Cover letters

[The_Ghost]

OK I have not had to write one in over 10 years.

Time for me to end the parental leave and start looking for work in my new city.

My resume is good or so I have been told, now I need to write some cover letters for some jobs I am applying for.

Who is good at them and has any advice or has some links to good sites.

 

[Lestat]

keep it short and simple, they aren't always required either, some places just want a nice clear concise 1 page resume and that's it.

 

[The_Ghost]

keep it short and simple, they aren't always required either, some places just want a nice clear concise 1 page resume and that's it.

1 page resume is impossible.

 

[stilleto]

try to edit your cover letter for each resume you send out- make them think you wrote it personally for them if you can. keep it simple and well written.

 

[nycgirl]

I hate cover letters and I'm not good at them. I need to learn how to write a good one. I've been taking the easy route, posting my resume on Monster.com and other sites and letting the headhunters call me.

Check out monster.com for tips at http://forums.monster.com/forum.asp?forum=3561. Great site for other tips.

 

[The_Ghost]

try to edit your cover letter for each resume you send out- make them think you wrote it personally for them if you can. keep it simple and well written.

Oh for sure, this is a must, will not to a generic one.

 

[Lestat]

1 page resume is impossible.

Unless you are submitting a CV for some time of position in academia, the resume needs to be 1 page. I worked in staffing, 2 pages resumes typically went straight to the shredder.

You should be able to tailor your resume for the position you are applying for and get all pertinant info in 1 page.

Name and contact info at the top
Objective (optiona, no need for this if you have a cover letter)
Education (or you can say this for the end)
Work experience (put 3-5 positions and just 2-3 small bits of info about your responsibilities and accomplishments)'
Skills and interests.

Some people like the education bit at the top, others at the end. If your formal education is a selling point for the particular position, then put it at the top. If your education is in unrelated fields, put it at the bottom.

Believe me, you can make it work in one page.

 

[KillahBee]

Mention what the company does and how your skill set and experience fits into that. Don't make it a replay of your resume - expand upon the resume and highlight items you want to stand out. Also, and I cannot stress this enough - make sure it is PERFECT in terms of spelling and grammar. When I interview, I evaluate the cover letter first. It is a true sign of effort and basic writing skills. Also, I HATE when people say things like, "I am a leader" or "I have a great work ethic". Saying that means nothing to me - show me through your experience.

 

[stilleto]

Mention what the company does and how your skill set and experience fits into that. Don't make it a replay of your resume - expand upon the resume and highlight items you want to stand out. Also, and I cannot stress this enough - make sure it is PERFECT in terms of spelling and grammar. When I interview, I evaluate the cover letter first. It is a true sign of effort and basic writing skills. Also, I HATE when people say things like, "I am a leader" or "I have a great work ethic". Saying that means nothing to me - show me through your experience.

or "i'm a people person". i've seen that a lot and it means NOTHING.

 

[Lestat]

people person = bullshit

just filler because you have no real skills

 

[The_Ghost]

people person = bullshit

just filler because you have no real skills

Great there goes my first sentence, Bigdawg the people person

 

[Lestat]

Great there goes my first sentence, Bigdawg the people person

lol

 

[Smurfy]

I was able to squeeze mine onto one page but it wasnt easy. i limited myself to 2-3 bulletpoints for each position I have held.

 

[Lestat]

I was able to squeeze mine onto one page but it wasnt easy. i limited myself to 2-3 bulletpoints for each position I have held.

that is exactly what you have to do.

widen margins, get creative.

 

[The_Ghost]

I was able to squeeze mine onto one page but it wasnt easy. i limited myself to 2-3 bulletpoints for each position I have held.

That is tough for me, as a Network Admin I have so many duties that I need at least 10 for my last job to cover just my major duties.

 

[KillahBee]

I was able to squeeze mine onto one page but it wasnt easy. i limited myself to 2-3 bulletpoints for each position I have held.

I'll say this about a resume (a cover letter really doesn't need to be more than 1 page) - fuck any "rule" people talk about (i.e. can't be over 1 page). Make it 30 pages if you want. I just interviewed someone this morning with a 2 page resume and she even got an offer. If it deserves 2 pages, then so be it. Throughout college I heard about 20 different "professionals" give 20 different opinions on what to do and what not to do with resumes. It was fucking assinine.

 

[Lestat]

That is tough for me, as a Network Admin I have so many duties that I need at least 10 for my last job to cover just my major duties.

certain things should be implicit.

You said "network admin" that tells me a lot already.

Just list significant accomplishments, cost savings, etc.

 

[The_Ghost]

I'll say this about a resume (a cover letter really doesn't need to be more than 1 page) - fuck any "rule" people talk about (i.e. can't be over 1 page). Make it 30 pages if you want. I just interviewed someone this morning with a 2 page resume and she even got an offer. If it deserves 2 pages, then so be it. Throughout college I heard about 20 different "professionals" give 20 different opinions on what to do and what not to do with resumes. It was fucking assinine.

That is very true, I have talked to 3 different people in HR positions and have gotten 3 different answers on how long they should be.

The only thing they all agreed on was the length of the cover letter!

 

[KillahBee]

That is very true, I have talked to 3 different people in HR positions and have gotten 3 different answers on how long they should be.

The only thing they all agreed on was the length of the cover letter!

exactly. in general, I would try to keep the resume as short as possible (for reading ease) but without sacrificing content. If it needs to be 2 pages, that's fine. But make sure it's justified.

 

[The_Ghost]

certain things should be implicit.

You said "network admin" that tells me a lot already.

Just list significant accomplishments, cost savings, etc.

I worked for the government, no such thing as cost savings!!!