Crafting an Eye-Catching Cover Letter

By : Robert Half International

Many job seekers today are tempted to skip the cover letter. Think twice before doing so.

Experienced candidates may find that they don't need a cover letter to sell their skills to prospective employers. But this document can be invaluable for entry-level professionals or individuals who seek a career change. A thoughtfully written letter can distinguish these individuals from the crowd by allowing them to go into greater detail about the unique skills and qualifications that make them the best fit for the role.

Following are some tips for creating an eye-catching cover letter:

1. Avoid a generic salutation
If possible, don't start your note with "To whom it may concern" or "Dear sir or madam." Instead, call the company to ask the hiring manager's name (as well as the correct spelling) and title if it's not apparent in the job posting. Addressing the letter to a specific individual will demonstrate both motivation and resourcefulness.

2. Keep it focused
Hiring managers don't want to read a novel, so limit your note to two or three short paragraphs. Explain why the job interests you and what qualities you can bring to the position. Your interest in rock climbing isn't applicable unless you are applying to a firm that caters to sports enthusiasts, for example.

3. Customize the content
It's important to target each letter to the actual job opening. You can determine which professional accomplishments to focus on by looking at the job posting. For example, if you are applying for a position that involves managing a small team, play up your interpersonal skills and previous experience overseeing small groups. Expand upon one or two key points from your résumé -- perhaps how you oversaw a successful product launch -- to better key into the potential employer's needs.

4. Showcase your top assets
There's a fine line between confidence and cockiness. Saying you are the best "Web designer west of the Rockies" is less effective than explaining how your redesign of a client's Web site increased sales for the company by 10 percent or noting that you won a prestigious award for your work.

5. Address any concerns
The cover letter also is a place to address any issues that may give a hiring manager pause, such as gaps in employment. Briefly explain why you were out of work and, more important, what you have been doing since then to keep your skills up-to-date.

6. Don't make demands
Avoid asking for a specific salary or making other work-related demands ("I prefer working from home every Friday"). The purpose of your letter is to explain what you can do for the company, not vice versa.

7. Be honest
Don't stretch the truth about your accomplishments. Even seemingly minor misrepresentations -- saying you managed the daily operations of a firm's help desk when you actually co-managed it, for example -- can come back to haunt you during the reference or background check process.

8. Check for errors
A sure way to take yourself out of the running for a job is to have a typo or grammatical mistake in your cover letter. Ask a trusted friend or family member to review the document before you send it out. Seventy-six percent of executives we interviewed said just one or two typos in a résumé would remove applicants from consideration for a job; 40 percent said it takes only one typo to rule candidates out.

9. Find a place
When applying for a position electronically, paste your cover letter into the body of the e-mail message you send to the hiring manager or into the appropriate space on an online application, if possible. Keep in mind that not all online job services will allow you to take this step.

When well-crafted and targeted to the opportunity and employer, a cover letter can give you a significant edge over the competition. If you're searching for your first job or looking to take your career in a new direction, don't miss this chance to make a strong first impression and set yourself apart from other contenders.

Job Vacancy , Indonesia Job , Job Indonesia

How to Identify Your Transferrable Skills

By : Rachel Zupek

This "finding a career" thing is tricky business.

You go to college and major in one thing -- but find yourself in a job opposite from what you spent four years studying. Or, you land a job that's exactly in line with your college major -- but discover it's not what you had in mind. Or even still, you score a gig doing what you love and are content for many years -- until you get bored and want to make a switch.

So what happens to the experience you've gained from your current job and those before it? What about the hours, years and dollars spent studying this vocation in school? Do you really have to start at square one if you decide to drastically switch careers?

Not at all. Your experience turns into transferable skills; you just have to learn to recognize and sell them to employers.

Need help? Here's everything you need to know about identifying, applying and marketing your transferable skills.

What are transferable skills?

Transferable skills are talents you've acquired that can help an employer but that aren't immediately relevant to the job you seek, says Kevin Donlin, résumé writer and creator of TheSimpleJobSearch.com. Experiences like volunteer work, hobbies, sports, previous jobs, college coursework or even life happenings can lead you to find these skills.

Any skill is transferable; the trick is showing employers how it applies and is useful to them.

Identify transferable skills

With so much experience -- in work and otherwise -- the thought of sifting through it to recognize your applicable skills might sound scary. But, it's not as hard as you think.

Asking yourself questions like, "What are my three favorite accomplishments?" or "What activities make me the happiest?" will help you find your transferable skills easily, says Dawn Clare, a career and life coach.

