OPTIMIZING A JOB-SPECIFIC COVER LETTER

Tuesday, September 11, 2007

OPTIMIZING A JOB-SPECIFIC COVER LETTER

Teena Rose operates a prominent and professional resume writing service, Resume to Referral. She’s authored several career books, including "20-Minute Cover Letter Fixer" "How to Design, Write, and Compile a Quality Brag Book" and "Cracking the Code to Pharmaceutical Sales."

A job-specific cover letter, also known as a resume cover letter, is one of the most promising to send because the company is hiring! You know this because the company told you so; possibly, through online job boards [editor's note: list of free online job boards], help wanted ads, or a posting at the local unemployment office. You know that the company is aggressively seeking someone with your skill set — and that shows great promise.

Jobseekers typically want to focus their efforts on those who are actively seeking new employees. In comes the need for a job-specific cover letter.

Before continuing, however, learning what not to include can make a “loser” letter into a “winning” one. Jobseekers seem to make the same mistakes. Maybe it’s because they don’t routinely job search, so their knowledge of conducting an effective job search dwindles between jobs. You should write a cover letter with these cautions in mind:

Don’t tell the prospective employer more than what they care to know.
Don’t tell them about your volunteering, extracurricular activities, or your personal hobbies, unless you feel it will add to your value.
Don’t let your content stray away from the scope of the job announcement.
Before starting to write, and to avoid these “don’ts”, print the job description and break out a highlighter. Dissect the job description by highlighting the nouns strategically hiding within the text. By doing this, you not only verify that you possess all the skills and qualifications that the company is seeking, but you also ensure that each of them are prominently or strategically listed within your job-search materials (i.e. resume, cover letter).

Nouns aren’t difficult to locate. Take a purchasing agent position, as an example. Nouns (AKA keywords) would include procurement, inventory management, and vendor auditing. Once you have a clear indication of these keywords, keep them in mind when you begin to write your cover letter. It’s all about reflecting you as the perfect person for the position. If you possess the skills they are seeking, then it’s simply a matter of ensuring your cover letter meets the company’s expectations.

The next step is to strategically weave the words into your sentences. Be careful. Use only those that are relevant to your career history, and ensure each are adequately spaced throughout the content so hiring managers don’t feel you’re being blatant.

Consider using different word variations, if the need calls for it. Some descriptions can be reworded and shuffled around — and although they mean the same thing, it will help you shy away from plagiarizing the company’s job description.

Let’s say that a human doesn’t review your cover letter, but maybe a management system stores it instead. Inserting select keywords into your resume and cover letter will definitely increase your chances there too. Amidst the dozens, hundreds, or thousands of jobseekers all vying for the job that’s intended for you, selectively inserting keywords is great for both real and computer eyes. Keep that in mind when designing any portion of your job-search materials.