Writing Targeted Cover
Letters
What does it take for your resume
and cover letter to make an impact when the
employer has received hundreds of resumes for the
position you have applied for? I've spoken to
employers who receive 400-500 resumes for every
position they list on a major job site like
Monster or CareerBuilder. It seems like an almost
impossible task to weed through them to find the
best candidates to interview.
Making the Cut
Employers do manage to reduce the
pool of cover letters and resumes to a manageable
number. How they do it can give you some insight
in to how to write cover letters that will make
the cut. Because, if your cover letter doesn't
pass muster, your resume won't even get a look.
If your cover letter and resume
aren't perfect they most likely will end up in
the reject pile. And perfect means perfect -
there should not be any typos or grammatical
errors.
Employers typically won't even
consider a candidate that they cannot see is
qualified at first glance.
That first glance at your cover
letter is your one opportunity to make a good
impression and make it to the next round.
Targeted Cover Letters
It's certainly easier to write
generic or blanket cover letters than it is to
write a cover letter specifically targeted to
each position you apply for. However, if you
don't invest the time in writing cover letters
you're probably not going to get the interview,
regardless of your qualifications.
Here are some suggestions on how
to write cutting edge cover letters that work:
Make a Match
This one takes some time and
effort and it's not always easy, but, it's
important. Take the job posting and list the
criteria the employer is looking for. Then list
the skills and experience you have. Either
address how your skills match the job in
paragraph form or list the criteria and your
qualifications.
Sample Job Posting
BOX OFFICE MANAGER. Conduct,
oversee subscription and ticket sales for events.
Generate and maintain reports, perform accounting
activities related to box office revenue, oversee
operations. Requires customer service skills and
accounting experience.
Cover Letter Example 1:
Paragraph
As Box Office Assistant for the
Light Opera Company I was responsible for
customer service, ticketing patrons, and
generating and maintaining box office reports. In
addition, I maintained records and accounting
reports for all box office transactions.
Cover Letter Example 2:
List
- Box Office Manager Requirements:
- Conduct, oversee subscription and ticket
sales for events
- Generate and maintain reports, perform
accounting activities
- Customer service skills and accounting
experience
- My Skills and Experience:
- Box office management including
ticketing, maintenance of records and
ticket database management
- Maintain and generate reports
- Box office accounting transaction and
reporting
- Customer service, seating, and ticketing
patrons
As you can see, in both cases,
the candidate has written a detailed cover letter
that should pass the first screening. In order to
pass that screening, you must specifically
address the job ad and state why you are
qualified for the position.
Given this competitive job
market, it is critically important to target your
cover letter and your resume. That way the
employer knows exactly why you are qualified for
the position and why they should consider you for
an interview. |