"Evaluate your whole life, not just professional experiences," she says. "The point is to determine skill strengths. Use a framework of school, job, personal and organizational activities to determine your relevant accomplishments."

Start with the job you seek and identify the three most important abilities you'll need to do that job well, Donlin says. Then look over your experience and describe what you've done before in terms of what you want to do next. The best way to do this is through customized résumés and cover letters.

Apply transferable skills to your résumé

We've told you before and we'll tell you again: You have to create a résumé and cover letter specific to each job you apply for.

"Many times résumés fall short because one résumé applying for a variety of positions loses HR interest and job opportunities," says Jamie Yasko-Mangum, a self-image and training consultant and owner of Successful Style & Image Inc.

Organize your résumé by skill area or accomplishments rather than chronologically or functionally. Categorize all applicable skills, highlights and experiences and group them in categories such as "professional highlights," "skills summary" and "professional experience" and place them at the top of your résumé, Yasko-Mangum says.

"This will not pigeonhole you into a closed career option," she says, but will "showcase all your abilities for many career options."

For example, Andrew Best had six years of experience in customer service, but wanted to transition into sales. Donlin, the professional résumé writer, helped Best rework his résumé by including a profile at the top that showcased his transferable skills.

"We talked about the sales-related things Andrew did in customer service, like convincing customers to try new services, which we described in sales language like up-selling and cross-selling," Donlin says. "We talked about how he had ranked at or near the top for training and productivity, because sales are a competitive sport."

Shel Horowitz, marketing consultant and founder of FrugalMarketing.com, remembers Carol, who had been out of the work force for 10 years as a homemaker. With an extensive volunteer history that Horowitz emphasized in her résumé, Carol landed a job as a director of a human service agency -- a position she held for 12 years.

"I stressed her administrative, fundraising and public contact skills," Horowitz says. He put a summary of her background in volunteering at the top of the résumé, followed by specific experiences to showcase her skills.

Sell your skills to an employer

Most marketable skills can be grouped into broad categories and broken down further based on the job you're applying for. For example, communication is a general skill area, which can be broken down into such skills as speaking effectively, writing concisely or negotiation.

"You must do all the thinking for the person reading your résumé," Donlin says. "Never expect anyone to figure out your relevant skills or how valuable they are."

To add credibility, Donlin suggests adding a quote to your résumé from past managers or clients to emphasize your transferable skills. For example, John, a client of Donlin's, made the transition from retail management to real-estate sales. His résumé included a quote from a real-estate agent praising John's character and sales skills, both of which are necessary in real estate.

"A third party endorsement of you is many times more credible and interesting than anything you could say about yourself," Donlin says.

Examples of applicable skills

Still need help selling your skills? Here are three examples of career transitions and how our experts suggest you could apply your transferable skills.
# Server to entry-level marketing

Transferable skills: Communication, client retention, sales and marketing, multitasking.

How to sell it: "During peak periods, I had to prioritize and handle multiple orders, market menu items, answer questions quickly, communicate clearly, up sell additional selections and ensure repeat business. My daily tip totals provided highly efficient feedback, as they were based on personal productivity and customer satisfaction."

# Nanny to human resources specialist

Transferable skills: Human relations, teaching, development, time management, patience.

How to sell it: "As a former caregiver to five children, I learned to identify with each child and learn his/her individual strengths, weaknesses and interests. I've also learned the importance of good time management, which would be an essential skill in the human resource department."

# College student to software engineering

Transferable skills: Computer science degree, team player, work ethic, trainable.

How to sell it: "I have a strong background in computer science, with both a degree and extensive training in the field. An accomplished team player, I've worked with a database management group at XYZ University, created an online multimedia store and used CGI scripts written in C+++ to track customer satisfaction."

Job Vacancy , Indonesia Job , Job Indonesia

Is My Resume Being Read?

By : Anthony Balderrama

If you've watched the news lately, you've seen a reporter standing at a job fair and a line of job seekers winding out the door. Inevitably the reporter interviews an employer who says that for a few open positions, hundreds of applicants have submitted résumés.

You immediately wonder: How many of those applications actually get read?

In a perfect world, hiring managers would have plenty of time to thoroughly read every single résumé that comes across their desks and contact each person to explain why the company is choosing someone else. In reality, the job seekers outnumber available positions in today's job market, and hiring managers are too busy to hold your hand through every step of the process.

