Wednesday, May 25th, 2011
You can certainly create a reader-friendly resume by attending to visual appeal. Be sure to keep a consistent style throughout for titles, size and font, bullets, numbering, spacing and so on.
But don’t go too far with your text formatting, which ends up confusing the eye. When too much is emphasized, nothing stands out. Try to keep the amount of italics and underlines to a minimum. And please, avoid ALL CAPS at all costs. The human eye identifies words by their shape more than by the letters. Using all caps makes each word the same rectangular shape, thus making it harder to read quickly. Research shows that words in all caps take far longer to comprehend, bogging down your resume, and thus, your reader. And if that hasn’t convinced you, remember that in the lexicon of this digital age, ALL CAPS EQUATE WITH SCREAMING, which is not likely the impression you want to leave with potential hirers
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Wednesday, May 18th, 2011
The design of your resume is every bit as important as its content. Many recruiters will tell you that they have probably missed good candidates because the resume was too difficult to read. There are two things to remember: keep the look clean, and don’t be afraid of white space.
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Wednesday, May 11th, 2011
How vital is a good resume? Your resume is your introduction, your calling card, your marketing document. You simply cannot make a resume too well written or well designed.
Starting next Wednesday we’ll give you tips on “Resumes That Get Read”.
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Wednesday, May 4th, 2011
Calgary is in a constant state of flux, particularly in the O&G sector. Never assume that yesterday’s news is still applicable today. Departments, divisions, players and titles – everything can change in an instant.
Catherine learned this truth the hard way when she attended a function at her landlord’s old- time saloon in the mountains. She was innocently chatting with a woman about the beautiful scenery surrounding them and about the woman’s social work. When the conversation turned to Catherine’s business, the woman mentioned that her husband also worked in the O&G industry. Catherine introduced herself to the woman’s husband, who told her the name of the company he worked for. When Catherine asked what his role was, he said he was the president. Disbelievingly, Catherine practically shouted, “No, you’re not!” (She had met the president a few weeks earlier, and this was definitely not that man?) “Well yes, actually, I am,” he replied. It turned out, he had accepted the president’s position just days earlier.
The new president graciously overlooked Catherine’s blunder, and they shared a good laugh. But Catherine has never made that mistake again. Nor should you.
Before sending out correspondence or meeting with new contacts, be sure you have your facts straight.
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Friday, April 29th, 2011
A proposal letter can be written only after you have a clear understanding of the employer’s situation and needs, or in other words, when you know exactly what is keeping him up at night.
Start of by referencing your past meetings(s). Then move on to define the company’s business problem or challenge that you discussed when you met and studied further through additional research on the topic. To write this type of letter effectively, you must step into the decision maker’s shoes. If you get this “problem definition” part right, the decision maker will be convinced you understand his situation and will want to read further.
In the next paragraphs, describe yourself as the solution to the problem, showing how your skills and expertise can help address the company’s needs. Go into as much detail as you need to show you are well matched to meeting this challenge and you are confident the solution you propose cannot fail. Describe the specific actions you will take, showing you have definite plan and a firm foundation of knowledge and expertise, backed up with past successes with similar challenges.
A recommended approach is to propose your services with a specific and definable project. This will give you an opportunity to demonstrate your high quality work, with minimal risk to the company.
Be sure your letter clearly states the benefits to the decision maker in considering your offer. When he or she asks, “So what’s in it for me or for my company?”, the answer should jump off the page.
Don’t forget to end your letter with a call to action. Offer to give a presentation to key stakeholders and take responsibility for follow up.
General tips on letter writing
-Keep the letter brief, using small easy to read paragraphs.
-Stick to one page for cover letters and up to three pages maximum for proposal letters.
-Use bullets whenever possible to capture accomplishments.
-Have a few people read your letter to ensure perfect grammar and spelling.
-Read the letter out loud to make sure it makes sense.
-Use an easily readable font and font size (most of your audience are boomers).
-Use the same letterhead on your cover letter as you do on your resume.
-If the letter is being mailed, use heavy linen paper.
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Tuesday, April 26th, 2011
When following up with a new contact in writing, be sure to review your connection and briefly summarize your communication thus far. Express appreciation, highlighting anything you want to expand upon based on your last communication. Then outline how you will follow through on the contact’s suggestions and advice. Try to think of ways to give back to this person. If you run across an interesting article, for example, enclose it alongside your letter.
Follow-up Letter Sample
Dear Robert:
Thank you for meeting with me last Friday and for providing such an interesting perspective regarding Calgary’s booming oil and gas sector. I’m attaching a recent Maclean’s article that echoes your views.
As we discussed, I am interested in securing a middle management costing or accounting position. With my depth of experience, I believe I can make a positive contribution to an O&G company in need of a professional with my skills.
Following your suggestion, I plan to contact Walter White and Tanya Hicks this week, and I will advise you of the outcome of my discussions with both. I would appreciate your keeping me apprised of other contacts that may come to mind, and I will keep you updated on my progress.
