| As a long time recruiter, coach and teacher, I have | | | | Your cover letter always need to be tweaked exactly |
| seen many aspects of the Job Search process | | | | right for every job you apply for. These days the |
| change over the years. And bar none, nothing has | | | | template cover letter is absolutely dead. They will |
| evolved more in your job search process than the art | | | | never stand out, as everyone else is sending exactly |
| of good cover letter writing. Regardless of what you | | | | the same thing, that's what templates are, a sort of |
| may been reading today or what other experts are | | | | cookie cutter approach. And trust me, recruiters have |
| saying, think of it as a process and you'll understand it | | | | seen thousands of letters, a stand out letter is rare and |
| very clearly: | | | | does just that, it really stands out when you write from |
| The Job Search Process: | | | | the heart, a genuine, sincere and real person behind the |
| - I need a job or a better job & I need a company to | | | | word, gets noticed every time. |
| notice me and for them to call me | | | | Remember the process. A recruiter reads your cover |
| Isn't that it in a nutshell? Nothing else matters! The | | | | letter, when it's interesting enough, they want to read |
| process today is simply getting noticed enough to | | | | your resume, where you detail your already qualified |
| have a company go to the next stage. | | | | status and thus an job interview is arranged. But that |
| - your cover letter = first level of interest, your resume | | | | process is all about your cover letter first! |
| = your obvious qualifications and your job interview = | | | | Think of it this way, from a recruiter's point of view. I |
| the final step, your hire ability! | | | | receive 100 letters and resumes and all the resumes |
| The real you comes out in your cover letter, it's an | | | | are about the same quality. How do I decide who to |
| introduction and in that simple introduction you have to | | | | interview. Again, it'll always come back to that amazing |
| make that Real You stand out. We already assume | | | | cover letter, that real you, they read as your |
| that your resume qualifies you, but with a better cover | | | | introduction. This is the area we struggle with, as we |
| letter as your introduction, the rest just doesn't matter. | | | | are actually selling ourselves in the cover letter, like it or |
| If they don't get past the cover letter, your | | | | not, that's exactly what you are doing. Selling and telling! |
| qualifications, as great as they may be, just won't get | | | | The resume doesn't sell you, it's a blueprint, a static |
| the recognition they deserve. That's as simple as I can | | | | page of information. They have to get through the |
| put it. | | | | cover letter to get to the resume. So the bottom line is |
| Resumes need to be good, whether they are | | | | prepare your resume first, you'll need that as |
| functional or chronological. But at the end of the day, | | | | reference when writing a truly solid sales cover letter |
| they don't get tweaked too much. Altered slightly to | | | | of introduction. |
| best fit the job at hand yes, but that is still only a minor | | | | After your cover letter, the next obvious skill you really |
| alteration. After all your resume is a blueprint at best, | | | | need to master is the art of the job interview itself. |
| where you've been, what you've achieved, core | | | | Again, that'll come down to being real and your ability |
| competencies etc. There is only so much you can | | | | to articulate and communicate well any of your skills, |
| tweak in that area. But your cover letter now, is the | | | | experiences etc. Most people dread the job interview |
| real challenge. It needs to be altered for every possible | | | | and rightly so, one needs to properly prepare. But most |
| career opportunity. Anything less is a template cover | | | | people don't even get a job interview because they |
| letter! | | | | missed the single most important step, the cover letter. |