From the category archives:

Cover Letters

There’s a word for what happens to people like you

by Stephanie A. Lloyd on November 6, 2010

in Cover Letters,I'm looking for a job,Networking

I recently received an email from someone I don’t know who said he was interested in learning more about a firm I have a connection with.

Hi Stephanie,

[Recruiter name] at [confidential] suggested I contact you regarding my interest learning more about [your firm]. Feel free to reach out to me on linkedin.com.

–

Sincerely,

NAME WITHHELD

Annoyed that this person, who is asking me for help, did not even bother to take the time to:

give me a reason as to why I would want to,
provide me with ANY information about himself, or
provide me with a direct link to his LinkedIn profile; rather, he expected me to hunt it down myself.

I was then further irritated when I took the initiative to find him on LinkedIn, only to discover that HIS PROFILE HAD BEEN REMOVED.

At first I thought I would write a snarky blog post about all of this (shocking, I know), but I decided instead to use it as an opportunity to help anyone who feels inclined to reach out to a recruiter (or ANYONE) and ask them for help.

Don’t make the person you want something from have to go and research to find out who you are. Introduce yourself right up front, and provide some background. Give them a reason to want to know a little more about you.

NOTE: This is especially true for LinkedIn invitations. One of my biggest pet peeves is the default LinkedIn invitation. It’s just rude.

Know something about the person you’re reaching out to and prove that by mentioning it in your introductory note.
[Genuine] compliments are even better.
Include DIRECT links to things you want people to see.
Be sure these links will present you in a professional light. For example I do not recommend providing a link to your MySpace page that has pictures of the keg party where you passed out in the bathroom all over it. Also if you provide a few links people will read what you want them to read about you rather than Googling you and finding your attrocious MySpace page.
Be interesting. Provide some insight or a brief, interesting story.
Be personable and friendly. Nobody wants to read a stodgy, stuffy anything.
Thank the recipient for their time and consideration. It’s polite.

If you want to see a shining example of someone who did it right, check out my previous blog post, Being interested in the human condition and being interested in you isn’t the same thing, babe.

Scridb filter

Tagged as: Ask the recruiter, Cartoon by Hugh, Do you want this job or not, Get a life, Recruiters, Stephanie A. Lloyd

{ Comments on this entry are closed }

Being interested in the human condition and being interested in you isn’t the same thing, babe.

by Stephanie A. Lloyd on July 2, 2009 · 7 comments

in Branding,Cover Letters,I work in HR,I'm looking for a job,Networking,Resumes,Social Media

Recently I had the opportunity to interview Kelly Giles, Social Media Strategist for Optimal Resume. Kelly introduced herself to me by email and I was so dazzled by how professional – and yet personal – her approach was that I asked for her permission to share the email with you. (She said yes.)

Subject: New press contact at OptimalResume.com

Hi Stephanie,

I don’t know if you’ve ever heard of OptimalResume.com, and I know you haven’t heard of me. I just started at Optimal, officially as a social media strategist, but unofficially as the in-house PR contact.

You’ve been on my radar screen for a while, though. I was bound and determined to land a job through social networking, so I got on Twitter and started a blog about Web 2.0 job-search strategies for seniors at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (graduated in May ’09). I also started following you on Twitter, first your JobSnob account, then your personal one — JobSnob is one of my favorite accounts on Twitter. Maybe I’m too in to career jokes/faux pas, but I think it’s hilarious.

Now I’m one of those Web 2.0 success stories that seem to be plastering the news. I found this job through Twitter — never filled out an application or wrote a cover letter. A career counselor friend in Maine connected me to this company that had been in my backyard (Durham, NC) the whole time, and from tweet to job, my “search” took about a week.

Anyway — talk about a buried lead — if you ever need a source for career/technology/HR posts, OptimalResume.com would love to help. Both our COO and CEO are easily accessible, and of course, you can always get in touch with me.

Thanks for your time,

Kelly Giles

OptimalResume.com is a cutting-edge technology firm specializing in web-based career-management software for job seekers, employers and recruiters. The new release of our software, Optimal 2.0, is set to debut in July 2009.

Kelly Giles
Social Media Strategist

OptimalResume.com
Twitter | Facebook | Blog

There are several things about her approach that I love. Whether you are writing a cover letter or introducing yourself to a new contact on LinkedIn all of these strategies are applicable.

She told me who she is. Right up front. I did not have to read through the entire email to find out who she was.
She told me how she knows me. Twitter. Of course.
She complimented me. A couple of times, in fact. She told me how much she likes my @JobSnob Twitter account and that she thinks it’s funny. People like to be complimented. FYI.
She was really interesting and she told me that she found her fabulous new job through Twitter. Since she said she has been following me for a while on Twitter she would know that I would be interested to know that.
She included links to her company’s website, her Twitter and Facebook pages, and her blog.

