The function of the cover letter is, first and foremost, to get the reader's attention. To receive a resume with no personal statement of intent "covering" the resume is in all cases awkward. Many recipients consider people who don’t send a cover letter downright rude, a cover letter is the knock on the door before entering. It's the "How are you?" before the "May I borrow your car?" It's both good manners and a formality. And the truly effective cover letters are those that hook the reader on what is to follow: you.
Let's start with some basic premises about the people who receive your unsolicited broadcast/cover letters: They don't know you; they didn't ask to know you; they are busy; and they may think they don't need you or anybody. Tough start. Don't give up. They're all hungry-they just need the right bait.
The bait is the lead of your letter. And I don't mean the kind of lead you may think of using. "Enclosed please find…" or "I am writing in regard to..." are leads which (a) waste valuable first-line opportunity, (b) don't communicate any value about you, and (c) look like everybody else's (yawn).
"In the past ten years I’ve been in Sing-Sing Prison twenty-two times." That sentence got your attention, didn't it? Such a lead (the writer went on to say he was a prison system auditor looking for a position) may be an exaggerated example, but it worked. And that is critical.
I recently received two pieces of unsolicited mail with leads that hooked me. One was from an office administrator who'd read about me in the paper. Td been quoted as saying my company was growing and that was great, but I was becoming more and more of an administrator, and I didn't like that part. Her letter's lead: "Congratulations on the growth of your company. Growth is exciting, except for the administrative part, as you said in the paper last week. Well, that is my specialty! I'm an administrator who can relieve you of just those burdens you outlined."
"Welcome!" I said when she followed up with her phone call. The other piece of mail came to my home and was from a trash compactor bag company. It was a cheaply produced but properly targeted solicitation asking me if I was "tired of having my compactor bags rip and spill all over my feet and floor." I was. The hook was baited properly. I went for the bags.
Communicate value in your lead. It will hook the reader.
As a highly experienced Materials Management professional (MRP), my expertise and career commitment has been to reduce inventory, lead time, staffing, and costs. I’ve done this consistently throughout my career and I am currently seeking the right opportunity to do it again.
A Body That Keeps It
The body of your letter-the second paragraph-should contain just enough valuable information about your professional abilities to keep the reader's interest. If you have a skill that is particularly well matched for the job, that should be mentioned here, even though it will also be mentioned in your resume. The second or third paragraphs are also good places to drop a few industry buzz words in order to quickly show that you're in the right league.
Give the body of your letter enough substance to hold the reader.
For example:
Over the past 15 years, as a Director of Materials and as a Manufacturing Manager for Analogic and Sanders Associates respectively, I have been remarkably successful in critical MRP areas. In fact, I have consistently attained my ambitious reduction goals in dramatically shorter periods of time than expected.
Perhaps it is my high level of energy and love of what I do that has made me effective. Whatever the reason, if issues of reduction of inventory, lead time, staffing, and costs are on your list of priorities, I believe a review of my enclosed list of capabilities and accomplishments would be worth your time.
A Close That Leaves the Door Open
Close your letter in a way that keeps the ball rolling and offers a taste of more to come, as the author of the following closing paragraph has done;
I certainly would welcome the opportunity to "talk shop" regarding particular challenges within your company, and to discuss how my skills and ideas may be a valuable addition. I look forward to meeting at your convenience.
Finally, always keep your cover letter to one page. And be sure to follow up as close as possible to the time your reader is likely to receive your letter. Don’t sit back and wait for a response. For more information on specific follow-up techniques, see Winning Move #11 in the Marketing section. Winning Move #47 in the Shining Examples section gives a detailed example of one writer's irresistible cover letter.
Read between the Lines of Help-Wanted Ads
Though help-wanted ads don't account for a major part of the job market, they are still a source of opportunity. I should say that some are a source of opportunity. It's important to be able to sense whether an `ad truly represents a good opportunity. Responding to help-wanted ads that misrepresent the actual situation can quickly demoralize a job seeker.
It's important to understand that there are numerous reasons for help-wan ted ads:
- Legally, the company may be required to advertise the job (even though the job is already spoken for).
- Politically, the company may feel it looks best to advertise the job (even though the job is already spoken for).
- The ad may not be placed by the company at all, but by a headhunter; the headhunter may have an actual position or he may be looking to draw client companies by collecting a certain type of candidate.
- The job may not be a job at all, but a "business opportunity" veiled as a job. The ad may be designed to draw a potential clientele from the ranks of unsuspecting job seekers.
When a company requests your salary history as a part of your written response to its help-wanted advertisement, they are saying, in essence, that they will be making a judgment about you based on what people paid you. Is that right? What if you were underpaid? Overpaid? Or worked in a different region of the country with a different cost of living?
It is certainly not the business of a stranger from a strange company who is not yet your employer (or even your prospective employer) to know the history of your compensation. Besides, both you and any of your prospective employers should already know the market value of the level of your position. As the job seeker, your goal is to generate a face-to-face meeting or interview, and then deal with compensation. No one wants to be eliminated before he gets a chance to compete.
