Imagine that your resume and
cover letter is in a pile of over 500 resumes an
employer has to weed through. They pick up the next
letter and it says "I am writing in response to your
advertisement #5052 regarding your Sales Manager
position". Pretty boring... and you just missed your
chance to grab their attention. Here are some tips
on how to make your cover letter really stand out.
First of all, let's agree that
the ONLY purpose of the cover letter is to get
someone to want to read your resume. It is NOT a
recap of your resume or a short story of how you
moved from job to job. Since employers spend only a
few seconds glancing at your letter, it should be
short, easy to read and compelling.
Example: "I have over 15 years
leading the highest level IT initiatives and was 1
of 3 Executives at Microsoft responsible for
launching the Windows 95 operating system". This is
an extreme case, but you really don't have to put
much more than that in the cover letter as most
people would immediately want to know more and pick
up the resume. So let's look at how you can
instantly grab attention.
Trick #1: A great trick
is to start by thinking about how people in these
positions are measured and what the best candidate
in the world would deliver. For example, for sales
people, employers want to hear about setting sales
records (overachieving quota), expanding the
customer base, and earning customer loyalty. For
project managers, employers want to see a consistent
track record of delivering projects on time and with
a high level of quality. For manufacturing, the key
metrics are productivity, safety, quality and cost
improvements. Now tell them that you can deliver
these things.
"I have over 15 years of
experience leading manufacturing operations to new
heights in productivity, profitability and safety".
"Setting new sales records,
growing market share and turning mediocre performers
into sales superstars briefly describes what I can
do for your firm".
"I have over 10 years of
experience leading highly visible, complex projects
and have earned a solid reputation for meeting
aggressive deadlines and bringing internal/external
customer satisfaction to new heights".
Get the idea? You just told
them that you have a track record of delivering the
results they are looking for.
Trick #2: Most people
send the same basic cover letter to all firms. You
will really impress the employer when you
demonstrate you know something about their
organization. So demonstrate your knowledge and put
in a line that shows you've done your homework.
Example: "I've followed your
company for a number of years and I imagine that
with your opening a new plant in Atlanta, you will
need someone who is experienced in plant startups".
"With your recent acquisition
of XYZ, I'm sure you can benefit from someone who
has extensive HR experience managing the integration
of new personnel and cultures".
Wow! At this point, you've
indicated that you are a star performer who can
deliver exactly what they want and that you are
experienced in meeting some of the specific
challenges that their organization faces. Now prove
it.
Trick #3: Here is where
you put in 2 to 5 bullets that prove you can deliver
results. Bullets make it easy to read and easy for
you to swap some bullets in for others depending on
what they want. Here, you'll want to quantify your
accomplishments as much as possible.
Example: "I have been assigned
to numerous turnarounds and surpassed expectations
in each instance. As Plant Manager at 1 of the
largest component manufacturers in the United
States, I reduced overtime 30%, increased
productivity 18%, grew quality 11% and slashed
accidents by 33%".
"I have 12+ years of solid
sales experience at such firms as IBM, Oracle and
Sun Microsystems, and achieved top ranked
performance in every position. My achievements
include delivering as much as 440% of sales targets
and ranking in the Top 5 every year for the past 8
years".
Trick #4: You've proved
you are a superstar (and even if you're not, you
should think like 1), so now is the time to bring it
home. Your closing paragraph should indicate that
they should read your resume, that there is a lot
more to know, and that you will be calling them in a
few days to find out more about the position.
There are a lot of important
concepts here - yes, you will call them and no, you
will not just ask them if they got your resume, but
instead will demonstrate you strengths and knowledge
by asking insightful questions that indicate you are
truly interested in this position. Employers notice
people who call and this is your opportunity to
build rapport with the decision makers who hold the
key to your dream job.
Follow these simple tips and
you will definitely make yourself stand out.
Don Goodman, President of
About Jobs (http://www.GotTheJob.com) is a nationally recognized Career Coach and Resume
Writer. A graduate of the Wharton School of Business
and Stanford University's Executive Program, Don has
helped thousands of people secure their next job.
Read his blog at
http://www.GotTheJob.com/blog/ or contact him at
800-909-0109 or by e-mail at dgoodman@GotTheJob.com. 