In fact, you're lucky if you hear back at all. Many companies contact you only if they want more information or to schedule an interview. You never know if you didn't qualify for the job or if your résumé was ever even looked at.

Résumé neverland
"I'm pretty sure that résumé neverland exists -- especially in a completely flooded job-hunting climate due to the poor economy," says Kristen Fischer, the author of "Ramen Noodles, Rent and Résumés: An After-College Guide to Life." "With so many people applying for jobs, it's easy to discard a résumé based simply on a typo or unpleasant formatting."

Of course, job seekers can (and should) avoid typos with proofreading. But the bigger fear is that powers out of their control could sabotage their job prospects.

"Résumés submitted online can also disappear into the cyber black hole," Fischer says. She says these online abysses are often the result of generic e-mail addresses, which can mean all applications funnel into one account even if they're for separate positions. Or worse, applications and general business questions go to the same destination.

Even if you can't prevent the black hole from existing, you can do your best to get your application out of there.

Be proactive
Rather than take your chances with the proverbial résumé black hole, you should be proactive when you apply for work, says Justin Honaman, author of "Make It Happen! Live Out Your Personal Brand."

"There is no doubt that hitting the 'submit' button and hoping [or] praying is probably not the only way to approach an opportunity," he says. "When positions are posted on a company's Web site, my experience has been that I receive a huge number of submissions, and at times, more than 80 percent of the applicants are not even qualified for the position. Most recruiters follow a multistep evaluation approach."

According to Honaman, recruiters and hiring managers ask three questions when they receive applications from job seekers:

· Does candidate meet the minimum criteria for the position?
The minimum criteria might include a certain level of education, years of experience or certification.

· Is the candidate still in the running even after she has stated her requirements or wishes for the position?
If an applicant's salary requirements or unwillingness to relocate conflicts with the needs of the job, then the employer might remove him or her from consideration.

· Does the candidate bring more to the table than the defined position requirements?
Employers are happy to have someone who fulfills the requirements of the position, but they're even happier to hire someone who brings additional assets.

Why do you care about this? Because once you submit your application and it passes these hurdles, it doesn't mean you're out of résumé neverland. You're still just one of many applicants who can get lost in the shuffle, even in the most efficient hiring department.

According to Honaman, a multiprong method of attack is the best way to guarantee you're not overlooked:

1. Online résumé submission
"Most companies require this to ensure internal company recruiting processes are followed," Honaman says. Plus, it's the easiest way to get your name in the hands of someone at the company.

2. Make a personal connection
Honaman suggests networking with someone in the company to get an edge over other applicants. If you can speak with a knowledgeable source who can offer information about the hiring manager, the team or the position, you'll have more insight on what the employer's looking for.

3. Appropriate follow-up
Once you've submitted your application, Honaman recommends contacting the company again, as long as you're respectful and professional. Don't hound anyone about the job, just check in to see where the process stands.

Job Vacancy , Indonesia Job , Job Indonesia

10 Ways to Write a Stronger Resume

By : Selena Dehne

Nearly one-in-four human resources managers said they receive, on average, more than 75 résumés for each open position, according to a nationwide survey by Careerbuilder.com.

When a job posting's response is that overwhelming, human resource managers often struggle to distinguish one candidate from another -- particularly since most of them spend only a minute or two assessing each candidate's résumé. That's why job seekers have to be savvy about their résumé's content and presentation.

Unfortunately, even the most talented, qualified candidates sometimes write weak résumés. Whether they're in a hurry, lack writing skills or are unsure how to market themselves to employers, they fail to score interviews because their résumés don't immediately demonstrate what return on investment they offer employers.

To sidestep this dilemma, consider Susan Britton Whitcomb's 10 tips for writing great résumé copy, excerpted from her book, "Résumé Magic":

1. Know your audience before you begin to write. What skills and competencies are they looking for? What knowledge do they require? What trends are they capitalizing on? What opportunities are they interested in tapping? What problems do they need fixed? What projects can you help them move forward?

2. Pack your résumé with keywords -- those words that describe your title, knowledge base, skill set, impressive "name-brand" companies or Fortune 500 employers, prestigious universities attended, degrees, licensing, software experience, affiliations and so on.

3. Find keywords by reviewing relevant job postings online or detailed classified ads in newspapers, reading job descriptions or content at your target companies' Web sites, reading your association's newsletter or trade journals, conducting informational interviews with industry contacts and so on.

4. Position critical information at the "visual center" of the page. Weave keywords throughout your Qualifications Summary and Professional Experience sections, as well as in your cover letter. Create a Keyword Summary section for electronic versions of your résumé.

