Several points for job application
There are several points that are completely inappropriate in a job application and write in your cover letter:
- A detailed biography of the applicant or facts that are not relevant to the case;
- A hint that with your help the company will be able to make a lot of money. All the more you do not need to cite a certain amount as an example. No one can know such information in advance and for sure;
- Comparing yourself with other candidates. it is not known who, except you, sent your resume, level, experience, and capabilities of other candidates;
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Cover letter
As many business coaches teach, our success in business is largely determined by personal relationships. Those likes or dislikes that arise during communication. The employment process is no exception. To get a job, it’s not enough just to be a good specialist, you also need to please the employer. And in an effort to achieve this goal, people usually go in two ways: straight ahead, bypassing conventions, or thoughts spread along the tree. The former completely ignores the possibility of writing cover letters … and often fails. The second – use it with pleasure … and lose too.
What’s the matter?
Remember the brilliant scene from the movie “Office Romance”, when Novoseltsev tries to “hit” on Lyudmila Prokofievna? “I would like to make a good impression on you,” says Novoseltsev. “You succeeded,” replies the surprised Lyudmila Prokofievna. – “I want to strengthen”… As we remember, Novoseltsev’s subsequent attempts to read poetry, sing and dance had the exact opposite effect, and if it had happened not in a romantic comedy, but in reality, then it would definitely have ended not in an office romance, but in dismissal. Likewise, candidates sometimes get carried away so much that they go beyond the boundaries of what is permissible, and instead of pleasing the employer, they only cause rejection in him. Perceiving the cover letter as something less formal than the resume, they “come off” to the fullest, showing all their talents at once.
Therefore, before proceeding to the answer to the question asked a little above, first you need to decide what a cover letter is – an official document or a funny propaganda leaflet? The opinion of career consultants on this matter is unambiguous. “A cover letter is a compact document required for initial communication with an employer,” career consultant Tatyana Nosova defines . And, of course, like any document, it has its own principles of drawing up.
Two types of cover letters
In practice, there are two types of cover letters. Conventionally, they can be designated as the actual cover letters and ” cover notes “. The second, as the name suggests, are short additions to the resume. As a rule, they are sent without any special purpose to attract attention to themselves, but simply instead of a greeting.
Covering notes can be as little as a word or two
such as “Hello. I am sending my resume ” or ” Hello, my resume is in the attached file . “
The cover letter itself is a document, the purpose of which is to interest the employer, convince him to look over the resume and, ultimately, invite him for an interview.
There are no rules for writing cover letters – for the simple reason that “notes”, although they are very common in practice, are not classic versions of cover letters and, let’s be honest, almost never help anyone in finding a job. For the actual cover letters, HR specialists and career consultants outline several rules.
First, the volume .
5-7 sentences in two, maximum three paragraphs are preferred. Many experts agree that a cover letter longer than 3 paragraphs, in the worst case, will simply not be read. In the best case, they will run their eyes. Any case, the goal – to attract the employer’s attention – will not be achieved.
No case should the cover letter duplicate the resume, but contain some additional information about the candidate that would attract the employer. Ideally, they would explain to him exactly what benefits this particular candidate represents for the company, weaving this into the context of the company’s activities and thereby showing their awareness of its business issues.
If the resume is far from perfect, then it is permissible to fill in the gaps in the cover letter and explain, for example, the reason for dismissal from a previous job or a break in work. In some cases, you can build a cover letter based on a fact that is against you. For example, when you are sending a letter to a specialist position with at least five years of experience, and you have only three years behind you. But this technique must be used very skillfully, otherwise you can ruin everything. As for this example, here you can advise using the following phrase “My work experience is very capacious, in three years I have mastered skills that some specialists spend five years to acquire.”
Third, language and style .
Only formal business style is allowed in the cover letter. The letter should not contain any familiarity, slang and colloquial expressions, emoticons and other similar things. At the same time articles about IT overburden cover complex structures and terminology, because it is likely to be read by an expert, working in one direction with you, and the manager to work with the staff, who can not understand the intricacies of your profession. The breadth of horizons and the level of intelligence are best reserved for the interview.
Fourth, composition .
In a standard cover letter of 5-7 phrases, the first or first and second paragraph should be devoted to a mini-presentation , in which the candidate emphasises his skills and the benefits that the company can get by inviting him to the job. In the last paragraph, you must definitely thank the addressee for their attention and emphasise your readiness for a personal meeting. You can take the initiative and inform your employer about your intention to contact the employer. At a certain time to clarify the decision regarding your resume.
Uninvented stories
There is no consensus among HR professionals on whether or not to write cover letters. Some say that they always read the letters carefully. Others only look at them and do not pay attention to them, since all the basic information about the candidate is contained in the resume. No pattern can be traced at the level of positions, or in industries, or in companies. Recruiters recognize that a cover letter can play a role. Or maybe not.
Natalya Kurkchi , partner of the recruiting company Antal Russia , says: “If your resume is good, it will get noticed without a cover letter. If a specialist has worked in one place for a long enough time, if there is a progressive development in the company, he will be invited for an interview anyway. However, if the applicant had some kind of unsuccessful transition or the resume is not quite profile, then a cover letter is needed to convince the employer to consider his candidacy. The purpose of the cover letter is to convey the following idea: “Despite … I really want to work in your company. I am suitable for this vacancy because … ” .
In my practice, situations have repeatedly occurred when, having seen only a resume, I would not have invited a person for an interview, but the cover letter said: “ I did this and that,and I have a special experience in such and such an area “, which was a good reason to spend time and invite the candidate to a personal meeting. If you feel the desire to change the situation in your cover letter, you just understand that the person can achieve it. “
Examples
I would like to cite several illustrative examples. One day Nikolai, a web design specialist, sent a resume to one of the large companies. He had no reason to believe that at the moment the company has interesting vacancies for him. He sent his resume at random, providing it with a cover note with the following content: “Hello, my name is Nikolai. Perhaps you will be interested in my designer resume if the company has relevant vacancies. ” The cover letter was not a masterpiece, but Nikolai’s resume was so impressive. A few days later he worked for the company as the head of the design department.
A young girl named Anna tried to get into the company of her dreams… She had good experience in her specialty, all the necessary skills and knowledge for successful work. In addition, corresponding vacancies were opened in the company. The girl supplemented her resume with a cover letter, written according to the strict laws of the genre. Telling how she could contribute to the company and highlighting her merits.
However, she received no response. After some time, after working elsewhere, and adding a new line to her resume. She sent it to the dream company again. Writing a new cover letter, in which she favourably emphasised the newly acquired skills and possible benefits for the company. But there was no answer this time either. The girl did not despair and a few months later tried her luck again with a revised cover letter. Written in the same polite and convincing manner, describing the employer’s benefits from her presence in the company. This time she achieved her goal.
Not a key, but a tool
So what played a decisive role in each case described a cover letter, a beautiful resume, perseverance, or all at once? It is impossible to unequivocally answer this question. Each case is individual because you can never know for certain who exactly will make the decision to invite a candidate for an interview. Whether this person will read the cover letter, and even whether he will carefully read the resume.
There is no one-size-fits-all advice that works for everyone. After all, a cover letter is not a panacea for unemployment, but just another tool. To use them or not – everyone decides for himself. If you think your cover letter is a waste of time, don’t waste it, because you’re unlikely to write anything worthwhile and writing. If you think this is your chance to advance, go for it. When you think your chance of getting a job is creative, break all the rules and get creative. Do all this at once and in turn, but do not standstill. Sometimes it remember the presence of a window and a chimney.
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