to the Dropbox hosted sound files to your LinkedIn and Facebook accounts . . . or send a tweet with sound!  You'll think of more ways to use this . . .

Most of us have a micropohone built into our computers . . . we can create sound files instantly.  Dropbox is  a free place to host those files, and allow you to use them in your career enhancement efforts.  My goal is to figure this out for myself in the next several days.  When I do, I'll post the solution with a litle added "voice encouragement".

Depending on the usage, for example a link on LinkedIn that was more of a "generic" introduction of yourself, or if you're not a terrific speaker, you might spend a modest amount of money and have professionals assist you.  For the charges of one hour of studio time and some editing, you might be able to get this done for $200.00 or less.

I have total faith that my readers are clever enough to figure this out.  If you decide to utilize this idea, please send me a link when it's finished!  I'd love to hear what you have to say!

Create "Richer" Resumes With New Technology

Resumes and portfolios are only two of the elements necessary to make a powerful first impression when presenting yourself to a new employer (or recruiter!).  There are a myriad of additional elements which can help separate you from your colleagues when being considered for a new career opportunity.

Testimonials, recommendations, white papers, case studies or other "documents" (In this case, I'm using "documents" to include images, videos or any other kind of media file.) that you may have can help show your career achievements and your ability to add value to your employers.  It's surprising to me that more top professionals don't utilize what their employers, peers and clients have to say about their performance on a particular project or team.  It can be anything from an email from a either a client or your boss thanking you for a job well done, to a formally recognized achievement, like an award.  Your LinkedIn Profile is certainly one place where displaying recommendations can be a significant credibility builder.  Having someone else say something positive about you is obviously better than saying it yourself!  I believe it's a powerful marketing technique and frequently use it myself, for example on our website.

It would be terrific if there was a place to "host" those compliments, recommendations, white papers and other media files, so that they could easily be incorporated into letters of introduction and resumes.  The ability to create a free blog has been taken advantage of by many who want an online place to "host" all of the documents relevant to a job search . . . and they work very well. 

Others are less comfortable with creating the blog and organizing all the documents so that the visitor to that blog can quickly and easily navigate to the right place (document) at the right time.  For those of you who find yourselves in that particular boat, there's some relatively new technology out there that can be a tremendous asset for you.  It's called Dropbox.

Dropbox allows you to sync your files online and across your computers automatically . . . up to 2GB worth for free!  That in itself has tremendous value.  My computer was recently taken out of service for several days as a result of some killer (literally) virus.  While I had a backup laptop and was able to do some work, I didn't have access to any of the documents on the "sick" computer.  I have now uploaded all of the documents that I used on a daily basis to Dropbox.  I can now access those files from any computer with internet access . . . Fabulous!

The way Dropbox can be used on resumes and cover letters is this.  Suppose you have a number of testimonials/recommendations from colleagues or clients or other media files that can enhance your presentation.  You can now put copies of each of those documents (or other media) in a Dropbox "Public" folder.  That public folder attaches a unique link for that document, which can then be embedded in your resume.  Click here to see how I handle it, or you could link to each document or file individually.  That link is being handled through the Dropbox public folder.

Now, even your Word.doc can become a much more compelling document with the additional capabilities provided by Dropbox.  This is now a very simple (and free!) method of adding significant new information to your resume, without adding any additional pages.  I'm betting that you can think of all kinds of clever ways to incorporate this technology into your your document and your work flow.

I'm also betting you'll find the value in hosting some frequently used documents with Dropbox.

Extreme Cover Letters (That Don't Work!)

I'm conducting a national confidential search for a Creative Director for an out of town client.  In addition to the normal approach of researching and calling into targeted (competitive) companies for passive candidates, I've posted the position on a couple of specialty creative job sites.

I received two cover letters today, that are remarkable in their own way.  Both fail miserably I think for obvious reasons.  I thought I'd share them with you because most people just don't understand how ineffective these approaches can be.  They basically serve to disqualify the candidate immediately.

The first Creative Director has quite an ego.  The letter is all about him . . . I've tried to deliver the format the way I received it:

"I am a
self-motivated creative super star who is unafraid to push the boundaries in order to achieve greatness! My specialty is putting the WOW factor into every facet of what I do, from creating eye-popping graphics to writing attention-grabbing copy. If it can be printed, read or otherwise visualized, I have done it in my 15-year career. My vast experience includes both corporate and agency-based creative, management of large and small teams, direction over design and production as well as mastery of Mac-based systems inside and out.
In the workplace, I
am personable and easy to talk to. I can handle criticism as easily as praise and respond to suggestions or instructions in a positive, forward-thinking manner. My colleagues often seek me out for solutions to help them better perform their own tasks.
My ideal scenario
is to find a company or agency who can utilize my talents to their full extent.
As many things as I have accomplished thus far, I have only scratched the surface of my potential. Your company will reap the rewards of the continuing growth and evolution of my career, resulting in a mutually beneficial situation. I am seeking a salary range beginning at 65K per year, but am certainly flexible, given the right opportunity. I have also filled out a profile and uploaded a resume on your site.
Please click the
following link to view my portfolio of recent work:
http://www.coroflot.com/acmecreativeguywithmassiveego
I look forward to
speaking with you further so we can begin our new relationship together soon.
Thank you for your time and consideration."

I know this next one will speak for itself:

"Hi. Attch. is a R.
Thx, DCU"

The idea is to let the company know you want to work for them, and why.  It shouldn't be all about you, it should be all about what you can do for them.