- People don't basically like to read anything dull and in particular somebody else's thing. So you have to make your PD sheet appealing and interesting to read.
- Write the PD sheet so it shows you, not just another form-type who really could be just about anybody your age. Before we get into the nitty-gritty of the dos and don'ts, things to include and exclude, printing, mailing and the like, let's face up to some unpleasant truths. This is going to take time, patience, imagination, and money, in order to do a really first-class job.
The cover of your Personal Data sheet, which can also be called a resume or curriculum vita. This cover is going to determine if yours gets read at all and, second, whether it will be just like all the rest or will stand out and be remembered.
- Make it unique, different, attractive, and, if possible, tied to both you and the company to which you are applying. But do not make it garish, in poor taste, or attention for attention's sake alone.
- Make it reproducible so that if you are sending multiple copies it can be duplicated.
- Be sure the idea for it is yours and does not represent someone other than you.
- Try several different ideas and rough them out, show them to other people, get their reactions before you go diving in too quickly.
Pierre, a French Canadian who had held most jobs in a hotel from busboy to chef, decided he wanted a job as maitre d' hotel of a first class hotel in the Caribbean. He got, by writing the various hotels, copies of their menus.
He then had each of the menus reproduced as to colors, format, and design; but instead of the various dishes listed, in French, English and Spanish he listed on their menu his outstanding characteristics. That was his cover with the details following. He mailed to only twelve hotels, got nine interviews and six offers, and at twenty-six years of age started at $24,000 on the island of Eluthera and that was seven years ago. Cost Under $200.00.
Jerry wanted public relations for a major western firm. He wrote to the companies and got copies of their company newspapers and/or magazines. He then used their masthead and laid out the front page of their paper with stories about himself and included a picture of himself printed on the paper with details following. Yes, you guessed it. He got the offers and a good job. Why? He showed imagination, interest in them, and it was passed around, admired and commented on.
John came back from Vietnam, a veteran, four years out of school, and wanted a job with a western stockbrokerage firm. He applied to several with a "standard PD sheet"-nothing. He came into my office discourage and feeling unloved. Luckily he was willing to take my rather direct suggestions which, however, did not include his particular cover idea (I'm not sure I would have ever thought of it). At any rate, he came back in the next week with a draft of his cover. It was a reproduction of one of those terribly dull ads in the Wall Street Journal for a new stock offering which lists all the participating underwriting firms which by law must be published. But instead of the underwriting firms he listed his references.
The stock was John, himself. Now that was his cover with the details about himself on the following pages. He mailed ten, got eight interviews, five job offers, and within a month was in a nine-months paid-for training program to be a stockbroker for a major brokerage firm. Why? His application stood out from all the others. It was different, unique, it showed he had imagination, and really wanted the job. He got it.
Now what did all these and many more I have seen that worked have in common?
- They stood out in any stack of applications; they looked different.
- They invited interest because they were different and they were read. 3. They tied the applicant to the interest of the company.
- They showed, by doing, interest in the company and willingness to work to get a job, rather than sit back and wait or "who cares?"
- They showed willingness to spend a little money to make some money.
1. Go back and look over the list you have already made of all your strengths and weaknesses and the list of what you believe the company will be looking for. What kind of a match do they make? How can you put yourself down in black and white to show best that you have what likely to he looking- for?
2. Never lie in anything you say. That goes particularly for dates, such as length of previous employment, schools and the like. They are very easy to check and if they catch you lying, that's it. Period. And unfortunately I have seen men with very bright futures have them destroyed sometimes as much as five years after hiring when they were being considered for their first big promotion. Somebody in personnel pulled out their old PD sheet and started checking for the first time and at that time the lie was uncovered and it was "Goodbye." Now there is such a thing as omission. If you are applying for a job in Utah and happen to be a Black Muslim yourself, it might be wise to omit your religion unless it was specifically asked for. Conversely, if 1 happened to be a Mormon and applying for a job in Utah I would probably mention the fact that I was. Many students these days have asked me what to do about a period of time in which they simply "dropped out." That's easy. Simply show the time and put by it "dropped out."
This generation gap bit can be overdone. I doubt if there are many families left who haven't had a member simply drop out so it is quite understandable. But for heaven's sake don't put down something like "Studying sociological relations in Haight Asbury."
Police record? Don't mention unless asked, unless it's a major crime. If it is, it's probably best to get it out at the start. If asked, don't, for whatever reason, lie about it. It's too easy to check, be blackmailed, etc. Remember, a high percentage of people in the U.S. will spend some time in the cooler at some time in their lives. One friend of mine who had a bad scrap with the law always added on a separate piece of paper the facts of the case so that every Tom, Dick, or Harry peeking at his personal file would not know, but he made sure his boss and the chief of personnel knew.
In essence, don't go out of your way to hurt yourself or your chances, but never, never, lie.
