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| > » » January 2005 Edition |
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| How to Grab the Hiring Manager's Attention |
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| ReadySetHired! |
| ReadySetHired! is an online monthly newsletter which features advice, guidance, and answers for individuals who are actively searching in the marketplace for employment. |
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| How to Grab the Hiring Manager's Attention |
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Employers receive thousands of resumes on yearly
basis. How can you, as a candidate, draw attention to your cover
letter and resume, and convince the hiring manager to interview you?
First, consider your audience. Most job seekers address their documents
'To Whom it May Concern', as most do not take the time to find out
the hiring manager's name and title. A simple phone call to the prospective
organization will provide you with a contact name and even email
address. This will allow you to customize your documents, send them
to the specific individual, and provide you with the information on who to follow
up with. Be sure to reconfirm the spelling
of the hiring manager's name; a name spelled incorrectly can defeat
the entire purpose.
Secondly, use your cover letter as a vehicle to introduce yourself,
not to rehash your resume. Specify the type of role you're looking
for, your knowledge of the company, why this particular job interests
you, and showcase your main selling features. Your resume should
be short and sweet - always have someone else read the document before
sending it, in order to ensure you've accomplished the objective of your letter.
Lastly, look at your resume. Do you have bulleted sections?
If not, add them - the reader's eye will naturally be drawn to them,
and it will also make for an easier read. Do you have eye-catching words/phrases?
Try to include: accompished, acheived, demonstrated, etc., they are often the keywords that hiring managers search for.
Set yourself apart from the pack; taking time to create professional documents can only lead to success.
Overview of Article:
- Include the hiring manager's name on your cover letter; ensure
spelling is correct
- A compelling cover letter is an introduction to you, it is short
but detailed
- Strong visual presentation will lead to success
The key to a successful job search is to enjoy it. Our CAREER TIPS section has great tips pertaining to Career Planning, Writing Resumes,
and Interviewing Advice - HAVE FUN!
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| Welcome to the fourteenth edition of wwwork!'s newsletter, ReadySetHired!. In this issue, you will find out how to grab the hiring managers' attention, top 10 resume blunders, why spelling & grammar should be held in high regard, and if cover letters do matter. wwwork! is committed to providing the knowledge to succeed, and access to the best companies and career opportunities; you can find out more ABOUT US on our website. So, study this newsletter, and jump-start your career by contacting a wwwork! representative today! |
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wwwork! welcomes your feedback! |
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If you have questions/comments, or topics you'd like us to touch upon in this newsletter, please email us at readysethired@wwwork.com. If you'd like to find out more about our services, please CONTACT US at (416) 922-3800 or by email, at info@wwwork.com.
We look forward to working with you!
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:: ASK BILL COLUMN :: |
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| Ask Bill features career questions and answers from our President, Bill Holland. If you have a question for Bill, and you would like him to consider it for publication, Click Here. If your question is published on our website, your name will be kept confidential.
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| Q. Dear Bill, |
| I have composed a resume to send out to employers, and I am very eager to start my career search. I will be creating a cover letter shortly, however I wanted to know if the response from hiring managers will be impacted if I send my resume out without the cover attached. If so, I will hold off on sending anything until it's completed, as I do not want to risk my top choice employers not responding. What do you think? |
| ~ L.A. |
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| A. Dear L.A., |
| It's great that you have the eagerness and tenacity to start your career search off with a bang - don't let this simmer down once you start looking. It is extremely important to have all your documents ready to go at once; you never know which employers qualify candidates based on cover letters - don't chance your candidacy! Take the time to prepare your cover letter up-front, and you'll have clear sailing to send your documents out to any employer you like. |
| ~ Bill |
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To search our Ask Bill database and review other questions and answers,
Click Here |
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| RESUME WRITING TIPS: |
| Spelling & Grammar |
A basic rule when composing your cover letter and resume is to always double-check the documents for spelling and grammatical errors. Reading your resume out loud may allow you to catch incorrect sentence structures, and will draw attention to obvious spelling errors. Lastly, if you find you've repeated the same word twice in the same sentence/paragraph/section, use a thesaurus for an alternative phrase.
Want 10 great resume tips from the experts? Check out RESUME; we've got tips and templates to help you prepare your work history.
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| INTERVIEWING TIPS: |
| Avoid Interruptions |
The interview is a critical meeting for you to sit down with a potential employer, and make a great impression. Avoid interruptions during the interview - be sure to turn your cell phone/pager off, and if pressed for time, do not continually look at your watch. Be prepared and organized - have all your needed information at hand to avoid sifting through belongings for documents.
Ace that interview! INTERVIEW will help you prepare, and sell your skills on the big day.
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JOB OFFER &
NEGOTIATION TIPS: |
| Attach a Personal Note |
Once you've received an offer and you're ready to sign back your acceptance, consider attaching a personal note thanking the hiring manager for their consideration. Adding a note of gratitude can not only help build a strong relationship with your new employer, it will drive home your strong interest in joining their organization.
Negotiating your salary can be tricky; OFFER goes into more detail of the "do's" and "don'ts" during this process.
