| If you haven't been on the job market in a while, you're | | | | them to call you and set up a meeting. |
| discovering a whole new experience. With | | | | 2. A white Avery label is a sure sign of a mass mailing. |
| unemployment at 9.4% (and still rising) there are now | | | | Direct mailers have found that increased open rates |
| nearly 15 million people competing for jobs. And many | | | | for individually hand-addressed envelopes justifies the |
| are connected, Facebooked, and LinkedIn. With all that | | | | added expense of hiring people to address envelopes. |
| competition, and things moving so fast, you need a | | | | If you want the manager to think your resume and |
| few tricks that you haven't seen before to make your | | | | cover letter are customized for her company, write |
| cover letter stand out. | | | | the address by hand. |
| Here are just two of the 28 techniques for making | | | | Always use sticky stamps instead of metering from |
| your cover letter grab the recruiters attention. | | | | the post office - the ink stamps post offices use with |
| 1. Use the space beneath your signature. It's usually a | | | | cost, date, and time. Post office personnel are less |
| wide open white space that goes to waste. Which is a | | | | likely to toss away your hard written job application as |
| pity since a PS is the second most often read part of | | | | advertising. And it will look less like a mass mailing to |
| a letter (when it's there). And your competition isn't | | | | the hiring manager. |
| even considering it. And don't know how to use them | | | | Change the size of the envelope you use. Mail your |
| any way. | | | | packet unfolded and flat in a 9X13 envelope. Make use |
| A PS will almost certainly make the recruiter take a | | | | of the extra space on the front side to include an |
| second look. If you have a referral or a nice testimonial, | | | | eye-catching note such as "The information you |
| this is the place to put it. Otherwise, reiterate your most | | | | requested is enclosed..." Of course, hand-write the |
| compelling point concerning what you can do for the | | | | message. |
| company and the most important promise you can | | | | 3. Grab the opportunity. Your competitors aren't doing |
| offer. "I can put my five years of territory development | | | | this stuff because they don't know how, or even that |
| to work to help you rapidly development a great | | | | they should. That means it's and easy way for you to |
| channel of offshore suppliers." At the very least, it will | | | | stand out. Which is exactly what you must do to get |
| focus the reader on your best talents and it may get | | | | the offers. |