Q for people who read a lot of resumes, do hiring

[freshbreath]

when you receive a resume (through electronic submission, email), do you expect the cover letter to take the form of the email's body itself, or as a separate document? or perhaps, the first page in the same document as the resume?

what would you prefer?

also, do "form" style cover letters annoy you, or are they what you expect? meaning, it's as if they just took a generic cover letter and filled in the blanks with your company name and the position

 

[RTRD]

Shit...

...are you the same guy who asked about resume writing services several days ago?

I meant to respond, but I never got around to it...sorry

First - this is who I use:

http://www.careerperfect.com/content/professional-resume-writing-services-overview/?cpsrc2=index_p0004

I've been using them since I arrived in Canada and needed my resume revamped. My writer is named "Diana", and she has ALWAYS been very helpful and pleasant. I do not know if you can request a writer or not, but if so, I would endorse her highly.

Now...your questions:

"do you expect the cover letter to take the form of the email's body itself, or as a separate document?"

I personally put my "cover letter" in the email body itself when emailing the resume, but as seperate document when mailing a hard copy. No need for two attachments for an email - you want to capture their attention ASAP, and a (relatively) empty email will not give them ANY reason to bother opening the attachments. Remember, hiring managers and / ir recruiters get HUNDREDS of emails everyday...

"also, do "form" style cover letters annoy you, or are they what you expect? meaning, it's as if they just took a generic cover letter and filled in the blanks with your company name and the position"

Depends on the level of role we are talking about. If it is an entry level or lower level managment job, then I would think everyone would pretty much expect your cover letter to be a "form" document, though customized for the role ("fil in the blanks").

Howver, if it is for a highler level position...approaching or exceeding six figures...You REALLY should take the time to write a unique cover letter that explains why YOUR unique talents and experience make you the best person for the job. Think of it this way...for a 50K job they might get 50 resume of people who could do that job...the hiring decision isn't going to hinge on the cover letter or resume, assuming you have one that is professional and approprite ("so you can do the job...so what...so can 15 of the other 30 resume I've looked at today"). However, when you approach and exceed six figures, the talent base shrinks. The employer is willing to pay that kind of money because they know that kind of person is hard to find. Thus, you need to TELL THEM that you are "that kind of person", and the place you do that is the cover letter. Don't leave it to them to figure it out on their own from the resume - in the cover letter explain EXACTLY why you are the best person for THAT job. You do this by reviewing the role description very carefully, then writing a cover letter describing how your skills and experience match that role. Don't you think 30 - 60 minutes is worth having a better shot at a 100k/year job?

Good luck...

 

[scrooge]

Briefly, I think the cover letter is there not to re-iterate the stuff you have on your CV already but to say stuff that is not on there already... like how MLAM says you perhaps should tell more about yourself, etc.

 

[Consilio]

You need to jump out from the pile.

Usually when I'm hiring people, I get 200+ resumes for a posting. I don't have time to read every word of every resume. They have to stand out.

If it's a "form" cover letter, you'll be lucky if it even gets a quick scan. If I see that, I just skip over to the resume.

You should take the opportunity to use the cover letter to discuss how your skills relate to the position. Discuss specifically why you would be a good fit.

 

[spatial_k]

NEVER use a form cover letter. If I see one I don't usually look at the resume- how interested can you be if you didn't take the time to tailor it?

If there are no specific guidelines given about how to submit the cover letter, submit it via the body of the email.

 

[Keebler Elf]

Wow, some bad advice being given in this thread.

The cover letter and resume should be attachments. If you want to put it in the body you can, but that just increases your chances of being screened out before even having your resume looked at. Some might argue that it could increase your chances, but you're taking the risk of the person who receives your resume pre-determing whether your email should be deleted immediately rather than being forwarded with the others (often it's just an admin person who screens the emails before the resumes even get to HR). If you want to be picky, your attachments should be in plain text form but that's a royal pain in the ass to do so Word is your next best bet.

If someone tells you to write a "form" cover letter, immediately start getting your advice elsewhere. If ever there was a "shred bin" red flag, form letters are it. If you can't take the time to craft a cover letter specific to the job you're applying to, well, employers won't take the time to bother interviewing you. It's an immediate and obvious tell that you're either a) lazy or b) cold calling your resume.

I can't begin to tell you how many times I've seen a person's resume immediately tossed due to a bad cover letter. When you see hundreds if not thousands of resumes, you can instantly pick out the form letters and toss them out. It's an easy way to cull the herd down to a more manageable number. And if you can't write worth a damn or don't use spell check, chances are your cover letter will be read aloud in the office where everyone will laugh at how inept you are. Trust me, I've seen it happen.

Not using form letters has absolutely nothing to do with what level of position you're applying for. If you're applying for a six figure senior management job, chances are pretty darn high that the traditional resume/cover letter will play a miniscule part of the hiring process. For those jobs you're usually already pre-selected. HR doesn't determine who they're going to hire for a senior management position based off a cover letter or resume.

Here's a tip if you ever need to submit a hard copy of your resume: print it out on a heavier stock of paper that isn't white in colour. Your resume will immediately stand out in a pile, both by feel and by colour.

