Wednesday, March 23rd, 2011
Date
Company
Address
Attention: Human Resources
Subject: Senior Marketing Specialist Application, Reference No. 2007-221
I am writing in response to the posting on your website for a Senior Marketing Specialist (Reference No. 2007-221). As a highly motivated individual, the challenges and rewards of this position appeal greatly to me, and I look forward to bringing my proven marketing, community relations and leadership success to ABC Oil & Gas Company Limited.
Highlights of my accomplishments developed during my tenure as Director and Manager at SAS Media include:
• Proven history of successfully managing multiple projects simultaneously resulting in financial expectations and event goals met or exceeded
• Successfully implemented market development strategies resulting in 10% year-on-year growth in a developing market
• Successfully fostering community relations by initiating and developing relationships with strategic non-profit and charitable organizations resulting in higher profiles and increased sales for their projects as well as increased visibility and good will for SAS Media
• Strong team building, coaching and leadership skills resulting in all direct reports winning company awards and recognition
My resume is attached. I look forward to meeting with you soon to discuss my qualifications.
Best regards,
Anne Smith
Enc.
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Wednesday, March 16th, 2011
Date
Name
Title
Company
Address
Dear Mr. Smithers:
I am awed at how XYZ Company helps organizations define, build, measure, and expand their Internet strategy and presence. XYZ has a legacy of creating effective and distinctive interactive solutions for some of the most admired companies in the world, and I am impressed that Forrester Research has recognized you with the highest score for its current offering for the second year in a row. This is most inspiring and makes XYZ very appealing to me.
It is my understanding that there may be some exciting opportunities at XYZ that are in keeping with my current goals, and it is with great enthusiasm that I am sending you my resume for consideration.
My experience and achievements, which are detailed in the enclosed resume, include:
• Six years of management responsibilities with GreatCom’s PMO.
• Implementation of an agile method of delivering projects with focus on delivering superior business value by accelerating project delivery, reducing costs and increasing quality through application of several rapid delivery practices.
• A Personal Leadership Certificate from Royal Roads University.
• Recipient of a GreatCom national innovation award for completing a complex, $2.2m project on time, within scope and to a budget balanced to within $600.
• Thirteen years of experience in marketing/sales and project management in the telecommunications industry.
• Track record of developing creative strategic solutions with diverse partners in dynamic domestic and international marketing relationships.
I understand the big picture as well as the bottom line and take great pride in a job well done. I am flexible and able to move between roles while handling multiple tasks.
I look forward to speaking with you about XYZ opportunities and will follow up this communication within the next few business days.
Best regards,
Henry Waters
Enc.
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Friday, March 4th, 2011
This letter accompanies your resume and tells the search firm the kinds of positions you are applying to. In the olden days, before the advent of the Internet, people sent a covering letter and a resume by post. Back then, those receiving the communication likely had more time for reading. The covering letter acted as an introduction and a statement of intent for the overall communication.
Since the advent of the Internet, the cover letter is often ignored by recruiters. Nonetheless, you must not skip this step. While your cover letter must be as compelling as you can make it, be sure that your resume is complete in itself, including all the information you want the recruiter to see. The resume is the document that will be read for sure.
QUICK TIPS: Salutation and Closing
Unless you know of a good reason not to, always address women as Ms. instead of Mrs. or Miss. Circumstances can change in a blink and you don’t want to use the wrong title.
Never use Dear Sir or Madam or To Whom it May Concern. This is antiquated jargon. Do your best to obtain a name and title, and if your efforts fail, address the letter to the company and use a Subject or Attention line (or both) instead of a salutation.
Here’s an example:
January 30, 2007
Company Title
Full Address
ATTENTION: Sales Department
Subject: Application for Sales Position
Thank you for this opportunity…
And please consider closing your letter with something other than Sincerely or Yours truly. This is old school language. We suggest “Best regards” or “Warm regards” or “Respectfully” instead.
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Thursday, December 30th, 2010
This letter tells the person opening your correspondence (not always the recruiter making the decision) the purpose of your writing. Your cover letter, if compelling, can help land your resume into the keeper versus reject pile.
When responding to an ad, it’s important to identify the specific position you are applying for. You can certainly use a subject or Re line that includes the job posting number and where it was posted before you launch into the letter itself. Write down the position, company, job number and date as your first line.
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Tuesday, December 28th, 2010
Send this type of cover letter when you are requesting information about a career, an industry and/or a specific job. This letter can be sent to a friend or loved one, to a referral, or to someone you currently do not know and would like to meet.
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Thursday, December 23rd, 2010
Ah, the dreaded cover letter. Many people are afraid of writing this simple document. But once you understand its purpose, and have an outline in hand, it becomes more a matter of filling in the blanks appropriately than of penning the next great prose. Let’s define first the three types of cover letters.
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Monday, December 20th, 2010
Letters are a powerful vehicle for communicating with people. They allow you to:
• Give people a heads up that you will be contacting them.
• Give introverts receiving your information time to think before you actually talk to them.
• Be clear about what information you are looking for and how your reader can help.
• Track your communications and commitments to action.
• Solidify and make more real your face-to-face communications.
• Show off your grammar and perfect spelling.
• Highlight your accomplishments.
• Attach your resume and any other relevant information.
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Wednesday, December 15th, 2010
If you are blessed with the opportunity to have an information interview with a serious decision maker, find out what keeps him up at night and respond with a solution in the form of a proposal.
Start the meeting by delivering your elevator pitch and sharing about three of your success stories, which we discussed in Chapter 2. Throughout the remainder of the meeting, your objective is to find out what the company’s challenges are, what is working for them and what is not. It is certainly appropriate to share your perspective on the industry, based on your research, and to ask any questions you have prepared. Just don’t “oversell” yourself during this first meeting. Once you know what their greatest concerns are, and you have gained as much information about the challenges as possible, you can then follow up with a proposal about how you could solve their problem. (There are some great tips about proposal letters later in this chapter.)
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Thursday, December 9th, 2010
Here is when you go into your elevator pitch as discussed in Chapter 4 and in the sections below.
After you have introduced yourself, be sure to ask, “Have I caught you at a good time?” before you launch into the rest of your script. It will be helpful if you have your pitch written out, so you can reference your talking points, particularly if you feel nervous. Your objective is to try and get a face-to-face meeting.
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Monday, December 6th, 2010
Hello John Doe. My name is Henry Waters.
• In a recent discussion with Eileen Dover from your “operations” team, I was so impressed with everything that she/he had to say about Acme Explosives that I want to learn more.
OR
• I am calling today because I am so impressed that…all your major projects are progressing on time, on budget and on track. You are associated with a progressive and vibrant organization, which makes Acme Explosives very appealing to me.
I am looking for information and/or opportunities with your company and would like to learn more about your department and take any guidance you might offer.
I believe I can bring added value to your project management group. Recently, for example, I implemented at GreatCom an agile approach to delivering projects that resulted in 70% faster delivery and a 39% cost reduction.
I know that you are extremely busy, but wondered if you might be able to spare 30 minutes in the next few weeks so that I can buy you a coffee and chat with you about your great organization.
In the next few minutes, I will forward you a copy of my resume. I will then follow up with you in the next 48 hours to see if there is a time slot that we can book. Again, this is Henry Waters at 488-8899. Thank you for your consideration. I really look forward to meeting with you.
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