5. Resist the temptation to outsmart applicant-screening software by, for instance, planting the keyword "project manager" nine times throughout the résumé when you might have minimal experience as a project manager.

6. When writing job descriptions, try to keep your paragraph to around five lines. Summarize any redundant statements and present the material with an emphasis on transferable skills. Always highlight your accomplishments.

7. If you're writing a functional or skills-based résumé, focus on three to five skill areas and lean toward occupational skills (such as event planning, marketing or project coordination) instead of personal skills (such as analytical skills, problem-solving skills or organizational talents) for category subheadings. After you have selected your subheadings, develop two to five sentences, along with specific accomplishments that encapsulate your range of experience for each subheading.

8. New graduates with limited professional experience will normally place their Education section near the top of the résumé, after the Objective/Focus or Qualifications Summary.

9. For categories such as affiliations, publications, presentations or awards and honors, consider presenting information in a bulleted list or two-column format to save space and add visual appeal.

10. Think like an advertising copywriter: Be concise, but give enough data to create interest and a desire to meet you.

Job Vacancy , Indonesia Job , Job Indonesia

Q&A: Your Cover Letter Questions Answered

By : Selena Dehne

Time and time again, studies indicate that cover letters are read in less than 60 seconds. That's all the time it takes for most recruiters and employers to decide whether or not you're a candidate worth interviewing.

To progress beyond this point, you have to be savvy about what's in your cover letter and how you present it. But how do you do that?

Wendy Enelow and Louise Kursmark, co-authors of "Cover Letter Magic" and two of the nation's most reputable career coaches, offer the tips you need to write a cover letter that generates great results. Below are some of the most common questions they hear from clients, as well as their responses to them.

Q. How long should my cover letter be?
A. Generally, cover letters should be one page in length. This is true for approximately 90 percent of all cover letters.

There may be instances, however, when one page is not enough. If you believe that the information you are including in your letter is essential information that is not communicated in your résumé, go ahead and prepare a two-page letter. But be sure that everything you've included is vital to favorably presenting yourself to a company or recruiter.

Two-page letters are most frequently used by the following types of job seekers: career changers, industry changers, senior executives, scientists and technologists, people seeking government jobs and people seeking university and academic appointments.

Q. Should I include salary information in my cover letter?
A. It depends. We are of two minds. We offer dual recommendations in two situations but agree with one another on the other two situations. See which rationale seems right to you.

If you are responding to an advertisement that has requested your salary history or salary requirements:

· Supply the information. If you do not provide this information when requested, certain companies and recruiters will not look at your materials.

· Don't supply the information. Repeated surveys show that nearly 100 percent of readers said they will look at your résumé and call you for an interview even if your salary information is not included. Why give them ammunition to screen you out?

If a personal contact or source you've uncovered during your search has requested your résumé and salary information:

· Supply the information. To do otherwise would seem unresponsive and impolite.

· Consider addressing the issue without providing numbers that can be detrimental in a future salary negotiation. Say something such as, "I'd be glad to discuss salary when we meet, once I learn more about the position and you have the chance to assess my fit for your needs."

When contacting companies either as a cold call or in response to an ad where salary information has not been requested:

· Do not supply the information. It is much better to have this conversation in person rather than on paper. Always try to defer any discussion of salary until you have been offered the position.

When writing "cold" to recruiters:

· Always offer salary information. It helps them determine your "proper fit" within a hiring organization. A recruiter will not work with you without knowing whether you match the requirements (including salary) for the specific position she is attempting to fill.

Q. Should I follow up a faxed or e-mailed résumé?
A. We recommend that you do not mail a hard copy if you have already transmitted your information electronically. Electronic communication is now a totally acceptable method of communication in virtually any business, industry and market sector. The only time you should follow up with hard copy is when it has been requested.

Q. What if I don't know the addressee's name?
A. It's a personal choice. Take a look at the following possible salutations:

· Dear Sir/Madam. All-purpose and inoffensive, although it might be perceived as stodgy and old-fashioned.

· To Whom It May Concern. Another standard; has the downside of being impersonal and old-fashioned.

· Dear Hiring Executive (or Hiring Committee). Formal, but appropriate.

· Dear Human Resources (or Human Resources Representative). Acceptable only if you're writing to a "blind ad" that lists only a P.O. box and you cannot call to get a specific individual's name.

· Dear Hiring Authority. Acceptable only if, despite your best efforts, you have been unable to uncover the name of the non-HR person to whom you're sending your résumé.

