The 7 Sleeper Features of an Effective Cover Letter

The 7 Sleeper Features of an Effective Cover LetterThe 7 Sleeper Features of an Effective Cover LetterEveryone knows that a titelseite letter can make or break your chance of being considered for a position. It shouldnt. Its intended to lead the employer to review your rsum and provide additional information to be considered for the job. So what do hiring managers want to see in a deckblatt letter?1. A great first sentence. Pandora MacLean-Hoover, licensed independent clinical social worker, says that having a fabulous first sentence is a must. According to her, the key to getting the attention of a hiring manager through that sentence is validation.Starting your cover letter with something like, Congratulations on your recent award, MacLean-Hoover says, demonstrates familiarity with the employer, making it clear the candidate has done his or her homework.MacLean-Hoover, who helps job applicants determine why they dont hear back from all the rsums they send out, stresses the importan ce of tailoring that first sentence to the person or the company.2. Personalization. No one likes getting a To Whom It May Concern letter. If the company does not provide the name of person, you have a couple of options. You could leave off the salutation completely, forget the guessing games and spend that time focusing on how your qualifications should get you an interview for the position. You could call the company and find out to whom to address the letter or you could address it, Dear Hiring Manager, which isnt the end of the world.3. Matching qualifications. You probably have a list of your best skills that you pull out for a cover letter. The cover letter is where you should go deeper by paying attention to that job description. Pick out exact words you can repeat in your letter so that you are, essentially, speaking the hiring managers language. Find in your own skill platzset those features that the company wants the most.4. Blog links. Even if youre lacking in job experie nce but youve been blogging about your industry, dont be shy about including links to your posts. Laura Kammerman, the human resources and office manager at Geek Powered Studios, says shes always looking for personality in cover letters. Blogs give her more insight into who a job candidate is I find it very helpful when candidates include links to blogs that have a long history of posting because you can see who they are professionally over time not who they are projecting to impress an interviewer and you see what they think is appropriate to put in a public place like the internet, she says. Also, applicants who provide a link to the blog in the cover letter, rather than letting me discover it while doing internet research on them, convey a type of openness about themselves and their work.5. A why. Dont just share your work experience in your cover letter. A cover letter will stand out if it explains why you are valued at your current job and with your clients. Tell why youre a good fit for a job. Study the job description to glean what the company is looking for, and figure out how to best position yourself for the role.6. LinkedIn profile URL. Just like with those blog links, including a link to your LinkedIn page can save the recruiter or hiring manager the time of searching for it. Just make sure your profile is completely filled out and up to date.7. Stark raving mad creativity. If you really want to have an effect, do something no one else is doing. Youtern.com posted an article on creative cover letters that highlights the creativity of Hanna Phan, who wanted a job with the presentation software company SlideRocket, so she used its presentation software to create an innovative cover letter. While it might not be a feasible solution for every job you want to apply for, certain companies may appreciate the extra thoughtfulness and creativity, and give you a leg up.Lindsay Olson is a founding lebenspartner and public relations recruiter with Paradigm S taffing and Hoojobs.com, a niche job board for public relations, communications, and social media jobs. She blogs at LindsayOlson.com, where she discusses recruiting and job search issues.

