| It's a tough job market. You need every leg up you | | | | CLASS MAIL will make an impression as well. |
| can get. Use headings in your cover letter for | | | | OK, it's not exactly a headline. But it is something out of |
| employment. They're magic, and totally overlooked in | | | | the ordinary that announces you and draws attention. |
| job hunts. The heading is THE most often read part of | | | | Remember, be certain that your cover letter for |
| a letter. And job hunters don't use it. | | | | employment fulfills the promise of the special mailer |
| 1. Be the only job applicant in the running who has a | | | | you create. |
| headline on her cover letter. They're persuasive for the | | | | Imagine, for example, that a recruiter gets your packet. |
| reader and intimidating for the writer. So people don't | | | | On the outside, it says - EXPERIENCED CANDIDATE. |
| use them. So they can can draw lots of attention to | | | | And you've folded your resume with the cover letter |
| your cover letter. | | | | on top facing out and back so one of the headlines |
| Here's the secret to using them in your letter. Don't use | | | | we created above is the first thing the recruiter sees |
| it to blare something ordinary about you. Your headline | | | | when she opens it. Now, you've made a promise and |
| should speak to the hiring manager's needs. | | | | fulfilled it Listen, you're facing a huge opportunity. Every |
| Remember, this is a cover letter headline, not a | | | | job applicant you're competing against submits the |
| resume objective. So, try "5 Years of Experience | | | | same two docs - a resume and a cover letter. And |
| Retaining Top Talent in Tough Markets" instead of | | | | they're all wasting one of them completely. Imagine |
| "Experienced Recruiter Seeking New Position". | | | | your advantage when your letter is optimized to make |
| Mention yourself if you have some remarkable | | | | the phone ring every time. |
| experience or accomplishment that clearly translates | | | | Here's what you need to make yourself consistently |
| to the new job. So, for example, "How | | | | the candidate to beat: |
| Communications Skills and Patience Helped Me Shut | | | | 3. Make the commitment to do the small things that |
| Down a Plant Without a Legal Action" is also relevant | | | | added together make your job packet impossible to |
| if it's followed by a brief anecdote that demonstrates | | | | put down. |
| value you can add for the new company. | | | | 4. Automate your process so creating a cover letter |
| 2. Use a heading on the outside of your envelope as | | | | for employment is so easy and so rapid that you don't |
| well. If you want your envelope to stand a better | | | | think twice about creating an optimized letter for |
| chance at being opened personally, buy a rubber | | | | EVERY APPLICATION (instead of using that old letter |
| stamp and red ink pad. Use a phrase that creates | | | | you wrote for some job that was open two months |
| urgency or importance - IMPORTANT, or | | | | ago).before she even gets to your cover letter for |
| REQUESTED INFORMATION. A simple FIRST | | | | employment. That's a great first impression. |