It's a complete all-in-one package, replacing resume and cover letter.
It's an immediate and original attention-getter. A great letter demands to be read.
Not only does it sell you better than a resume, it makes a more elegant and eloquent presentation.
The letter bears your unique stamp. Rather than relying on a formula to get you in the door, you're presenting an original document, a preview of what you're all about.
Letters are especially recommended for job hoppers, career changers, and people who haven't worked for lengthy periods (such as parents returning to the work force). Rather than the perfunctory chronological resume in which you're obliged to list the last few jobs you've had, a letter permits you to home in on critical facts and details that sell you for the specific job opening.
Despite downsizing and a topsy-turvy job market, plenty of traditional employers still frown on job hopping. Stuck in the Father Knows Best era, when breadwinners built lifestyles around one company, they deem job hopping as a sign of rootlessness, shiftlessness, and instability.
Think about the expression on a conservative employers face in scanning a resume that has an 8-year gap because the applicant waited until her two children were old enough for school before going back to work. What about the manager of a brokerage firm getting a resume from an advertising executive with 20-plus years of experience who's now applying for a job as a broker? Would you be surprised if the manager thought the guy was nuts after digesting his resume.
Getting back in the work force after taking a leave of absence is tough enough, but career changing, even under the best of circumstances, can be a long, hard pull. You're fighting an uphill battle with a resume, because the outmoded job-hunting instrument is designed for people who did the same or similar things throughout their career. Career changers and, to a lesser extent, people who dropped out of the work force are rule breakers. They've left the fold. Most are in their forties; significant numbers are in their fifties and sixties. Hence, a more liberal, creative, and open-ended vehicle for presenting their skills is needed. The letter perfectly fits the bill.
If you're uptight about writing a letter, as many people are, relax. I'm going to take you through the critical steps. It's not half as painful as it sounds. It requires effort, but if you invest some time in the process, you'll be delighted with the results.
The Letters' Function
The function of the letter is to generate interest. The great part about this vehicle is it allows you to concentrate on your most salable facts-the jobs and credentials that most impress prospective employers.
A well-written letter beats the resume at its own game by being tight, targeted, and focused. It says what has to be said and stops. Most critical, a letter is effective only if it's sent to the person who might hire you-the company owner or a high-ranking manager. Never send a letter to a title. You've taken a step backward. That's what a staggering number of resume applicants all over the United States are doing. Your chances of getting a response are dismal. If you've done your homework, you've thoroughly researched the market and found companies that might value your talents. Now you're going to go for it and make the pitch of your life.
Length, Tone, and Feeling
Before you boot up your computer to write the letter of the century, let's cover the key issues. If you're thinking about writing an autobiography in letter form, forget it. If you want it to be read, rather than trashed, keep it under two pages. One and a half pages is perfect. Remember, busy employers abhor the task of hiring. They must stop whatever they're doing and rummage through stacks of resumes to find a half-dozen people with the right credentials. Make it easy for them. Give them an epistle they can digest quickly and painlessly.
Don't say you can't condense your career into a page and a half. I've done it and so have countless others. The tone must be sincere, direct, and professional. Don't forget, there is a big difference between a personal letter and a professional letter. A personal letter has no restrictions. It can be anything you want it to be-intimate, crude, passionate, cynical, boastful, or full of slang or colloquialisms. A business letter is a whole other animal.
Most important, unlike the personal letter, a professional letter distances writer and reader. It means being appropriate at all times. But it doesn't mean you can't be candid and yourself. Within the boundaries of good taste, you can write almost anything to hook your reader into summoning you for an interview. Do so by being straightforward and making your case simply, avoiding bloated adjectives, buzzwords, and empty phrases.