3. Should you include a picture? Yes. Have it printed on each PD sheet-none of this glue bit. It doesn't cost much-one hundred two-page jobs with picture should run between thirty and forty dollars. With regard to the picture, go to a local photographic studio and have them take half a dozen shots. Tell them what they are for. Take the proofs and ask people you respect which one they prefer; most of us are very poor judges of which picture of ourselves is really best. Go by their judgment, not your own. A good size is 2" by IV "or 3". Usually head and shoulders is best, slight smile or serious. No cheesecake or hoo-ha on this one.
4. Do not include your references, but state they will be supplied upon request. If they are requested then give them as well as their addresses and type of relationship that each had with you, such as professor or boss or minister, etc. It's also a good idea to include their phone numbers, since more and more references are checked by phone. Now on references this is very important to remember. Never, no never, use a reference without checking with them first to determine if you have their permission to do so. Reason? Several.
a. You may remember them but they quite honestly don't remember you, or if they do, not very well, and can't say much about you. So tell them, if they do agree, you are sending them a copy of your current PD sheet to refresh their memory and bring them up to date.
I have often felt very stupid writing back to a potential employer that I had the student in one class ten years ago, that he was one of 120 students and received a grade of C-minus. Certainly sleeting me as a reference reflects badly on the applicant.
b. The potential reference may simply not think highly of you. Now it is quite unlikely he will tell you this but he may well suggest you probably could find someone else who knows you better. If so, take the hint. It usually means "I have nothing very good to say about you."
c. Your potential reference may not get along at all well with the company or the man you are applying to. If so, it gives him a chance to say so and to suggest you get someone else because of past bad feelings.
d. Don't fall into the "big name" trap. You know, say, sometime ago you met some big wheel, maybe a general or senator or something, but did not really get to know him. Some people are often tempted to use these names to impress, but actually it usually boomerangs when the reference replies with something like "can't remember" or, worse yet, "Who?."
5. Do not include any letters of reference with your PD sheet and most particularly any of the "to whom it may concern" variety. Many firms today have standard reference forms which they wish your references to fill out or they prefer calling the reference on the phone so they can hear the voice inflection as well as what is said.
6. The physical layout of your personal data sheet should be:
a. Easy to read. b. Logical in sequence. c. Not too form-like. In other words, if you believe a physical description is important you can put down 185 lbs. without putting Weight- 185 lbs., or color of eyes-blue. It is doubtful if either of these will affect your employment so why include them at all? d. If you held two jobs at the same time or if you were a student and worked at the same time, make this very clear so it is unlikely for the reader to become confused on just what you were doing or when. e. Be sure to describe what your job responsibilities were for the various jobs you have held. The job title may be obvious to you as to what you did but the title may not be familiar to the person to whom you are applying. f. The amount of detail you go into in each phase of your life should depend on the length of your life. In other words, a sixteen-year-old applying for his first job might well mention his junior high athletic activities, whereas it would seem out of place in a thirty-five-year-Old’s application. g. The length of the personal data sheet is going to depend primarily on how much is truly worthwhile that you have to say about yourself. But as a general rule of thumb for under thirty-five-years a cover page and two pages of detail should be able to adequately cover most people, and over thirty-five-years a cover page and three pages of detail should be sufficient.
When writing the various sections of your personal data sheet, try to make yourself "live" through them and avoid staid, dry facts wherever possible. For instance, when and if you list your hobbies, don't merely say reading, swimming and mountain climbing, but say what kind of reading you enjoy, whether it be westerns, "who-done-its," or naughty stories. As for swimming, do you swim daily, compete, dog paddle, or what? Are you a piton climber or a stroller? Let you, the real you, come through in the facts you set forward, not a sterile bunch of facts alone.
If you are in good health but a little pudgy, say so, or if you had average grades and weren't a barn burner in school, say so. Most of us weren't putting the torch to barns either.
Whenever you can, personalize your personal data sheet. By that 1 don't mean you have to or should be cute for cuteness' sake, but I do very strongly believe you have a much better chance of getting the interview which can lead to the job if you let yourself show through.
Two of the hardest sections of any PD sheet to write are those that should come near the end. One paragraph should state honestly and with some humility what you can offer your prospective employer. It can be entitled "What I Have to Offer," or "What I Have to Give," or something else of your own invention. But it should give you a chance to show that you can write, think and feel. The second paragraph should be just the other side of the coin, "What Basically Do You Want Out of a Job" or "What I See for My Position." Again it should you-honest, with some humility.
Now on the question of mentioning salary desires, this really depends on you and just how important salary requirements are to you. If they are of major importance then mention them; if they aren't at this point in your life-experience is more important-or if it is a combination, then say so. But in these two sections try to be basically honest and let yourself hang just as much as possible. Oh, just one caution; it is very easy in these sections to over "I" them. When you look back after writing make sure that almost every other word is not an "I"; it simply looks bad and can be easily corrected. The old song containing the words "Accentuate the Positive" has much meaning in designing your personal data sheet. It seems obvious enough but the obvious is what we so often overlook when we are attempting to sell ourselves. For instance, you may have the reputation of always being on time and this may be of considerable importance to an employer, yet because it is your habit you fail to mention it. Or you have always worked your own way through school and yet because you have always done it you fail to mention or to stress it in the PD sheet.