Your cover letter and resume should not repeat each other. They are distinct and have two separate purposes. I'd suggest hunting around online or buying a cover letter/resume guide for advice.

Oh, and one last thing. Never spam people with your resume! Recently we've been getting spammed by some moron IT programmers who think that's how you get a job. Sorry losers, that's how you keep from getting a job!

 

[Gyaos]

Best advice is to simply drop the idea of writing resumes and go into your own business. Why try to get work from people who read resumes. You write, you send, you hope? Start a business, run it, love it. Ups, downs, successes and failures, but keep going. Just reading some of these posts on how "employers" treat resumes based on their own warped judgements is more proof that wasting time writing them, sending them, checking them, worrying about them is a waste of life. You send to "strangers" your personal information, do you think they want to hire you? No. Most of your jobs are outsourced to India and China, so send the resume there. Many advertised positions don't exist, instead only appear as if HR is looking like they are working. Today, these same employers' positions will be outsourced too.

When I hire, I look for clean beautiful women. I want people smarter than me. Resumes are for 7-11. That's how I got a job at a location like that when I was looking for work in 1987.

Gyaos.

 

[spatial_k]

The cover letter and resume should be attachments. If you want to put it in the body you can, but that just increases your chances of being screened out before even having your resume looked at. Some might argue that it could increase your chances, but you're taking the risk of the person who receives your resume pre-determing whether your email should be deleted immediately rather than being forwarded with the others (often it's just an admin person who screens the emails before the resumes even get to HR).

I don't necessarily find this to be true. If the company you're applying to cares that much about the cover letter being in an attachment, they would say so. However, I've more often seen and given the specific directive that the cover letter should be in the body of an email.

Everything else Keebler's said here is bang on.

 

[C Dick]

I have pretty much given up on hiring anyone I do not already know, almost every good employee I have ever had was someone that I either already knew, or had a good reference from someone I knew well.

That being said, definitely do not send attachments, at least to me. Attachments get filtered by email systems, and you have to deal with whatever stupid formatting the person used, and wait for it to load. Just put it all as text in the body of the email, with the key points visible in the top screen, so I do not even have to page down to see them.

 

[Coach]

The more effort a candidate puts into presenting a professional cover letter & resume, the better their chances of getting an interview. The resume/cover letter are arguably the most important documents you will ever put together. They represent YOU, if you want to do a quick job on it, then that reflects on you. Take the time to make it professional and that includes spelling - it amazes me how many people subit a letter/resume with spelling mistakes. Those automatically are rejected.
The effort spent will be well worth it.

 

[Thunderballs]

Here is what gets my attention:
In the email say, please see my attached resume for the position of....
The attachment is a single document with a cover letter and resume following.
The cover letter is customized to the position and you highlight how your experience is relevant to the position. If I like how you have pitched yourself in the cover, I look at the resume. I want it customized because i want to see a little effort on your part like you actually read the job ad and thought about how you would be a good fit. Go to the company website, read the annual report and actually demonstrate that you know a little something about the company and want to work there.
The cover should be no more than half to 3/4 of a page. The resume should be no more than two pages in length with lots of white space so I can skim it easily. Any more than that and I don't read it. Period. The goal is to show that you have the experience to do the job and actually want to work for this specific company. This will get you to an interview. Resist the temptation to go on and on explaining. Remember I have dozens of resumes to go through so I will literally qualify you in 60 seconds or less. If it will take more than that, b' bye.
Also if I see more than one typo you are gone. Obviously you are too lazy to proof-read one of the most important documents of your life so I don't want you working for me.
Lastly, avoid really unprofessional email addresses. I remember that one girl applied from the email address bigmouthedbitch@..... Care to guess if she got a call? It takes about 30 seconds to register a new semi-professional sounding email address at Yahoo or with your ISP, so again don't be lazy. Good luck and remember that you have to get through a lot of no's before you get a single yes.

 

[cynalan]

Good advice from everyone here. My two cents... customize, customize, customize. I won't even look at a resume if the sender has not taken the time to customize the cover letter to the job requirements. Invest a little time and it should pay dividends.

 

[bigshot]

Answering machine greeting

Good advice from everyone here. My two cents... customize, customize, customize. I won't even look at a resume if the sender has not taken the time to customize the cover letter to the job requirements. Invest a little time and it should pay dividends.

I agree. On a similasr note, I once called a candidate at his home to arrange for an intereview, and was totalled put off by his ridiculous message on the answering service. Didn't leave a message and never called him back.

If someone is looking for a candidate to represent his company in a professional manner, a lousy message on your answering machine can cost you the job. He never knew that he lost his chance at a pretty good job (good salary, car, expenses, etc) because of the informal window into his personality and immaturity.

You wouldn't think that people need to be told this...

bigshot

 

[bestillmehard]

In my HR days, I much preferred to see a personal letter telling me abit about themselves and why they would be an asset to my company. Form letters, to me, are impersonal and shows a lack of interest in your desire to be the one hired. I also preferred to have the cover letter in the body of the email and the resume as an attachment.