Cover Letters & Attention Grabbing Resumes

COVER LETTERS &ATTENTION GRABBINGRESUMESTips and tricksto make yourcover letterand resumestand out fromthe rest

COVER LETTER GOALS Introduce and present your resume to HR or Hiringpersonnel A precise, simple and well formatted cover lettershould increase chance of an interview Helps you appear as a more impressive and seriouscandidate Overall can increase chances of landing job

OVERVIEW Engage the reader’s attention within the first few lines Conduct research to personalize the cover letter to theindividual responsible for the recruitment process Display your enthusiasm and interest in the job Include relevant details but avoid a repeat of your resume Close the letter respectfully and state an action of follow -up

THINGS TO AVOID Impersonal: “Dear Hiring Manager” “To whom it may concern” Telling what the company can do for you instead of what you cando for the company Vague information that is not tailored to the position of interest Showing your ignorance of the position at hand

COVER LETTER LAYOUTDateNameTitleCompanyAddressC i t y, St a t e , Z i p C o d eD e a r M r. / M s . L a s t N a m e ,Yo u r o p e n i n g p a r a g r a p h s h o u l d b r i e f l y i n t r o d u c e y o u a n d y o u r i n t e r e s t i n t h ec o m p a n y. R e f e r t o t h e s p e c i f i c p o s i t i o n y o u a r e i n t e r e s t e d i n n o w. C i t e a n y d e t a i l sthat has prompted you to apply for this position. .Middle paragraph (or two) should con sist of specific examples from your backgroundthat would be of greatest interest to the company and consequently create the“ n o t i o n o f f i t .” D O n o t m a k e b r o a d g e n e r a l i z a t i o n s a b o u t y o u r s k i l l s e t . F o c u s o ny o u r s k i l l s a n d a c c o m p l i s h m e n t s a n d h o w t h e y w i l l c o n t r i b u t e t o t h e c o m p a n y. A l s od e m o n s t r a t e t h a t y o u a r e k n o w l e d g e a b l e a b o u t t h e o r g a n i z a t i o n a n d t h e i n d u s t r y.Yo u r c l o s i n g p a r a g r a p h r e p r e s e n t s y o u r s u m m a t i o n a n d s h o u l d o u t l i n e t h e n e x ts t e p s . F o r e x a m p l e , i n d i c a t e t h a t y o u w o u l d l i k e t h e o p p o r t u n i t y t o i n t e r v i e w. T h a n kthe addressee for his/her time. Include your contact info (phone and email) in casethe cover letter gets separated from your resume.S i n c e r e l y,Yo u r S i g n a t u reYo u r Ty p e d N a m e

COVER LETTER LAYOUT Date listed first on the top (Left or Right side of page) Hiring Manager Name (Research)Job TitleCompany NameAddressMr. James SmithDirector of Human ResourcesAmazing Company1234 Lake St.Los Angeles, CA 91234

COVER LETTER DETAIL Start with Mr. or Ms. Last name (Research) Usually 3-4 Paragraphs total Styles can vary Paragraph 1 Include the position you’re applying for Name a mutual contact if applicable State how you learned of position

COVER LETTER BODY Paragraphs 2-3 Summary of your skills and accomplishments relevant to the position Select 2-3 key qualifications/duties from the job description and usespecific examples that demonstrate your ability to do them If possible, use examples from current/most recent position Some cover letter styles may include bullet points List examples in order of most impressive and relevant

COVER LETTER BODY Paragraph 4 (Concluding paragraph) Respectful closing; thank for their time Express interest for an interview Don’t be afraid to indicate when/how you will follow up

OPTIONAL TACTICS Unique catchphrases or mottos “If truly loving data is wrong, I don’t want to be right. It seems likethe rest of the team at Company A feels the same—and that’s justone of the reasons why I think I’d be the perfect next hire for yoursales team.” Testimonial lines Can come from recommendation letters, performance evaluations,staff memos, etc. A slogan: "Meeting challenges, overcoming obstacles andclosing sales"

