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February 22, 2007
Don't Send Your Resume Out Undressed
Okay, so you have painstakingly prepared a powerful, attention-getting resume that fully highlights your accomplishments and frames your skills using the keywords and language of the target industry. Don't make the mistake of sending it out into the world undressed--that is, without the appropriate outerwear--the cover letter!
Few applicants give much thought to their cover letters, even though they have put blood, sweat, and tears into their resumes. The job of the cover letter is to identify the job you want to do, and to sell yourself as the ideal person to do it. Industry professionals agree that at the very least, your cover letter should hook your reader, promote your viability as a candidate, and generate enough interest to inspire reading beyond the letter and on into the resume for more information.
It is also EXTREMELY important to know to whom your resume package should be directed, so you can send it addressed specifically to that individual's attention, with his or her name spelled correctly, and followed by their title. Don’t make the mistake of addressing your cover letter “To whom it may concern” or a generalized “Dear Human Resources Director.” With that approach, it may as well be address to “Dear Circular File” as the odds will be against it getting into the right hands from the outset. Taking the time to learn the correct recipient’s name identifies you as someone who goes the extra distance to sure-up the details – a definite plus for any job candidate.
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Posted by Katharine at February 22, 2007 08:19 AM