Engage hiring managers with a strategically written cover letter

Dear Sam: I think I have a pretty good résumé, but I have no idea where to start when writing a cover letter. Is it necessary to submit a cover letter when applying for a job? I’d prefer to just submit my résumé so I don’t have to write a cover letter for every job I am interested in. I’m finding I don’t apply for some positions as I can’t get over the stumbling block of writing the cover letter to accompany my résumé. Help! – Tony

Dear Tony: A cover letter is your opportunity to introduce yourself to a prospective employer, expand on and personalize your résumé, and highlight how your skills and experiences will fulfill the employer's needs. A cover letter should be a key part of every application, regardless of whether it is requested. The letter should engage the hiring manager and propel him or her to read your résumé.

You should not have to create a new cover letter for each job you are interested in. If you have defined your objective when creating your résumé, meaning you know what you want to do, who you are marketing your candidacy to, and what language will attract his or her interest, then your cover letter will be developed using that information as your guide. When you have taken time to really understand what will trigger your target audience, and have incorporated that content into your application materials, your résumé and cover letter will not need to be modified each time you apply for a position.

Keep in mind a cover letter not only expresses your interest in the company and/or position, but also gives the employer the opportunity to observe your attentiveness to detail, spelling, grammar, and quality of your written communication.

When writing your cover letter, there are many strategies you can employ in the development and organization of the content. Here are some guidelines:

1) Open the letter noting your key qualifications and the position of interest. Use the first paragraph to capture the recipient's attention and make him or her want to read further.

2) Use the center section of your cover letter to explore your experiences, successes, and skills that have supported your performance. Oftentimes, I use bullet points to focus the hiring manager's attention on the most important pieces of information, which also helps to break up a "heavy"-looking one-page letter. Bullet points also allow for a quick way to tailor your cover letter to a specific opportunity, should that be necessary.

3) Close with an action-oriented statement. Do not take the passive approach and wait for a hiring manager to call you. Of course, if the posting says no calls, don’t call; but most of the time, a follow-up call is appropriate to reiterate your interest.

4) Keep it brief. Generally cover letters should be no more than one page and include ample white space to facilitate ease of readability.

5) Do all you can to obtain the name of the hiring manager and address your cover letter accordingly. When all else fails, address the letter to "Dear Hiring Manager."

6) Use the same heading from your résumé in order to present a clean and professional package. Don't forget to sign your letter if you are sending a hard copy.

Take a look at the cover letter I have presented (click this link to view); it engages the reader by immediately introducing the candidate’s qualifications, using an attractive format to pull the reader’s eye through the main section of the letter, and providing proof and support of claims made in the letter and résumé. As you can see, a cover letter can serve a much higher purpose than you might have thought, by capturing increased interest in your candidacy.

Samantha Nolan is a certified professional résumé writer and owner of Ladybug Design, a full-service résumé writing firm. Reach Samantha at dearsam@ladybug-design.com, www.ladybug-design.com, or 1‑888-9-LADYBUG (1-888-952-3928).

Handle 30+ years of work experience with care

Dear Sam: I am 57 years old and have just lost my job due to downsizing. I am concerned that my age will turn off prospective employers. As a result, I have removed the years of service on my résumé from each employer I have had; that seems to have helped a little.

When employers contact me, they always want me to walk them through my résumé, and I can almost hear them counting the years as I do. They often ask, as I am reviewing it, “How many years were you with them?” Would it be unethical to remove the last employer on the résumé which accounts for about 12 years of my 36-year career? I would, of course, answer any questions asked in regards to whether I have any experience other than what is listed on the résumé; I am just concerned that all of my experience is causing people to decide that I may be too old to invest their time in. Thanks for your help. – Jim

Dear Jim: I’m so glad you wrote, as you are committing a big résumé no-no! Never remove all dates of employment from your résumé; the assumption hiring managers will make when not seeing a single date will likely be far worse than reality. Typically I hear that when candidates leave out dates, their phone never rings.

Instead, date your experiences back to 1984 and omit your first 12 years of employment. It is not unethical to remove this experience; in fact, removing dated positions is a very common and expected practice. Hiring managers typically want to see 10 to 15 years of experience and they do not expect you to explore 30+ years of experience unless you are at the senior executive level. Be sure that your qualifications summary isn’t immediately dating you either. You shouldn’t be opening your résumé with a statement as to how many years of experience you have; doing so can be easily calculated by reviewing your tenure with each employer. Instead, make sure your summary is written using up-to-date jargon and industry buzzwords and that your most recent experiences are focused on much more heavily than your early career roles. I think when you take this approach, your résumé and your candidacy will be much more marketable.