SUCCESSFUL COVER LETTER BODY’SM y n a m e i s J o h n D o e , I a m a s e n i o r a t Pe p p e r d in e U n i v e r s i t y s t u d y i n g M a r ke t i n gw i t h a f o c u s i n E c o n o mi cs . I a m i n te r e s te d i n yo u r M a r ket i n g A s s i s t a n t o p e n i n gw h i c h I l e a r n e d o f t h r o u g h my p r o fe s s o r a n d yo u r e m p l oye e , M r. J a m e s S m i t h .C u r r e n t l y I w o r k p a r t - t im e f o r t h e D e p a r t me n t o f H i g h e r E d u c a t io n . A s a s t u d e n t , Iw a s a b l e to t r av e l E u r o p e a n d c o m p l ete t w o i n te r n s h i p s w i t hi n t h e i n d u s t r y. A l o n gt h e w ay, I ’ v e l e a r n e d e f f e c t i ve t i m e - m a n a g e m en t , te a m w o rk , a n d p e r s p e c t iv e s t h a tw i l l c o n t i n u e to h e l p c o m p a n i e s s u c h a s yo u r s t h r o u g h o u t my p r o f e s s i o n a l c a r e e r.H e r e a r e a f ew o f t h e p r o j e c t s I h av e w o r ke d o n : D ev e l o p e d a m a r ket i n g c o n c e p t t h a t s av e d C o m p a ny A m o r e t h a n 2 0 , 0 0 0 Wr o te p r o p o s a l f o r 2 5 , 0 0 0 g r a n t f r o m s t a te o f C a l i fo r n i a E s t a b l is h e d m a r ket i n g p r o g r a m t h a t i n c r e a s e d p a r t i c i p a t io n 1 4 3 % C o l l a b o r a te d w i t h a d e s i g n e r to d ev e l o p m e d i a f o r a k i o s k w i t h i n S t a p l e s C e n te r M a n a g e d u s e r a c c o u n t i n q u i r i e s w i t h C o m p a ny B , a m u l t i - m i ll i o n d o l l a r a c c o u n t Wo r ke d w i t h c r e a t i ve w r i te r a n d C FO to d ev e l o p c o n te n t f o r a Po d c a s tA t t a c h e d i s a c u r r e n t c o py o f my r e s u m e a n d p r o fe s s i o n al r e f e r e n c e s . L et te r s o fr e c o m m e n d a t io n a r e av a i l a b l e u p o n r e q u e s t . I f yo u h a v e a ny q u e s t i o n s , p l e a s e d on o t h e s i t a te to c o n t ac t m e a t X X X . X X X . X X X X o r x x x x . x xx x x@ g ma i l . c o m.

COVER LETTERS THAT WORKED!GOOD NEWS!T h e r e i s a c o py wr i te r o n l y a p h o n e c a l l aw ay w h o k n o w s t h e d i f fe r e n c e b e t w e e n a C D ,t h e F D I C a n d t h e S I P C o n e w h o c a n ex p r e s s c o m p l ex d et a i l s c l e a r l y a n d c o nv i n c in g l yto c o n s u m e r s , i nv e s to r s , s h a r e h o l d e r s .I a m a n e x p er ie n c e d a d v e r t i s in g a n d d i r e c t m a i l c o py w r ite r w i t h a s t r o n g f i n a nc i a lb a c k g r o u n d — a n d t h e t i m e t o p u t t h i s e x p e r t i s e t o w o rk f o r C o m p a ny A ! Yo u ’ l l a d d a nex c e p t i o n a l m e m b e r to yo u r m a r ket i n g te a m s i n c e I ’ v e c r e a te d s a l e s to o l s , d i r ec t m a i lp a c k a g e s , a d v e r t i s em e n t s , p r o d u c t b r o c h u r e s , a n d c o r p o r a te i d e n t i t y p i e c e s q u i c kl ya n d e f f e c t iv e l y — o f te n o v e r n i g h t .P l u s , u n l i ke m o s t w r i te r s , my b a c k g r o u n d i n c l u d e s s t a f f p o s i t io n s w i t h b o t h a d v e r t i s i nga g e n c i e s a n d c o m m e rc i a l b a n k s . W h a t t h i s m e a n s f o r yo u i s t h a t yo u ’ l l s av e h o u r sn e g o t i a t i n g w i t h l e g a l c o u n s e l , t h a n k s to my i n - d e p t h k n o w l e d g e o f g o v e r n m e n tr e s t r i c t i o n s o n f i n a n c i a l a d v e r t i s i n g . F i n a l l y, b e c a u s e I p o s s e s s s u c h i n - d e p t hex p e r i e nc e , I a m w e l l v e r s e d i n m a ny f i n a n c i a l p r o d u ct s a n d s e r v i c e s s o I c a n b e g i nb e i n g e f f e c t i ve f o r yo u i m m e d ia tel y w i t h o u t w a s t i n g yo u r r e s o u rc e s a n d t i m e o nt r a i ni n g .C a n I te l l yo u m o r e ? I f s o , yo u m ay r e a c h m e a t ( 5 5 5 ) 5 5 5 - 5 5 5 5 . I n t h e m e a n t i m e , Iw i l l s e n d s a m p l e s o f my w o r k to yo u r o f fi c e b y e m a i l w i t h i n t h e w e e k . I t h a n k yo u i na d v a n c e f o r yo u r c o n s i d e r a t i o n .

