Lesson 4: Call for Action!
Got that Cover letter with the changes? Good. Now re-edit it. Nope, not finished. Re-edit again – action words and as few I’s as possible. You get the feeling. And yes, each Cover letter must fit the job, so you can never have just one Cover letter, and you really should have more than one Resume.
Doing It
It’s hard creating a Cover letter in a vacuum or without a guideline/ad. But you do need to have a few paragraphs on hand that expand and summarize your experience. As you start writing your Cover letters and send them out, always keep a copy on file for future use. Often I like what I wrote one day and use it again. However, I do NOT just use my stored paragraphs. Try to always start out fresh as if it was the first one – this gives the letter a sense of spontaneity and energy that you could not create by mixing and matching paragraphs only. Keep the paragraphs in their original letters. This will help give you a sense of why you wrote what you did. Or, you could keep similar paragraphs together. Keep all opening ones in one file, all closings in another, you get the picture.
Now, get a few ads that interest you and that you feel you could do. Now go back and re-read all the ads – any interest you but feel you’re not quite there but could be with time/experience? GO FOR IT. Use those as well. Usually it is women who apply for jobs they can already do with their hands tied behind their back, and men who see an ad that interests them as say, "hey, I can learn to do that." Guess who gets the job. Not just the one with experience, but the one with enthusiasm. No point in saying you love challenges – prove it – go for the job you don’t have ALL the qualifications for! If you write an enthusiastic enough Cover letter, you’ll at least get an interview, which in itself is experience.
Rule of thumb – if they ask for 3 years experience and you have one – try it. If they ask for 2-3 years in a specific area, and you don’t have that many but do have general work experience, go for it. If they ask for 10 and you have 8 – try it. If you only have 5 in that area, but more in general, go for it. Get the idea? Stretch yourself. You may even surprise yourself. Just don’t break the rubber band!
So, what does the ad say – how much experience, what is the job, any duties mentioned, any soft skills mentioned (team work, meets deadlines, detail oriented, etc.). Write down the pertinent points. Best way is in a list on one side. Now, on the other side – what do you have that meets this and how? Write it down as well.
You’ll find you have a long list with cross references. The idea is to pick out the most important ones while joining the common or similar ones together. Now you can piece together a Cover letter that suits you AND the job.
As you have practice doing this, you’ll be able to create your letter without the list. You will get a feel for what to say and how to say it.
This “list form” was created for adult students I was helping trying to change careers and/or reentering the work force. It helps to see your skills visually and side by side to the job you are applying for, and how it all comes together.
