| Most job applicants on the market have never seen | | | | Yes, if you're mailing 100 letters, turn on the TV, put |
| such fierce competition in their lives. Almost one in | | | | down a stack of letters, and take 30 minutes to sign |
| every 10 eligible adult is looking for a job today. That | | | | them all. |
| means lots of bad job application packets. And you | | | | Always use sticky stamps instead of metering from |
| can turn that to your advantage by doing just a couple | | | | the post office - the ink labels used by post offices |
| of things that mark you cover letter for a resume as | | | | with time, date, and cost. Post office personnel are |
| thoughtful and thorough. | | | | less likely to dispose of your hard written cover letter |
| What's in the letter matters. But don't forget what the | | | | for a resume as advertising. And it won't look like a |
| letter is in. Most of your competitors will over look this, | | | | mass mailing to the hiring manager. |
| which makes it an advantage for you. | | | | Put your job application packet in a 9x13 envelope so |
| Here are a couple of hints to supercharge your cover | | | | you can mail your cover letter and resume flat and |
| letter: | | | | unfolded. Use the extra "real estate" - brown space - |
| 1. Don't overlook the envelope. If you think the cover | | | | on the front side to include a compelling message such |
| letter is an afterthought for most of your competition, | | | | as "The information you requested is enclosed..." or |
| the envelope isn't even on the radar screen. And that | | | | "Credentialed Applicant" or something else germane. |
| makes it an opportunity for you. | | | | Of course, hand-write the message or get a stamp |
| Put together good envelopes. It's easy and will | | | | pad and red ink. |
| increase your odds of even making it to the recruiter's | | | | Listen, you're facing a huge opportunity. Every job |
| desk. It's well known in direct marketing circles that | | | | applicant you're competing against submits the same |
| postal carriers sometimes throw away letters to | | | | two docs - a resume and a cover letter. And they're |
| lighten their load, especially if they think the letter is junk | | | | all wasting one of them completely. Imagine your |
| mail. I know it sounds extreme, but it happens more | | | | advantage when your letter is optimized to make the |
| often than you'd think. You can track the higher | | | | phone ring every time. |
| response rates for hand-addressed letters. | | | | Here's what you need to make yourself consistently |
| Second, you don't want the hiring manager to receive | | | | the candidate to beat: |
| a cover letter for a resume from you that looks like | | | | 3. Make the commitment to do the small things that |
| one of eighty-seven you've just mailed, even if it is. | | | | added together make your job packet impossible to |
| 2. Be a mailing machine, but don't look like one. A white | | | | put down. |
| Avery label is a give away for a mass mailing. Direct | | | | 4. Automate your process of creating a cover letter |
| mailers have found that better open rates for | | | | for a resume so it's so easy and so rapid that you |
| individually hand-addressed envelopes justifies the | | | | don't think twice about creating an optimized letter for |
| expense of hiring people to address envelopes. If you | | | | EVERY APPLICATION (instead of using that old letter |
| want the manager to believe your resume and cover | | | | you wrote for some job that was open two months |
| letter are meant for her, write the address by hand. | | | | ago). |