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The Value of a Cover Letter
So you’ve found a job you would really like to have. You prepare your resume, format it nicely, and send it off to the company. A month later, and you still haven’t heard from them. Any number of things could have happened, but one possibility is this: you didn’t include a cover letter, so they didn’t read your resume. Cover letters are becoming an increasingly neglected part of the application process, which is unfortunate because cover letters can very much advocate for you when applying for a job. In his article “Job hunting: The real value of a cover letter,” (link here) Dave Johnson...
read moreKnock, knock…Who’s there? Your cover letter!
Do I really need a cover letter? YES! It is the “knock on the door” before being invited in. Cover letters are an introduction to skills, expertise, and background that your resume cannot convey. A resume is focused on you; a cover letter is focused on the company. Your cover letter allows you to emphasize specific examples in your career that relate to the job you are applying for. When writing your cover letter, be brief. Most hiring managers will only glance at your cover letter. Who are you and why are you here? Have a strong opening statement. Catch their attention right away by...
read moreTen Quick Resume Tips
Let’s be honest: creating a resume is hard, especially if it’s been awhile. You are challenged to fit all your employment history, qualifications, education, certifications, interests, hobbies, and personal information onto a one–to-two page document. Oh, and it needs to look nice. Scared yet? Yeah, me too. But take a deep breath, because it’s actually not all that bad. Here for you I have provided ten quick tips to help your next resume dress to impress! Make some lists. Before you even begin your resume, create bullet-pointed lists of your past experience, volunteer work, awards,...
read moreFive Myths About Having a Career
One of the big phrases in the working world these days is “pursuing your career.” Rather than just having a “job,” employees are encouraged to pursue a career which they will have for the rest of their lives. Now, having a career is not a bad thing, but being convinced of one the myths surrounding having a career can be damaging, both to your work life and your emotional life. Here are five untrue tales we tell about having, searching for, or attaining a career: There is one perfect career waiting for you. It is the only thing you will ever be really good at. This is profoundly untrue. For...
read moreJobs in 100 Years?
About a year ago, I was asked what I thought the world would look like in 100 years. Truth be told, I can no longer remember the answer I gave, though I’m almost certain it involved flying cars and Star Trek-like teleporting pads. But the question has stayed in my mind ever since, and it is (in part) the topic today. A study posted on Build the Enterprise in 2013 (find it here) examined job distribution from 1910 compared to now. Private household service workers, farmers, and laborers have all decreased dramatically, while jobs as managers, professional and technical workers, and sales...
read moreToday’s Job Search Process
Almost everyone will do a job search at some point in the career. The reasons to change jobs are many, ranging from dissatisfaction to the need for a new challenge to the desire to make more money. Whatever the reason, the process of looking for a job is very similar. Most people focus on advertised jobs, but unfortunately that accounts for only 20% of jobs that exist. Every advertised job is flooded with applications, sometimes numbering in the hundreds, so the odds are not in your favor. Today most jobs are found through working your professional network. You build your professional...
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