· Good Morning (or Good Day). A bit more up-to-date, but it reminds us of junk-mail greetings that try (unsuccessfully) to be personal.

· Re: Job Title You're Applying For (leaving off a specific salutation). A useful method for replying to want ads, when you truly don't know to whom you are sending your résumé. We think it's preferable to the "Dear Human Resources" greeting.

· No Salutation (begin your letter immediately after the inside address). Again, perfectly acceptable for want-ad replies. Might be considered an improvement over old-fashioned, nonspecific greetings.

Q. What if I'm unsure of the addressee's gender?
A. Simple answer: Dear R. Smith (assuming that "R. Smith" is the contact name listed in the ad). But do make an effort to find out the person's gender so you can address your letter to "Dear Mr." or "Dear Ms."

Q. Do I need to mention why I'm in the job market?
A. It depends. There's certainly no requirement that you do so, but if your reason is particularly legitimate (such as a plant closing or a management change due to the successful initial public offering you were instrumental in negotiating), you might send a positive message by mentioning this information. In any event, be prepared for the question, "Why are you leaving your current job?" or "Why are you looking?" to come up early in your search. Practice a concise, positive and believable response. Never badmouth your company, boss or co-workers.

Job Vacancy , Indonesia Job , Job Indonesia

5 Ways You Could Be Ruining Your Résumé Without Realizing It

By : Robert Half International

Signs are emerging that the job market is picking up, but landing a new position can still be a challenge. The last thing you want to do is sabotage your employment search, and, since your résumé is typically the first impression that hiring managers have of you, it's also the first place where you can potentially ruin your chances.

According to a survey conducted by Robert Half International, executives spend more than six minutes, on average, screening each résumé they receive -- which means every word counts in this critical document.

Of course, no job seeker is going to shoot himself or herself in the foot on purpose. But you might be harming yourself without realizing it. Here are five common mistakes that put you at risk of losing the job opportunity:

1. You don't proofread
Three out of four executives interviewed said just one or two typos in a résumé would remove applicants from consideration for a job. Since your word processing program has a spell-check function, you may think there's no need to review your résumé for typos and grammatical errors. Unfortunately, spell-checkers don't catch words that may be spelled correctly but used incorrectly: For example, if your most recent position was as a corporate blogger, your software may not raise the red flag if you mistakenly list yourself as a "logger." In addition to reading through the résumé yourself, you should also have someone else review it to catch any errors that you may have overlooked.

2. You ignore potential red flags
When reviewing your résumé, imagine that it belongs to someone else. After reading through it, would you have questions about the information provided or be concerned by a lack of details? If you have these thoughts, rest assured potential employers will, too. For instance, one of the biggest red flags is a gap in employment that goes unexplained. Rather than make a hiring manager wonder why you were away from the workplace for an extended period of time, use your cover letter to address why you weren't working and how you continued to advance your career through volunteer opportunities, professional development courses or other means.

3. You exaggerate your qualifications
Some people will do whatever they can to stand out, which includes fudging the details about a job title, the amount of time spent with an employer or a professional accomplishment. If you think that a hiring manager won't try to confirm your qualifications, think again. If you are caught making up information, you not only will lose out on the opportunity at that company but also may permanently harm your reputation. Even a small fib can prove harmful. For instance, if you're working toward a degree that you plan to complete by the summer, don't say you already have the credential.

4. You don't explain yourself
The best résumés use specific language so hiring managers can clearly understand your qualifications and accomplishments. If you say you are "knowledgeable" about HTML, an employer will not know if you use it every day to code Web pages or if you simply know that the acronym stands for Hyper Text Markup Language. Instead of using a vague term, you should explain how you've used your knowledge of HTML for certain projects or to aid your employer, how long you've been using it and if you possess any relevant certifications. Along the same lines, be specific when listing periods of employment, including the month and year for start and end dates instead of just the year.

5. You're too wordy
Sometimes it's difficult to determine what information belongs in your résumé and what can be safely left out. After all, the temptation is to describe any qualification that might remotely tip the scales in your favor. But you might not want to list every accomplishment, skill or project you've worked on. Hiring managers appreciate brevity, so cull the information you include, focusing on the aspects of your work history that are most relevant to the job for which you're applying. If you've had a long career, for instance, you may include fewer details about jobs you held early on that don't relate to your current career path. Omit hobbies, personal facts and other fluff, too.

Job Vacancy , Indonesia Job , Job Indonesia