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The Secret to a Great Cover Letter
Tweet Share on Facebook June 2, 2009 Comment (2)Yesterday, over at 37Signals, David gave some good advice about the importance of cover letters in a job search. He cites new hire Jason’s digital cover letter as the gold standard in cover letters.
There is no doubt that Jason did a good job. He largely reformats the traditional cover letter for his online version, and he used language that would appeal to hiring managers at 37 Signals. (Seriously, “rockstar” is the way to describe yourself? What’s next, “work stud?” Oh, those crazy IT guys ...)
Here is the larger point: Fine-tune your resume and your cover letter to fit the company and the position. This means that you might have to rewrite and re-format both, depending on what information you have discovered about the company and the hiring manager. And yes, I know it is extra work.
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How College Students Can Gain an Edge in the Job Hunt
Tweet Share on Facebook June 1, 2009 Comment (6)With recent college graduates pouring into a tight job market -- and only 19 percent finding work so far-- it's an unnerving time to be looking for a first job.
Students still in school should be thinking about building their resumes now, so that when they graduate and need a job, they aren't starting from nothing. I receive all too many resumes from recent grads who have literally no work experience: nothing, not internships, not temp jobs, nothing at all. And since they're competing against candidates who do have experience, they're at an enormous disadvantage.
The most useful thing students can do to prepare for the job market is to work. Work before you actually have to work. It's the single best thing you can do to make yourself marketable.
