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Standing Out in the Crowd

Aug 02, 2009 / Job Seeker / Trackback

Being competitive as a candidate in today’s still extra tight job market requires extra attention to detail to stand out in the crowd. Fewer jobs and more candidates mean Recruiters and Hiring Managers are reviewing more resumes today than they have in a very long time. One way to bring your resume to the top of the stack is through a well constructed cover letter attached to your resume or application.

Cover letters are a disappearing art, we rarely see anymore. However, when they are well written they can provide an concisely crafted snapshot of you and tell a story that can’t possibly be told in your resume.

Through a cover letter you can explain why you are applying to a job from out of state, why you are interested in a position that doesn’t align with your past work experience, gaps in employment and additional accomplishments that would make you a top candidate. You can also give examples of your strong work ethic, write why you would like to work for the company and provide many other pieces of critical information about you that will entice the Recruiter to put your resume on top of the stack and not in the circular file. 

To make your cover letter stand out and get you the attention it deserves, take the time to research the name of the Recruiter or Hiring Manager and write the letter to that person. Salutations of “Dear Hiring Manager” will be a big turn-off and likely discarded. The same applies to canned letters that do not specifically address each particular position you are applying to.

I have received canned letters for positions which do not exist in the company I was recruiting for. Some have been compelling statements of why the individual was applying for that position. To me they were compelling reasons to not call the candidate. Why would I call someone who desperately seeks a position as a Medical Coder if company does not employ Medical Coders?

There is no doubt that taking the time to write personalized, targeted cover letters is time consuming. Remembering that you are “working” to find a job should motivate you to create a one page spell-checked, polished introduction to who you are, why you want the job and why you are the right candidate.

Isn’t it time to pick up the phone, call the receptionist to ask the name of the Recruiter and get writing?


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Responses

Social M. Recruiting
Aug 02, 2009 at 3:41 PM

Good point


Ruth
Aug 02, 2009 at 5:43 PM

I just wanted to mention to you that I know a resume and cover letter should be error free, but today the amount of times that I have seen the word Manager spelled Manger in job postings is just ridiculous.

The postings with bad grammar and bad spellings are the ones that I just pass through. I would like to work for a company where they represent themselves well and seeing error full postings just doesn't cut it to me.

Am I right in passing them by?

Ruth


karlaporter
Aug 02, 2009 at 5:54 PM

Ruth, that would be funny if it weren't so sad. It's an iffy question… the truth is the error could be made by the Recruiter or person placing the ad. I couldn't say that would be a reflection of the quality of Manager (not manger) you would have. I'm sure the President isn't reviewing the Recruiter's job board ads, for example.

However….. why they have a person there that can't get the grammar right is a very good question. It deserves a critical eye on your part and you could bring up some questions on the expectations for quality at the interview!


Jenny DeVaughn
Nov 24, 2009 at 9:56 PM

Karla, I couldn't agree more with this advice: “Isn’t it time to pick up the phone, call the receptionist to ask the name of the Recruiter and get writing?” When you personalize your cover letters, emails or any communication to the recruiter or hiring manager, it is more likely to get his/her attention.


shennee
Nov 24, 2009 at 10:03 PM

GREAT!


karlaporter
Nov 24, 2009 at 11:40 PM

Jenny and Shennee – thanks for stopping by and leaving a validating comment. The controversy of “to cover or not to cover” as Shennee says, was insane today!


markbirch
Nov 25, 2009 at 12:28 AM

A cover letter is standing out from the crowd? Maybe that worked in 1990, but it isn't getting people very far in 2010.

This is the real problem with the entire talent acquisition paradigm, it is based on pieces of paper that provide little insight or value when trying to discern who is the right person for the job. The resume, cover letter, job description and various tools to parse these artifacts are not giving the hiring manager the types of measureble and quantitative data to make fair and justifiable hiring decisions. What is missing is a way to measure whether the job seeker has the skills to succeed in a particular role.

I digress though, the real thrust of the post comes down to how, when hiring managers are drowning in a sea of resumes that all look alike, to truly stand out from the crowd. The first step would be to know all about the company before even applying; understand what challenges they face, how to address those challenges in the role, what positive business results could be expected. The next step is to side step the gatekeepers and reach the actual decision makers, using social networking tools. Introduce yourself as someone that can solve business challenges. Third, make a case for building your own role in the company. Most job descriptions are complete rubbish and are set up to filter people out, whereas your goal is to build the real job description in the conversation with a hiring manager.

That is how you stand out from the crowd. Know the business before you apply for the job.


Realistic Expectations for Candidates | KARLA PORTER | Human Capital & New Media
Nov 26, 2009 at 11:36 AM

[...] that the best way is the video interview in his Social Recruiting 360 blog in response to my post Standing Out in the Crowd, on the art and purpose of [...]


karlaporter
Nov 26, 2009 at 11:45 AM

Mark – Thanks for your comments. I would like to continue the dialog. I have posted a continuation here which in part provides comments for you http://sn.im/tfddh – Realistic Expectations for Candidates. It would be great to have more feedback from you.


karlaporter
Nov 26, 2009 at 4:45 PM

Mark – Thanks for your comments. I would like to continue the dialog. I have posted a continuation here which in part provides comments for you http://sn.im/tfddh – Realistic Expectations for Candidates. It would be great to have more feedback from you.


Penny for your thoughts







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