Dear Sam: In just a few weeks, I will finally be a college graduate (I just completed requirements for an accounting degree I began 12 years ago)! My goal in doing so, aside from finishing what I started, is to be able to use the education to further advance my career within my chosen area.

I am concerned, however, with my personal financial situation and the impact it may have on my ability to secure future positions. Years ago, I became caught up in the real estate boom and invested time, energy, and lots of money in the purchase, rehab, and rental of a number of properties. Unfortunately, the good times did not last long, and I fell flat on my face. Everything that had been invested went down the tubes, including my credit report, which now includes a Chapter 7 bankruptcy and 6 mortgage foreclosures. (Prior to investing, my credit score had been in the high 780s.) My fear is that all of the work I have invested in completing my degree will be for not with a potential employer who wants to pull my credit report. Is there any way to delicately handle this possible situation? Should I "prepare" potential employers of what they will find, once they inform me my credit report must be pulled? If it helps, none of the debt included in the bankruptcy was consumer debt. It was all debt accumulated while investing. – Gary

Dear Gary: What an unfortunate situation and one that will absolutely need to be handled delicately as you navigate your job search. As you are going to be applying for positions in the accounting field, unfortunately I imagine your credit report will be pulled more often than not. You will definitely want to prepare employers for what they will find by explaining your situation much as you did for me. You may even want to prepare a professional letter that explains the situation, so in the event the interviewer you explain it to isn’t the one making the decision, you will still benefit from an opportunity to communicate the situation that placed your credit in the state it is today. Would it be possible to get a credit reference from your bank or other institution where you have held a satisfactory record? It may be useful to have “validation” that your personal finances have been handled appropriately since your filing. I think with a professional and honest statement, coupled with third-party validation of your pre- and post-bankruptcy/housing boom financial management skills, you will put yourself in a better position to overcome the impact a negative report may have on your search. I wish you much success, and congratulations on your upcoming graduation!

Dear Sam: I have been with the same company for almost 5 years and enjoy the position, but am realizing I can't stay with the company because of the seasonality of the work which has long layoff periods followed by months of frantic overtime. I would like to use this layoff time to search for and apply for new positions, but also have enough respect for my coworkers that, should something new arise, I would not want to leave them in a lurch with the busy season on the horizon. In the same token, I do not want to appear demanding or unreasonable to employers who are usually looking for someone to start soon by stating that I would not be available until fall. Is there a diplomatic way to indicate on my cover letter or résumé that I would like to inquire about a position for the near future, out of respect for my current position? – Beth

Dear Beth: Fall is really just around the corner, and while I understand you want to be, and should be, completely honest during your job search, it will not benefit you to communicate conditions of hire in your cover letter. Instead, get your foot in the door, learn of the position and timeline for hiring, and then while negotiating, present your conditions. Doing so up front will almost surely prevent you from getting in the door, leaving you conducting a job search while you are in a layoff period with what I imagine is a much reduced income. You can still follow through on any commitment you have with your current employer while taking care of yourself and your career needs.

Dear Sam: I spent more than 2 years pursuing my MBA degree but was not able to complete it. How can I present an incomplete degree on my résumé? I have around 4 years of work experience to compensate for my degree. – Seth

Dear Seth: You can present an incomplete degree by stating, “Pursued Master of Business Administration (2006-2008).” If you are still planning on completing your graduate degree, state the following, “Master of Business Administration (Anticipated 2009).” Of course, use the appropriate degree and dates. Best of luck to you.

Samantha Nolan is a certified professional résumé writer and owner of Ladybug Design, a full-service résumé writing firm. Reach Samantha at dearsam@ladybug-design.com, www.ladybug-design.com, or 1-888-9-LADYBUG (1-888-952-3928).

Overcome situations outside of your control

Dear Sam: I am 59 years old and trying to return to work after being on disability for 6 years. How do I handle this on my résumé? I have never had the need for a résumé prior to this "new age” handling of job applications and searches. Most jobs require an online application and this stops me in my tracks!