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| @WORK TIPS: |
| Additional Vacation |
Treat colleagues who go above and beyond the call of duty to additional vacation; whether it's an afternoon off, or a full day, your employees will appreciate the reward. Rested, relaxed colleagues are more focused when they return; facilitate success and award your employees with some time off.
Learn more about maintaining a healthy lifestyle, handling difficult personalities, and overcoming office politics by visiting our @WORK TIPS section.
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| :: WEBSITE TO VISIT :: |
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| A great website to visit is http://www.free-resume-tips.com. This website teaches you effective titles and headings for your work experience, designs that grab the hiring manger's attention, how to sell content, and much more. Be ready! Learn more about how to prepare yourself for today's job market by clicking the above link. |
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Get to know yourself! TESTING, READING,
and LINKS have
additional Testing Sites and other Useful Links to assess
your personality, values, and ideal work environment.
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| CLIENT FEATURE |
| :: DANONE WATERS OF CANADA :: |
Danone Waters
of Canada Inc. is a subsidiary of Groupe Danone.
Its core mission is to help people around the world
grow, live better and get more out of life every
day! It is Canada's largest 18 Litre producer with
7 Manufacturing Plants, producing close to 20 million
bottles a year! It is also Canada's largest bottled
water distributor with 27 Distribution Centers, deploying
4 million deliveries per year! Danone Waters of Canada
is the country's largest water company servicing
219,435 customers with 1 million calls per year!
Today, Danone Waters of Canada has locations in almost
all regions in Canada, with headquarters in the province
of Ontario. Its major brands are Canadian Springs
Water Company, Crystal Springs, Labrador and Sparkling
Springs.
Click Here to learn more about Danone Waters of Canada.
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| Common Resume Blunders :: by Kim Isaacs, Monster.ca |
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Make sure your resume is top-notch by avoiding the top 10 resume blunders:
- Too Focused on Job Duties
Your resume should not be a boring listing of job duties and
responsibilities. Go beyond showing what was required and demonstrate
how you made a difference at each company, providing specific
examples. When developing your achievements, ask yourself:
- How did you perform the job better than others?
- What were the problems or challenges faced?
How did you overcome them? What were the results?
How did the company benefit from your performance?
- Did you receive any awards, special recognition
or promotions as a result?
- Flowery or General Objective Statement
Many candidates lose their readers in the beginning. Statements
like, "A challenging position enabling me to contribute to organizational
goals while offering an opportunity for growth and advancement," are
overused, too general and waste valuable space. If you're on
a career track, replace the objective with a tagline stating
what you do or your expertise.
- Too Short or Too Long
Many people try to squeeze their experiences onto one page, because
they've heard resumes shouldn't be longer. By doing this, job
seekers may delete impressive achievements. There are also candidates
who ramble on about irrelevant or redundant experiences. There
is no rule about appropriate resume length. When writing your
resume, ask yourself, "Will this statement help me land an interview?" Every
word should sell you, so only include information that
elicits a "yes."
- Using Personal Pronouns and Articles
A resume is a form of business communication, so it should be
concise and written in a telegraphic style. There should be no
mentions of "I" or "me," and only minimal use of articles. For
example:
I developed a new product that added $2 million in sales and increased the market segment's gross margin by 12 percent.
should be changed to:
Developed new product that added $2 million in sales and
increased market segment's gross margin by 12 percent.
- Listing Irrelevant Information
Many people include their interests, but they should only include
those relating to the job. For example, if a candidate is applying
for a position as a ski instructor, he should list cross-country
skiing as a hobby.
Personal information, such as date of birth, marital status,
height and weight, normally should not be on the resume unless
you're an entertainment professional or job seeker outside the
US.
- Using a Functional Resume When You Have a Good Career History
It is irksome for hiring managers not to see the career progression
and the impact made at each position. Unless you have an emergency
situation, such as virtually no work history or excessive job-hopping,
avoid the functional format.
The modified chronological format is often the most effective.
Here's the basic layout:
- Header (name, address, email address, phone
number).
- Lead with a strong profile section detailing
the scope of your experience
and areas of proficiency.
- Reverse chronological employment history emphasizing
achievements in
the past 10 to 15 years.
- Education (New grads may put this at the top).
- Not Including a Summary Section That Makes an Initial Hard Sell
This is one of the job seeker's greatest tools. Candidates who
have done their homework will know the skills and competencies
important to the position. The summary should demonstrate the
skill level and experiences directly related to the position
being sought.
To create a high-impact summary statement, peruse job openings
to determine what's important to employers. Next, write a list
of your matching skills, experience and education. Incorporate
these points into your summary.
- Where Are the Keywords?
With so many companies using technology to store resumes, the
only hope a job seeker has of being found is to include relevant
keywords sprinkled throughout the resume. Determine keywords
by reading job descriptions that interest you and include them
in your resume.
- References Available
Employers know you have professional references. Only use this
statement to signal the end of a long resume or to round out
the design.
- Typos
One typo can land your resume in the garbage. Proofread and show
your resume to several friends to have them proofread it as well.
This document is a reflection of you and should be perfect.
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