If you feel you might be eliminated if you don’t respond to the request for salary history, try to respond in a subjective, non-specific manner For example;
My salary history over the past decade has followed the industry norm. At times, due to my performance, it has exceeded that norm. I will be pleased to provide further details upon our meeting…
Give Them a Range When They Ask for Salary Requirements
One of the most common dilemmas facing the job seeker who responds to a help-wanted ad is the salary requirements question. On the one hand, you don't want to lose an opportunity for an interview because of too high a salary request. On the other hand, a figure that is too low could cost you thousands of dollars.
One of the best ways to respond to a help-wanted ad that requests salary requirements is to provide the prospective employer with a range. If, for example, you wish or need to make $57,000 per year, you might write the following:
My salary requirement is in the 50s, and is both reasonable and negotiable, depending on the company's type of compensation plan.
This manner of response gives the job seeker a fairly safe salary range, for the prospective employer isn’t sure if the requirement is for the low, mid, or high 50s.
Time Your Follow-up to Coincide with the Moment They Read Your Letter
Unless the advertiser requests "no phone calls," follow up while the letter and resume are still fresh in the mind of the reader. Waiting too long is a risk; your mailing may have already been forgotten, faded, misfiled, or routed to the human resources department. Following up too soon is not a risk; the worst that can happen is that you'll have a preliminary conversation with a prospective employer. You'll get a chance to score a few points before he receives the resume. Plus, he'll know it's coming.
Beware the Blind Ad
Blind ads are those that don't list the name of your prospective employer. Blind ads are tough. You can't do research on the company. You can't follow up by telephone to sell yourself or push for an interview. You can only wait. The ball is in the prospective employer's court.
And there is always the ultimate danger: A job-seeking electrical engineer I knew actually responded to his own job! He was called into the boss's office the following Monday and there on the desk was the engineer's resume. "I see you and I have similar thoughts about your future here," the boss said, looking down at the resume. Needless to say, the engineer soon found that he had plenty of time to intensify his job search.
So be careful of blind ads, especially if you feel that any industry awareness that you're job seeking could jeopardize your position.
Whom Does It Concern?
If the advertisement doesn't give the name of the person to whom you should respond, the safest way to write the cover letter salutation is "Dear Sir/Madam." "To whom it may concern" sounds cold and impersonal. "Dear Sir" is very dangerous-don't assume it's a man to whom you're responding. If there's a name listed but it's hard to tell the sex of the person ("please respond to S. Hennick"), the best approach is "Dear S. Hennick."
Help-wanted ads are somewhat of a crap shoot. Typically, they account for less than 10 percent of an area's hiring market. But 10 percent is still 10 percent, so they're worth a shot. But don't let them demoralize you. Understand your odds. Read the ads carefully. Analyze them. Respond to those that seem real. And follow up whenever possible.
Don't Let Headhunters Go to Your Head
If headhunters find you tasty, you probably don't need them, unless you are a hopelessly ineffective job seeker and self-promoter. The fact that one or many headhunters find you immediately appealing usually means that the job market will also find you immediately appealing. If the market finds you appealing, you should have no difficulty selling yourself without the aid of a headhunter.
A headhunter gets paid by the company that hires you. You do not pay the headhunter. (Stay away from any agencies that want a placement fee up front from you, the job seeker.) Because a head-hunter's time is money, he will not waste any of it on you unless he sees value. Headhunters do not earn a cent from counseling you, from rewriting your resume, or from giving advice. Hence, they will usually get to the bottom line quickly about whether or not they want to work with you. Generally speaking, headhunters are paid a fee that is a percentage (usually between 15 percent and 30 percent) of your first year's gross salary
Selling yourself through a headhunter is like selling a house through a broker: you net less money because the broker's fee is tacked on. If you independently sell yourself into a company that also uses headhunters, you may be in a much better bargaining position. For example, if your salary requirement is $60,000 and a headhunter gets you the interview, the company that hires you will be on the hook for at least 20 percent ($12,000). Because of this the company may try to cover their placement fee costs by offering you $50,000. Conversely, you'll have much more bargaining leverage if you approach the company on your own, with no fee attached.
This is not to say that headhunters don't serve a purpose. They do. They make it their business to know certain markets, and they can cut through the red tape and screening within companies to get their clients interviews. Well-reputed headhunters have strong client-company relationships; hence, when they recommend a candidate, the candidate will usually get an interview.
Like help-wanted ads, headhunters do account for a part of the hiring market. But also as with help-wanted ads, they shouldn't be relied upon as the sole source of job leads.
The best way to contact headhunters is to send them a resume with a short cover letter stating your intent. You don't need to try to persuade them to work with you. They're pros who will scan your resume and make an immediate assessment as to your value to them. Believe me, if they see a match, they'll call you. If they don’t, they won’t. Following up with a telephone call can't hurt, though. Perhaps they can provide you with some valuable industry information or trends.
The best source of information-it lists headhunters and their specialties-is the comprehensive Directory of Executive Recruiters, published by Kennedy Publications in Fitzwilliam, New Hampshire. You can order it by phone: (603) 585-6544.