Also I have another question for a friend. He was let go from his employment due to a personal issue with a harassing superior. He has been given the idea that this previous supervisor is black balling him when it comes to securing future employment. He cannot omit this employer from his résumé as this would leave a gap and would be dishonest. He was such a good employee for this company, that when they had to downsize several years ago, he was one that received a generous departing package! They then recalled him to return at a higher wage. He also has letters of praise from other supervisors at this company. Not until the hiring of this new individual was there ever a problem! He is now at a loss as to why this has happened but would like to move on. What does he do about this on his résumé? – R.

Dear R.: Let’s address your situation first. Obviously you have to follow the guidelines mandated by an employment application, so there is little you can do to hide disqualifying factors, other than making sure you are focusing on areas in which you went above and beyond when at all possible. There are however a number of things you can do to make your résumé more effective.

First, be sure you are only presenting the amount of experience that supports your candidacy. Typically hiring managers like to see focus paid to the last 8-10 years of experience, but in your case you may have to go back a little further due to your recent 6-year absence. Second, present a strong summary showcasing what you offer (experiences, skills, and education) in relation to your career objective(s). This should be a direct response to the job postings of interested, and should answer the hiring manager’s question of why they should hire you. Use this section to highlight your strengths, which will also minimize potentially disqualifying factors. Third, be sure you are not noting your absence from the workforce on your résumé. Now of course there may be a gap in employment, but there needs to be no mention of the reason why. I know this might seem strange, but I’ve seen cases where we can make such a strong picture of the candidate’s “value” both through a qualifications summary and accomplishments section, that the dates of employment play such a minor role when evaluating their candidacy. Additionally, if you can pull out your accomplishments or career highlights and place them on page one, possibly your professional experience will fall to page two of your résumé, along with your dates of employment. Lastly, if you have completed any training during the past six years, be sure you present that too. This will help make the case that you continued to learn new skills, particularly important if you are pursuing employment requiring a certain technical skill set.

To answer your question for your friend, I am glad you mentioned that he has letters of praise from previous supervisors. He should place the strongest comments from those letters directly on his résumé. These can go above or beneath the qualifications summary or even in their own section. These testimonials will reinforce his claims about the results he achieved, the service he offered, and the work ethic he exhibited. While validating, they will help minimize the impact of a negative reference. Lastly, be sure he notes he was recruited back to the company due to his performance, and even received a promotion. All of these facts will help support his candidacy and reinforce his claims (probably brought up during a personal interview) that he left due to an unfortunate situation with a new supervisor.

Dear Sam: I recently learned my job is being eliminated unless I move. So, I have begun a job search. I am an Executive Producer and have 18 years extensive meeting/event planning experience. I have planned and executed events all across the United States. I have worked with Presidents/CEOs, as well as the company planners. As I have applied for a new career, it has become abundantly apparent that because I do not have a bachelor's degree, I am not even being considered for the position. I am 44 years old, and as a single mother I managed to get one daughter through college and another daughter is currently in college, leaving little time or funds for me to complete a Bachelor's degree. I have considered an Associate's degree, but prospective employers don't even mention those as part of the job requirements. My question to you is how do I get my foot in the door without a Bachelor's degree? Is it worth my while to get an Associate’s degree? I must admit, the rejection is starting to get to me and I don't know which way to turn. Any advice that you could give me would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for your time. – Frustrated

Dear Frustrated: If you are finding that most positions for which you are applying “require” a degree, and this is the career path you want to take, then seeking an affordable part-time degree program might be a good option. You could always enroll in a 2-year program, taking minimal classes to maximize current financial resources, in the hopes that when hired you could take advantage of a tuition assistance program. The benefit of enrolling sooner rather than later is that you will be able to place your current educational pursuits on your résumé. By doing this it may help you get past the screening process, as even though you don’t have a degree, the hiring manager would see you are in active pursuit of one. When combined with your level of experience, great achievements, and a fantastic résumé showcasing your “value,” you will have a much better chance of securing the interview.

On a side note, be sure your current résumé (previous to enrolling in a degree program) does not include an education section. I find a lot of clients include their high school diploma when they do not have a college degree, and by doing this you only focus the hiring manager’s attention on the lack of a degree. Instead place any training or certifications you have in a professional development section. Also, be sure your résumé has a qualifications summary selling you for the types of job you want, followed by your experiences with all achievements highlighted prominently. The hope is that page one of your résumé can stand alone and qualify you for the interview, leaving page two, and the lack of an education section, to play an insignificant role in the initial “should I interview this candidate” decision making process. I wish you and your daughters great success.