If you don't point out the positive, it well may be unnoticed and unappreciated. This does not mean you have to blow your own horn to the extent of becoming a bore, but it does mean to check back to be sure that you have not left out some of your most obvious strong points.
Another point, with regard to emphasis in the PD sheet, is that you may want to consider designing more than one, if you are applying for more than one type of position. Let's say you have just about equal interest in a job as a U.S. Government forestry worker and working for one of the major lumber companies on their tree farms. Since one organization is strictly public service and the other profit-motivated it may be well to consider using two different PD sheets which direct the emphasis towards their two different goal orientations. This does not mean you should become a chameleon or a hypocrite but merely that you emphasize slightly different traits in your character, mental outlook, etc., which are probably present in you or you wouldn't have the dual interest.
I have known some men who have made a separate PD sheet for each firm they applied to, so they were able to personalize themselves for the particular needs of each firm. These are unusual cases but worth considering. Selecting the printer who will actually reproduce your PD sheet is an important decision and should not be hurried. Printers' charges will vary considerably, their reliability for getting stuff out when they say they will varies amazingly, and the quality of work they can and will do is far from uniform. So it is advisable to take your work to at least three printers and preferably more, get a written estimate of their costs and time, see samples of their work and also check their reputation with other people who have used them. Unfortunately, cost and quality do not have any direct correlation in the printing business and if you happen to be young many will try to get all they can and give as little as possible, so being fore warned is being forearmed. This, on the other hand, is not to say that there are not many excellent printers who will not only do a first class job but will and can give you excellent advice on layout, type of print to use, type and grade of paper, margins, etc. By all means leave yourself time to go printer shopping and to check the work and word before you place your order. Remember, it is your money you are spending, so get your money's worth. Also, on this same theme, don't forget the type of print you decide on will affect the impression you convey in the PD sheet just as the layout, paper and margins, so don't hurry these decisions. In addition, have your mind made up before you go to the printer as to what type of impression you are trying to convey so you will not make some quick decisions which are not really well thought out on your part. You are the only one who really knows what you are actually trying to say about yourself and your printer can be of very little help to you if you don't tell him what message you are trying to convey.
Your covering letter-that is, the letter that accompanies your PD sheet to your prospective employer-should be the place where you can strictly personalize your pitch to that man in that particular organization.
There are several dos and don'ts that you should remember.
- Do address and write a specific individual in the organization. 2. Do not send a carbon or multi-copy or form letter. 3. Do not just type in the man's name in a form letter which is mass reproduced. 4. Make sure you check with the post office to see how much postage each of your PD sheets and letter and envelope will carry in stamps. 5. Make sure you have your return address and phone number on the envelope and letter and PD sheet. 6. Make sure the letter arouses their interest in you so that they will take the time and trouble to read the PD sheet. 7. Edit the letters carefully after they have been typed for spelling, punctuation, line omissions and most particularly the spelling of the name of the person you are sending it to.
The timing of your mailing can make a big difference to the response you get from your sales campaign. And there are several aspects to this timing problem.
- The best time of year to mail your PD sheet will vary from industry to industry. Why? Many, if not most, industries have seasonal fluctuations and at times are very busy, say around Christmas. Or they may be seasonal in nature like air conditioning, or tax accountants, etc.
Naturally, it is best to get in your application before the heavy season starts. And equally naturally you should try to catch the executives when they are not too busy starting to prepare for a new busy season. They may not have time to even think of you.
- Vacations are another thing to consider. July and August tend to be bad because it is difficult to know who is away and who is at home. If your PD sheet stacks up on someone's desk along with the rest of the mail that has accumulated while he is away, it is likely to get short shrift upon his return. So whenever possible try to determine when the man you will want to see is going to be there.
- Then there is the problem of trying to get your PD sheet to the company you is applying to on a non-heavy mail day. What with the unpredictable mail service these days this is not easy or by any means sure but it is worth a try. Usually, although this will vary from business to business, Mondays are heavy mail days and should be avoided. Fridays have a good bit of mail as well as many members of the TGIF club and hence should be avoided as well. Probably Tuesday and Thursday are best for most businesses and, if the post office will cooperate, a mailing on Monday is probably safest.
- Its a good idea to think in terms of both your future schedule as well as theirs. If you apply too far in advance of your availability, say a year, it is likely you will be forgotten by the time you are ready. Conversely, you need to give them time to come to their decision about you. This may very well include interviews with other candidates for the same job (not nice, but true), so in your timing you should consider how long a time is reasonable to expect them to make up their minds. Generally, the higher the salary the longer they will take trying to find the right man for the job.