How to Take Calculated Business Risks to Advance Your Career

How to Take Calculated Business Risks to Advance Yur Career How to Take Calculated Business Risks to Advance Your Career That being said,if we stay within our comfort zones all the time and totally avoid risk,we may be limiting our careers. Why? Because the higher you climb upthe corporate ladder, the mora uncertain your careerenvironment will become and the mora youll be required to take calculated risks and make difficult business decisions. Moreover, if you want a career as a freelancer or an entrepreneur, youll need to be very comfortable taking calculated risks often with your own moneyIn truth, its becoming harder for anyone to wholly avoid risk. We live in an increasingly VUCA(volatile, unpredictable, complex, and ambiguous) world, and the average person, let alone business professional, is required to take more risks than ever.In todays climate, the ability to take smart, calculatedrisks is a must-have skill for any ambitious worker. With that in mind,I offer some tipson h ow you can take such risks to advance your career1. Accept That Risk Is Normal and Step Out of YourComfort ZoneThroughout our childhoods, adolescences, and early adulthoods, most of us are protected from uncertainty. Our parents, teachers, and even managers make a lot of important decisions for us up until were in our early 20s. The result is that we are lulled into thinking the world is a much more certain place than it really is.If, however, you reallywant to excel in the world, you need to become comfortable withcalculated risks and skilled at making complex decisions. We need to step out of our comfort zones and be prepared to embrace risk and thrive in the face of uncertainty. If you cant do this, you may find yourself stuck at the entry level or just above it for most, if not all, of your career.2. Learn How to Make Complex DecisionsIn the business world, youll oftenface complex challenges where there are no obvious right or wrong answers and no one around to tell you what t o do. Many people find suchuncertainty crippling, butothers find it manageable and even energizing.Those who handle uncertainty well are those who have developed the skills they need to make complex decisions.If you want to survive and thrive in a VUCA world, youll need to cultivatean almostinstinctive decision-making process that you can call on in times of need.An excellent way to make complex decisions is to use a decision matrix. To do this, you simply take a spreadsheet and placeall the potential vorkaufsrechts on one axis. Then, you place all the factors that relate to each option on the other axis. You thenscore each factor individually, and eventually each option will have a total viability score, revealing the best option for you to take.A decision matrixis only one of many strategies you can use to find your way through uncertain scenarios. There are plenty of othersystems as well, such as theT-Chart, and thePareto Analysis.Choose the one that best suitsyour particular sit uation.3. Learn From Your MistakesYou should always be looking to improve your decision-making process, and one of the best ways to do this is to reflect on both your successes and your failures. Try tounderstand what made your successful decisions successful, and then replicate those successes as best you can in the future.At the same time, be sure to reflecton any shortcomings that led tobad decisions. Perhaps you were too hasty, or you didnt do enough research, or you failed to consult experts. Whatever the case, take note of your mistakes, and then be sure to avoid those mistakes in the future.A mentor can also help you learn from your mistakes. They canhelp you see things you wouldnt have noticed on your own, and their third-party perspective can help you iron out the kinks in your decision-making process.No matter how risk-averse you may be, our VUCA world has made it so that none of us can totally avoid uncertainty or danger in our personal lives or our careers. Given this st ate of affairs, its in everyones best interest to learn to become a better risk-taker. And once you have become an expert on taking calculated risks and navigate complex challenges, you may be surprised to see just how much your career advances.

3 Ways to Implement Your Personal Brand Offline

3 Ways to Implement Your Personal Brand Offline 3 Ways to Implement Your Personal Brand Offline An online presence is only part of the story.For most professionals, personal branding thrives online. Through juggling social media profiles, managing reputation, creating content and securing our sites, we may forget that personal branding can also be done in person - and can be just as effective.Attending an industry event, association meeting, or even a professional cocktail hour in your city can be a great and easy way to transition the brand you’ve created online into the real world. Consider below three ways to implement your brand in person once you’re there:Keep The Conversation Going. Since you’re aware about what you tweet and post, try to extend that same expertise when it comes to starting a conversation. It doesn’t have to all industry-related, but keep the talk professional nonetheless.Having One Presence… On a Card. In 2010, I wrote about the importance of maintaining consistency of your brand online. The same rules about having one presence apply when it c omes to networking in person. You should have your information on a business card. Be sure to have your name, title, area of expertise, contact information and even your social media handles listed. Always remember to bring enough!Show Your Value. You can extend your brand’s reputation with your new connections by demonstrating how you’re a valuable asset to their network. Try to listen and engage others more than talk about yourself - you may get a chance to offer your expertise or someone you know that is a right fit for the challenge.Your brand cannot risk remaining online only. Striking a balance of online and offline interaction will sustain your personal brand in the long run.Reposted with permission from Personal Branding Blog