Cover Letters

I am honored to be hosting the third Career Carnival Blogging Event!

Founded by Ben Eubanks, this blogging event is an invitational for careers and workplace experts to come together and share their thoughts. Miriam Salpeter of Keppie Careers hosted the second Career Carnival and graciously passed the baton to me.

Let’s get started!

On his blog, What Would Dad Say, GL Hoffman writes about how easy it is to read or listen to great advice and assume that it is all it takes.  Obviously, it takes more effort and dedication than simply learning about it.  He says, “One has to take it to heart, commit to making the new learning an important ingredient of day to day living.”

The interview process, particularly for internship and entry-level job candidates, can be intimidating. Remove all the guesswork and nervousness by reading Heather Huhman’s Examiner.com article A step-by-step guide to the interview process.

Craig Fisher, also known as @Fishdogs, says, “I recently asked this question on Twitter and LinkedIn, “What should job seekers leave OFF of their resume?“ The question generated over 40 responses from recruiting, career, HR, and resume professionals and hiring managers.  The number one item that was suggested to leave off of your resume is something that most job seekers simply put on there because that’s how it has traditionally been done.  I’m talking about the Objective at the top of your resume.

These days, if your resume is not laser focused on the job for which you are applying there is a good chance it will not make the cut.  An ambiguous Objective statement right at the top of your resume does nothing for that focus.” Read Craig’s Top 10 Things to Leave Off Your Resume to learn more.

Jennifer “JJ” McClure, also known as @CincyRecruiter, writes about 10 Social Media Resources for Executive Job Search. “Many senior level execs have spent years developing strong professional networks, but aren’t necessarily familiar with some of the new “Web 2.0” tools that are available to assist them if they are embarking on a job search.” Jennifer McClure, an Executive Recruiter who also consults with clients in the areas of attracting, recruiting and developing talent, shares ten recommendations to check out, along with some tips on how to use the tools for networking and job search.

Debra Wheatman says that a cover letter is not optional:

1. Your cover letter demonstrates your ability to put together a cogent sentence, or in this case many sentences about what you offer in a new position and how you can add value for a potential employer.
2. Your cover letter serves as your introduction. You don’t expect to walk into someone’s house through their kitchen, right? The cover is your entranceway. Here, you can enter with grace, set the tone of what the reader should expect to see on the résumé.

Lindsay Olson says that “job searching can be a lonely, frustrating place. It’s time consuming and it rarely comes without rejection. In most cases, your years of hard work are represented on one or two pages and evaluated by someone who has probably never worked in your position. And it’s that step that determines if you are in the “in” interview pile or the “out” pile.

Those two pages of finely tuned words ARE you, until you have the chance to let your personality shine through in the interview. Here are my top five things to avoid putting on your resume.”

Ben Eubanks wants to know if you would turn down a job that paid over two hundred thousand dollars a year for the rest of your life? In the post $210K for Life, the Jobacle blog explored the possibility. “With so many different career choices, it would be hard for some people to lock themselves into a job that lasted a lifetime.  Others would jump at the chance to earn that much money. What would you choose?”

In 3 Steps to the Career Sweetspot, J.T. O’Donnell says, “Today, we need to realize we are all entrepreneurs of our own careers. Thus, a lot of small business advice can be applied to our professional development. These 3 steps were adapted from an article I read about how a start-up company finds its sweetspot. I think the principles are spot on for individuals looking to embark on a new career path.”

In Five tips to successfully network via email, Mark Stelzner, founder of @JobAngels, says, “One of the mainstays of networking is the ability to comfortably connect with someone you don’t know.  And despite the phenomenal growth of social networking tools such as Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn, the undisputed champion of personal connectivity is email.” In his article Mark shares five tips to ensure that your next cold email is warmly received and responded to.

In Strawberry picking and your job hunt, Miriam Salpeter says, “It’s tempting to put your job hunt on hold during the summer. It’s hot, and the pool or beach are much more fun. But, if you wait until the fall, you will be at a disadvantage. Read this post to learn how to plant the seeds now for a fruitful job search!”

Blogging isn’t always just about writing. @Animal shares his thoughts on what he calls The Gen Y Craze. “The Gen Y craze seems to have died down but for awhile it was a constant buzz in the recruitosphere. I ended up reading a lot about that topic and some of what I read seemed, how do they say it in French – untrue. So, I thought I would start testing this information on people I interviewed on The Recruiting Animal Show. I put together a list of questions and the first person I presented them to was social media whiz kid, Maren Hogan. You can listen to that part of our conversation

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and you can see Maren talking to her video diary about the show here.” Maren Hogan’s website is http://marenated.com and you can listen to past episodes of The Recruiting Animal Show here. You can also find more on @Animal’s blog.

Yes. Penmanship does count. Dawn Bugni says, “Think it doesn’t matter if they can’t read your hand-written application? Think they’ll take the time to figure out what you meant? Think again. Yes, even in this digital, text-driven society, neatness and good old-fashioned penmanship still counts. A hiring authority doesn’t have and most likely won’t take the time to figure out your scribbles. Remember, the job search is all about what you can do for a company. If you don’t tell them, loudly, proudly AND neatly, it’s on to the next person who does.” 

Susan Kang Nam debuts her creative writing abilities in a note on Facebook and writes about how and why she uses Twitter. “I know we speak of ROI for everything ~ however twitter is also about having “fun” engaging in conversations at the same that making an impact in this “new” social media world.” Check out her post to learn more.

Finally, in Q: “What type of job are you looking for?” A: “I’LL DO ANYTHING, I answered a question from someone I met on Twitter who is looking for a job:

“I’ve read recruiters do not like nonspecific job seekers. However, with my background, education and interests, it’s hard to escape ambiguity. How does one get around this handicap if you’re truly willing and interested in career diversity?”

It’s important to take a targeted approach with your job search. I commented recently on Twitter that “I’ll do anything” is the Kiss of Death for a job seeker. To learn how to best position yourself to find your next job, read more here.

Thanks so much for stopping by the Career Carnival! I hope you found helpful information and discovered some new blogs and people on Twitter you’d like to follow. 

To see previous Career Carnival Blogging Events click here and here.

The next Career Carnival Blogging Event will be hosted by @Animal on his blog, Recruiting Animal…stay tuned!

Tagged as: Do you want this job or not, I need a job, I work in HR, Interviewing, JobAngels, Recruiters, Twitter

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