Again, thank you for sharing your valuable time and expertise.
Best wishes,
Rodney Brown
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Thursday, April 21st, 2011
Expressing appreciation is important during all phases of your job search. Thank you letters or cards can be sent after meetings, interviews or even useful phone conversations.
Your thank you will be remembered and will help you to stand out and be noticed. One important tip here. Be specific in your thanks and express what it was the person said or did that has been of particular benefit.
Heather’s view on thank yous
“I love receiving thank you letters by post. My realtor, Sano Stante, sends thank you cards with a gift certificate to Earls restaurant when we make referrals to him. It keeps him in my mind when I receive the letter, when I use the certificate, and every time I make another referral!”
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Monday, April 18th, 2011
We recommend you try reaching an individual three times. If you haven’t heard back by then, leave a phone or email message saying you imagine they are very busy and you will not contact them again, although you would enjoy meeting with them in the future should their calendar open up. It is important to provide this closure so your communication is not left dangling.
Consider sending this email letter to people who love you
It’s amazing how many mothers have no real idea about what their adult children actually do. Sending a letter to your parents, siblings and dearest and oldest friends is a great strategy and great practice. This gives you a chance to pass on your resume to folks who will undoubtedly be wowed by your accomplishments! It also prepares you – and them – for the steps to follow.
Sometimes when you are networking with people who love you, it can be difficult to stick to your agenda. You might get together for lunch, for example, and end up talking about their cat’s latest dose of Prozac for the entire hour. Starting with a letter is a smart way to clarify that you would like to meet for the specific purpose of discussing your career.
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Tuesday, April 12th, 2011
When you email an introduction letter, remember that if the receiver doesn’t recognize your name, your letter could be deleted before it’s even read.
Some ways to make sure your email is opened include:
-Stating the name of the person referring you in the subject heading, e.g. Referred by John Dunsworth, ABC
Oil Company.
-Researching the person you’re sending the letter to and adding something pertinent to them in the subject heading. For example, one candidate found out that the man she wanted a meeting with had climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro to raise money for cancer research. She used the subject heading: Kilemanjaro in the office.
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Wednesday, March 30th, 2011
The outline we suggest for this introduction email is merely an expanded form of your elevator pitch and includes the essential elements to get you a meeting or an interview.
Henry’s Tactics
When Henry gleaned tremendous in-depth information about the oil company’s IT department from reading and talking to people, he summarized the highlights in his cover letter. After reading Henry’s letter, the CIO called him in for an interview the next day. Henry is now the Manager of Information Technology Solutions at one of the Top five oil producers. He had no prior gas experience before he secured this position.
Start by writing out your elevator pitch, adding a few paragraphs as follows:
PARAGRAPH 1: STATE YOUR PURPOSE FOR WRITING
The first paragraph tells them why you are writing. This paragraph should be focused on the receiver and will include two parts.
SUPPLY YOUR REFERENCE FIRST
If you have a reference, start off the letter with something like: “Joe Smith, Manager of Operations at Telus Mobility, suggested I write to you because of your knowledge of Project Management in the oil and gas industry.”
THEN ADD GEMS FROM YOUR RESEARCH
Next, provide information about the individual and/or their company. This will show that you have done your research. Has their company won an award for their Annual Report? Did they develop a state-of-the-art tracking system for Project Management? Are they building or currently researching upgraders? Do they sit on the Board of Directors for an Energy Trust and a production company and therefore have great insight into the industry?
PARAGRAPH 2: STATE THE INFORMATION YOU ARE LOOKING FOR
In the second paragraph, state the information you’re looking for. Are you looking for general information on community relations in O&G? Perhaps you are looking for work as a human resources generalist. Be specific.
ADD CREDIBILITY AND SPARKLE
Now give them motivation to want to help you. You have already impressed them by the in depth information you have about their company. Start off with a summary statement and then list three accomplishment bullets. Choose bullets that will make them interested and impressed
enough to want to see you.
BE SPECIFIC ABOUT HOW THEY CAN HELP
Now be specific about what they can do for you. Usually it boils down to information, referrals, advice and/or opportunities in the company. It’s important to be clear in your communications from the beginning, so there will be no surprises later.
PARAGRAPH 3: CALL TO ACTION
Your next step is to request a meeting. Honour how busy they are and suggest a meeting at their convenience, sometime in the next three weeks. Offer to bring a coffee to their to their office. If the weather is good, ask of they’d prefer to meet while walking.
Then take responsibility for the next action step. Say you will follow up with them within two business days unless you hear from them first. Close your letter by stating that your resume is attached.
If you have a strong reference and have presented compelling research about the company, there is a good chance the person will either hit reply and state a meeting time, or refer you to an appropriate person within the company. Heather’s clients use this format and their emails are responded to 80% of the time.
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