INITIAL RESUME TIPS First your resume needs to make it to human eyes About 75% resumes are never seen as a resultMore than 75% of large companies use an ATSClose to 60% of mid-sized companies use an ATSIf unfamiliar with ATS, review CMC Webinar, Tips on how to get pastan Employer’s ATS: ars/

RESUME OVERVIEW Keep it simple (7-10 second window) Avoid flooding with sections/info that’s best suited for cover letter orexplained in an interview. sAdditional Relevant Skills The most successful applicants tailor resume for each position(Keywords, relevant duties, etc.) Increase focus on most recent experiences Older or irrelevant experiences can be grouped together

RESUME TIPS Summary/Objective: Keyword heavy; WIIFTSample Career Objective: Seeking a Sales Manager position that will benefit from my salesexperience, positive interaction skills and industry contacts whichcan improve the sales results.Sample Career Summary: Management professional with two strong years in supply chainimprovement, and more than five years in purchasing, inventorymanagement, supply chain analysis, and sales. Skilled in six sigmawith additional experience in managing teams and driving successfulresults.

RESUME TIPS Experience: More achievements & Less duties Increased revenue by 3% through enhanced business processesReduced turnover 15% by developing referral programManaged and allocated 1 million budgetIncreased productivity 50% by creating new processesTrained staff of 12 associates on new company softwareAchieved 100,000 in sales; 12% increase from prior year E2B projects are acceptable to include in experience

RESUME TIPS Buzzwords and Action Words Avoid using “I” in the resume Start sentences with impressive action words Managed, Led, Analyzed, Developed, Increased, etc. Key buzzwords can vary by industry Present tense for current jobs and past tense for previous jobs orspecific accomplishments

RESUME TIPS Education: Highest/most recent level of education firstSome may list MBA next to nameDo not list high schoolIf a degree wasn’t completed, list number of credits completedConsider avoiding dates if you already graduated Recent Grads/Current Students: Listing GPA is ok if over 3.5 Can include awards, scholarships, accomplishments, relevant courses

RESUME TIPS Education Continued: Consider only listing certifications that are relevant to the job Clubs/memberships/teams are most impressive if it showsleadership experience or relevant projects Fraternities & Sororities are acceptable Include study abroad coursework if relevant Limit Education to 1/3 of page maximum

RESUME TIPS Additional Skills Opportunity to list additional skills required of job Hard Skills and Soft Skills listed in job description that you didn’t fitinto your summary or experience

QUESTIONS

RESUMES Introduce and present your resume to HR or Hiring personnel A precise, simple and well formatted cover letter . There is a copywriter only a phone call away who knows the difference between a CD, the FDIC and theSIPC one