Dr. Judi Craig, MCC
Executive Coach
Dr. Judi Craig, MCC Executive Coach |
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Lets
face it: Your cover letter to “To Whom It May Concern” or the
“Vice-President of Sales and Marketing” is rather ho-hum to the reader.
Instead, take the trouble to find out the name of the person who is in
the likeliest position to hire you. This
means that unless you are applying for a job in Human Resources, don’t write
the Human Resource Manager (even if you know his/her name)!
Your public library can help you with directories that list executives in
various industries if you can’t find out the information from someone inside
the company or from the company website. And
you can always call the receptionist and ask for the company’s mailing
address--and then ask the name of the specific person you’re looking for
(Director of Marketing, etc.). Asking
for an address makes it more likely that you’ll get the information you want
rather than asking only for the name of a person with a specific title.
The
more “generic” your cover letter, the less successful it is likely to be.
You want to demonstrate that you know something about the reader’s
company, something that you had to do some research to find out.
Such information can be found on web sites, in annual reports, in your
local newspaper and/or business journal, in trade magazines, etc.
Customizing your letter to a particular company is impressive and makes
you stand out from the pack of job-seekers.
Hirers
are not impressed with cover letters that begin by explaining what you want a
company to do for you. (“I am an
experienced accountant looking for a mid-sized, dynamic accounting firm with
opportunities for development”; “I
am a corporate trainer who is interested in opportunities to develop creative
curriculum in leadership development”). Instead,
begin by stating some specific way in which you can help the company or
department accomplish a particular goal, preferably giving an outstanding
example of a related accomplishment (“Having
had direct responsibility for three successful mergers in the energy industry, I
am an ideal candidate to assist you with making a smooth transition in your
recent merger with Company X”).
Hirers
do not want to serve as your employment counselor; they want you to have already
done your homework and figured out exactly what job you want.
The “I can fulfill so many roles, just put me where I’m needed most
approach” will get your letter filed in the wastebasket.
The time to explore other opportunities within the company will come, if
at all, during the interview if/when the interviewer takes the initiative to ask
you about your other options.
After
your initial attention-grabbing statement of how you can help the company and
stating your greatest related accomplishment, list four or five additional
accomplishments—bulleted and quantified. Quantified
is the key word. Rather than
bulleting “Computer-skills trainer for six years” you would say “Trained
8500 students to achieve Microsoft certifications in past six years.”
Rather than “Worked with sales team to increase sales effectiveness”,
say “Responsible for increasing team sales by 37% in two years.”
Your numbers can be approximations, so long as you can explain their
rationale if requested. Think of
quantifications involving estimated cost savings, contribution to a company’s
bottom line, employee retention, specific initiatives, etc.
You
probably have achieved many things that don’t relate directly to the job
you’re trying to land. Organizing
an outstanding global conference of 3000 attendees is a terrific accomplishment
to mention if you’re applying for an event-planning job, but not if you are
trying to get hired as a newspaper editor. Similarly,
winning a Pulitzer prize would not be an accomplishment to mention in your cover
letter if you are applying to be a project manager in a construction company
(you can mention it later in a resume`).
Your
cover letter should be short and to the point.
Rarely should it be longer than one page.
Remember, you are trying to capture the reader’s interest in knowing
more about you. Telling your life
story is boring.
When
you’ve finished writing your letter, print it up and take a “big picture”
look at it. Is it visually
appealing? Is there plenty of white
space (using bullets increases the white space)?
Does it look un-crowded? Or
is it filled with complicated sentences and jammed to the margins?
Does it look like a letter you would want to read?
Why
are you writing this cover letter? Answer:
To get an interview. So tell the
reader you would like to talk or meet and include these words: “Please give me
a call at such-and-such a phone number.” Don’t
say “I’ll give you a call in a few days to follow up and see if you’re
interested in meeting”. That
statement encourages the reader who might be ready to pick up the phone to put
the letter aside and wait for your call. You’ve
lost the interest and momentum you worked so hard to achieve.
People
get busy. They intend to call but
get sidetracked by other priorities. Don’t
assume that someone isn’t interested just because s/he doesn’t call you
after your first letter. So give the
person a call if possible; if you can’t reach him or her, write a second cover
letter reminding the reader of your first letter but adding some new quantified
accomplishments. Again, ask
the person to call you and give your phone number.
Judi Craig, Ph.D.,
MCC is an Executive & Career Coach in San Antonio, Texas and president of
COACH SQUARED, INC. (www.coachsquared.com).
She is also the author of the ebook HELP!
I LOST MY JOB (www.lost-my-job.com).
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