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13 Truths About Cover Letters and Resumes By Scott Bennett, Resume Consultant
1. As an employer, if you receive 200 resumes for an open position, maybe 10 are error-free (if you're lucky). The rest are discarded. 2. Of the 10 without errors, only around five will be clear and focused. These five or so folks get called for interviews. 3. The lesson from 1 and 2? An error-free, clear and focused resume places you ahead of most others. 4. A long cover letter is often interpreted to mean, "The following resume may not be too clear, so here are the important things from it I'd like you to know." Is that the kind of admission you want to make? Instead, have a clear and focused resume, so your cover letter need not be a novel. Less is more. Your cover letter needs only to capture and express your enthusiasm, getting the reader to look at your resume. 5. A summary at the top of a resume is often interpreted to mean, "My resume is kind of long and tedious. Here are just the highlights, so you need not actually read the whole thing." Your resume is a summary. 6. Your resume is not intended to list everything you did at every position. It is a top-line, highlights kind of document intended to quickly give the reader an honest sense of your skills, where you've been and where you're going. It's not a biography. If it gets your phone to ring, it has done its job well. 7. No one is hired simply to read cover letters and resumes. Everyone who reads these items has other work to do. If you're lucky, your resume will get around 10 seconds of eyeball time. Direct these eyeballs carefully. Use your 10 seconds well. 8. Real people sometimes have gaps in their work history. Don't hide them. 9. Many talented, full-blown adults graduated from college before last Thursday. If you graduated in 1962, say it. Do you think the reader won't do the math some other way or won't figure it out when you meet? Don't hide your history. You are who you are. Write it proudly. 10. Write like you speak. For example, write "use," not "utilize." (If you really say "utilize," cut it out.) 11. Some folks mistakenly think colored papers, lots of underlining, bold, italics, CAPITAL LETTERS, and silly combinations of THESE will get a reader's attention. The truth is, when we accentuate everything (or too much), we accentuate nothing. I've been asked, "If I don't use these tricks, what will get their attention?" Your content (i.e., your properly positioned skills and experiences) will get their attention. Content sells. 12. Often, candidates will include a long list of software skills on their resume, then send their cover letter and resume in a handwritten envelope. Learn to print an envelope. It will make your software claims a lot more credible. 13. Clarity is excellence. If you remember only one thing from this list, please remember this: Think of the reader. Think of the reader. Think of the reader. Scott Bennett can be reached by e-mail: sab@click4careercounseling.com
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If you've hired people yourself, you'll know these to be true!