Category Archives: Resume Writing by Melanie Szlucha

Resume Writing by Melanie Szlucha

Cover Letters Are a Pain–Do I Really Need One?

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Cover letters can be such a pain in the neck to write—it’s OK to just skip it isn’t it?  Does the hiring manager or HR department REALLY read them?

As a hiring manager, I have to admit that I did read each and every one of them.

They’re important for several reasons.

#1: As a hiring manager, if I got a resume without a cover letter it indicates a lack of effort on the part of the applicant.  Back when I was looking for jobs, I would lie on the couch and randomly hit “Submit Now” to anything that looked remotely interesting on Monster.com.  Would I have been thrilled if I actually got an interview?  YES!  Did I clearly demonstrate my interest to an employer by not including a cover letter?  NO!  Because I’ve been there (and many employers have too), I know how easy it is to just hit that send button and forward a resume without putting much thought or effort into it.  Show them that you care enough to write a cover letter.

#2:  Cover letters give you a chance to further explain some very relevant points on your resume.  Suppose that for three out of your last six positions, you worked primarily with a specific accounting program, and in one case even convinced the company you worked for that they should purchase it.  If you see that the job you’re applying for calls for someone with extensive experience with that software, indicating that upfront in your cover letter will make it more obvious to an employer than just relying on them to find it in your resume.

#3:  Cover letters let you clearly make the connection between what they are looking for, and what you are able to provide.  You can even make two columns in your cover letter—one that is labeled “Your Requirements” the other “My Relevant Experience”, and then do a point by point comparison.

Think of cover letters as another opportunity to make that connection with a potential employer.  When you’re clamoring for their attention, you need to use every trick in your arsenal to your advantage.

Career Changes are Possible–Never Lose Hope!

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Many people think that once they have had one or two jobs in a particular field, that they are locked into it for the rest of their careers. If you’re not happy with the field you are working in now, that can be quite a discouraging thought considering that you could remain in the job force for as long as 40 years!

Never lose hope!  You can make a change to find work you enjoy at a fair salary, it just takes a little planning.  First, you need to try to identify what kind of work would interest you.  Here’s one way to start to identify the areas to explore.

First:  Take an honest assessment of what you enjoy doing.  Grab a pen and paper to make a list of the hobbies and activities that bring you the most joy.  Are there particular areas that you have an interest in—i.e. history, current events, or the arts?  Think of examples of your successes in past jobs, classes or volunteer organizations. What activities or tasks did you enjoy?  Did you like working with people in a customer service type of role?  Did you enjoy being the point person on a large project?  Are there any specific tasks you do especially well?  What has brought you the most pride?  Do you enjoy, or would you like to try managing others?

Second:  Take another brainstorming session to identify those situations where you have struggled the most.  Everyone has had jobs where they were forced to try new skills, and in some instances haven’t felt completely comfortable, or excelled at those tasks.  But be realistic about those situations. In some instances, would you handle it differently the second time around, or were many of your problems rooted in circumstances or company politics which you could not control?  Don’t rule out an opportunity if you feel that you have learned from it and would handle it differently the second time around.  Also don’t be afraid to take a chance and work to master your weaker areas—they could end up becoming your strongest.  There will also be those tasks or skills that you are not naturally inclined to do—and that’s OK—recognize that fact and move on to a position that suites you better.

Third:  Gather this information and assess what it’s telling you in terms of your strengths and weaknesses.  Take a fresh look at your talents—you might be surprised by a few of them.  You might realize that one of the first things that came to mind was your enjoyment of the arts. Why don’t you begin to investigate a career in the arts?  Do you have a head for numbers or managing money?  Why not think about becoming a financial planner or even start your own business of helping older individuals manage their budgets?

The goal of this exercise is to help you take an objective view of yourself and realize that you have many more gifts to offer the workforce than feeling limited by your current career path.  Realizing some of these opportunities could take some form of additional schooling, volunteer work, or talking to people who are currently in the field.  Next week, more detail about the process of investigating and realizing your new future, and how to weave these talents into your resume.

What Might Have Gone Wrong in the Interview

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Don’t you wish you knew why you didn’t get that job?  You worked so hard on your resume, got through the phone interview and was called in for the in person interview. You think you’re on a roll, but you never hear back from the interviewer.  What happened?

Here’s a peek behind the interviewer’s desk.

They saw something promising on your resume and decided to call you for a phone interview. That went well—you handled yourself well on the phone and answered the basic questions they asked.

Something happened when they met you in person.

Each interviewer is different, but here are some common reasons why you may not hear back from them.

You weren’t dressed appropriately for the position or company.  Think about the way others at the company were dressed, and the status of the position you were interviewed for.  Were you “dressed to impress”?  One time I interviewed someone for an account manager position that might be a bit of a stretch from what he was currently doing.  I was willing to give him a chance.  However when he showed up for the interview he was dressed pretty casually and didn’t even bring a notebook to take notes during the interview, or a pen to write with.  I needed him to show me that he was going to project a professional image without my having to follow him around to remind him to bring a notebook when he meets with a client.  I expected him to look more pulled-together, and that he was hungry for this job.  I didn’t see that in him, and was turned off.