Cartoon by Hugh at gapingvoid.com

What can you learn from Kelly?

Don’t make the person you want something from have to go and research to find out who you are. Introduce yourself right up front. This is especially true for LinkedIn invitations. One of my biggest pet peeves is the default LinkedIn invitation. It’s just rude.
Know something about the person you’re reaching out to and prove that by mentioning it in your note.
[Genuine] compliments are even better.
Include links to things you want people to see.
Be sure these links will present you in a professional light. For example I do not recommend providing a link to your MySpace page that has pictures of the keg party where you passed out in the bathroom all over it. Also if you provide a few links people will read what you want them to read about you rather than Googling you and finding your attrocious MySpace page.
Be interesting. Provide some insight or a brief and interesting story like Kelly did when she told me how she landed her job.
Be personable and friendly. Nobody wants to read a stodgy, stuffy anything.
Thank the recipient for their time and/or consideration. It’s polite.

Next I will share Part 1 of my interview with Kelly which includes some insight into the new release of OptimaResume.com, set to launch tomorrow.

Scridb filter

Tagged as: Cartoon by Hugh, Do you want this job or not, I need a job, I work in HR, LinkedIn, Social Media, Twitter

{ Comments on this entry are closed }

Q + A: What would make a recruiter want to read my resume?

by Stephanie A. Lloyd on June 30, 2009

in Cover Letters,I'm looking for a job,Networking,Recruiters,Resumes

This is part of an ongoing series in which I’m answering questions from job seekers. Please post your questions in the comments section below to be answered in future articles. Please include your name and location if you want to be addressed by name; otherwise the question will be attributed to “Anonymous.”

Cartoon by Hugh at gapingvoid.com

Stephanie,

I have a fresh question for you! I was reviewing employment opportunities on [a well-known website.] To contact a recruiter, this site suggests the following message as an example:

Hi Recruiter,

You and I may be able to help each other out. I’m a top-performing sales professional with 15 years experience in the semiconductor space in the southeast. I’m a senior-level professional who is just as comfortable running the show as getting my hands dirty. I’m looking to develop new markets and drive a quota-busting team to succeed. I hope to hear from you soon and look forward to working with you.

Best, Cheezy Desperate Job Seeker

Due to a recruiter’s workload, shouldn’t one’s message be a bit more truncated? What type of message would pull you in to view a resume?

I hope all is well with you!

Respectfully,

Kevin J. Acker, MA, Owner/Principal, Panoptic Consulting Group
Duluth, MN

§ § § § § §

Hi Kevin,

I’m glad you asked because that message is hokey and recruiters do NOT like hokey. The people who would send that message with their resume are the same people who would print their resume on blue paper with bunnies and MAIL it to a recruiter and I do not recommend doing any of those things.

I prefer a courteous and brief introduction: how did you find me/my firm, why are you contacting me, what do you want to do in your next job, and are you willing to relocate.

This way I can review the resume against current openings and see if I have anything for that person at the moment. If I don’t, but I’m impressed with the candidate, I’ll ask them to touch base with me once a month so that I can keep them in mind as new opportunities arise.

Hope this helps!

Stephanie

Scridb filter

Tagged as: Ask the recruiter, Cartoon by Hugh, Do you want this job or not, Get a life, I need a job, No stalking please, Recruiters

{ Comments on this entry are closed }

It’s the Career Carnival Blogging Event hosted by @Animal!

by Stephanie A. Lloyd on June 26, 2009

in Branding,Career Carnival Blogging Event,Cover Letters,I work in HR,I'm looking for a job,Interviewing,Job Boards,Management,Networking,Recruiters,Resumes,Social Media,Workplace Issues

Today @Animal is hosting the fourth Career Carnival Blogging Event of 2009!

Be sure to swing by the carnival to get some completely awesome career and job search advice and discover some truly excellent blogs!

Contributors include moi, @Animal obviously, @beneubanks, @jerry_albright, @dawnbugni, @cincyrecruiter, @andygregorycpg, @Karla_Porter, and many more talented writers and career professionals that I am just now discovering along with you!!

@Animal provides his usual insightful and colorful commentary on each post which makes it just that much better.

Now go put on your best clown shoes and check it out!

Scridb filter

Tagged as: Blogging, Do you want this job or not, Do you want to have fun or not, Get a life, I need a job, I work in HR, Interviewing, Recruiters, Social Media, Twitter

{ Comments on this entry are closed }

Welcome to the Career Carnival Blogging Event!

June 5, 2009

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.

Read the full article →

What not to do if you want to get a job or keep the one you have.

May 22, 2009

10. Not a good idea to have a profanity filled rap song as your message on your cell number. You’ll offend most hiring managers. via @DarrylRMSG 9. Saying how “bored to death” you are at your job on Facebook = red flag for [current and] prospective employers! via @peopleshark 8. Do *not* use e-mail addresses [...]

Read the full article →