Your body language was a turn-off.  Did you maintain eye contact with the interviewer?  Not in a creepy-staring contest kind of way, but in an honest, sincere, and interested way?  Did you look comfortable?  Were you jumpy and nervous?  Did you talk very quickly?  What was your interviewer’s facial and body language while you were speaking?  Try to be objective about how you were presenting yourself.  You want to learn from each interview, not perpetuate your problems because you refuse to admit what you do wrong.

You just weren’t a good fit for the organization or with the interviewer.  Remember that they need to work with you day in and day out.  If they think that you’ll be irritating—for whatever reason—unfortunately it’s their prerogative to not hire you.  Period. End quote.  It isn’t fair, but better that they eliminate you now, than you get on each other’s nerves after you are hired.   There isn’t anything you can do to improve your chances if it was just a personality-thing, but just hope that you will have a better fit in your next interview.

So why don’t you hear from an interviewer after the in-person interview?  Consider the possible reasons I’ve outlined above and then imagine yourself in the interviewer’s position.  Would you rather have them cite one of the reasons above, or give you a polite but inaccurate reason, or not reply at all?  There isn’t a best answer, but those are the choices most interviewers are faced with.  So send your followup email, but if you don’t hear back from them, just move on with your search and try to improve your performance in your next interview as best you can.

Being Kind to Everyone Could Get You a Job

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We’ve all heard the phrase “It’s a small world”, and “What goes around, comes around”.  This week I heard three separate examples from three different people about how true that proved in a job interview setting.  Their examples are very interesting.

First example was from a college career counselor who was a manager of professional recruiting for a large corporation.  One morning at 7:50 AM she was running for the elevator (her office was on the 30th floor of a 40 floor building), and as the doors started to close, she caught the eye of a neatly dressed man in the elevator.  He made no move to hold the doors—and you guessed it—that was her 8 AM interview.  Did he get the position? Nope.   The candidate was interviewing for a marketing and sales position and one quality that every hiring manager wants in a candidate is to know that they are always friendly, courteous and helpful.  In that split second, this candidate did not demonstrate that they possessed those virtues.

Here’s another example, this time with a happier ending. A friend was interviewing for a position and stopped to help someone along the side of the road change a flat tire.  When the candidate got to the company he apologized to the receptionist for being late and even a little greasy.  When the receptionist brought him to meet the hiring manager, you guessed it—he’d change the tire of the hiring manager.  He got the job.

And the third example for the day.  A funny one.  A guy in my networking group was telling me that when he lived in an apartment in Manhattan, he would occasionally head up to the roof for a little sunbathing.  Occasionally he would see one of his female neighbors on the roof sunbathing as well—topless.  Did he sneak a peek—you don’t SERIOUSLY need me to answer that do you?  One day he went in for an interview at a company, and you guessed it—the HR manager was his topless neighbor.

And no, he didn’t get the job.  He’s pretty sure it was because he’d seen too much.

So there you have it.  You have no idea how the people you meet today will appear as characters later in your life.  Your best bet, always be on your best behavior.  Unless you’re in Vegas.

Ways to Know the Job is a “Danger Job”

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With the job market as tight as it is, it’s easy to be a lot less discriminating when evaluating bosses during your interview.  But, keep in mind that you spend WAY more time at a job than with your loved ones—so you really need to love the job to make it work (in a manner of speaking).

Studies have shown that the number one reason why people start to look for a job is because their boss is driving them crazy. But how can you tell if the person you’re supposed to be establishing this great rapport with in the interview is a potential disaster?  Here’s what I’ve learned in my career and from coaching others.

My biggest issue is avoiding the Micromanager!  I hate micromanagers.  I could not be paid enough to work for one, and I’m very honest with myself, and future employers, about it.  Truth be told, I have survived 2 of them in my career, and was able to successfully extract them from my backside while keeping my job.

With that being said, if I was to interview for a job today, I would make sure that I brought up the topic of managerial style with the hiring manager.  This can be a sticky subject, but I’d broach it during the interview (probably the 2nd interview) by asking them to describe their managerial style is, and no matter what they said, I’d tell them that I do not do my best work when I’m working for a micromanager.  If they didn’t describe themselves as a micromanager, then they’ll be happy that you’re on the same page, if they did—well as you read in my example above—they can be reformed, but still need to appreciate your style.  I’d then mention that I have more of an entrepreneurial mindset, and one of my former bosses (and a reference) described me as very resourceful.  I would go on to say that I completely understand that while I learned the job, we’d be working together closely, but once I’d been there from 3-6 months, I would expect that I’d be up to speed on a number of things and could work independently. Additionally, I’d say something like—I like to run the ball down the field, but am conscious of needing to provide you with status reports, and will always come back to you for advice when I need it so you won’t be left in the dark.  For the 2 bosses I had who were micromanagers, this would have worked well for them.  Over the course of my working there, they learned to trust me and my instincts, and left me alone, knowing that I’d approach them for help when needed.

However, there’s the more insipid micromanager who simply cannot be eluded—and that’s the kind you’re hoping to avoid by making the above declaration. By clearly articulating what helps you do your best work, you’re just being honest and fair with them.  No manager wants to hire someone who won’t do their best work for them, and whom they’ll end up firing or leaving, because you don’t get along.  Being honest with yourself and them (politely) will help to ensure that the job is a good fit for you.