If you want to go into a new field, a great question to ask is:
"What opportunities might there be in this field for someone with my background and qualifications?"
Ask experts in the field you target. Find them through networking - through people you know who know them, through LinkedIn, and through requests to them directly.
You can just make a "cold" approach to someone to find out whether you can get an informational interview - flatter, say you've heard great things about him or her, how incredible s/he is, and you'd appreciate getting 20 minutes of her/his time to:
* learn how s/he got into the field and
* get some guidance about how you might go about getting into the field, given your background.
Posted by julieannerickson at 6:07 AM 0 comments Links to this post
Monday, May 11, 2009
1000 recruiters on Twitter!
Click on title for list of 1000 people (tweeps) who have "recruiter" in their profile on Twitter. You also can follow them all as a group. No information about what industries they recruit for, but those recruiters I've seen are focused on PR, HR, tech, and food service so there's probably a WIDE range.
Posted by julieannerickson at 8:08 PM 0 comments Links to this post
Your Cover Letter Markets You
Cover Letters Matter
A cover letter is your chance to present yourself as a terrific match with the employer's needs as laid out in the job posting and description of responsibilities and qualifications. You need to convince them that you have the goods to be able to do this job superlatively. The cover letter makes the case for why you are the right person for the job – or at least gives the reader compelling reasons to interview you and learn more.
• It is your opportunity to anticipate any objections and respond to them.
• It is your chance to demonstrate your writing and communication skills, as well as any persuasive and strategic positioning abilities you have gained through the years.
As with every piece of good writing, it will require several drafts and revisions for you to come up with a cover letter that captures your essence, marries your abilities to the needs of the job, and yet does not go on and on. A page or at most a page and a half are sufficient to make your case. We want the employer to be interested enough to read your resume and call you for an interview.
There are some key factors to make the cover letter compelling to the employer and increase your chances of getting an interview.
Your resume is focused on your past while the job posting is focused on the future.
Prospective employers are focused on their own needs, and how you are able to meet those needs - they don't need or want to know a whole lot about where you are now. The job of the cover letter is demonstrating that you understand and can meet the employer's needs.
I recommend using past experience and accomplishments to illustrate how you have and therefore can do the job THEY have.
• Why do you want to do this job or work?
• How does it flow out of your past experiences?
• How does what you have done in the past prepare you to meet their needs?
Infuse into your letter your enthusiasm for this position as a logical next step in your career, as well as the perfect fusion of their needs and your abilities.
63-70% of jobs are filled by networking and referrals of business colleagues.
Most jobs go to people who are somehow familiar to the person doing the hiring. A personal referral makes the employer more comfortable meeting someone; it's less of a risk when you get a referral from someone you trust. Even with an introduction, it behooves you to stand out as someone relatively familiar with and to the person doing the hiring. Become a familiar face!
Go through the employer's website and become more familiar with what they do. Pick out a couple of their services and see if you want to target them in your cover letter, using key phrases or words. Here's one example from a consulting firm that specializes in real estate-related services.
They say in Facilities Management: "how to operate facilities with maximum efficiency, safety and employee comfort—and dramatically reduce costs in the process." Use phrases like "maximum efficiency" and "employee comfort" as well as "dramatically reduce costs" somewhere in your cover letter - perhaps referring to your previous accomplishments or responsibilities.
"What opportunities might there be in this field for someone with my background and qualifications?"
Ask experts in the field you target. Find them through networking - through people you know who know them, through LinkedIn, and through requests to them directly.
You can just make a "cold" approach to someone to find out whether you can get an informational interview - flatter, say you've heard great things about him or her, how incredible s/he is, and you'd appreciate getting 20 minutes of her/his time to:
* learn how s/he got into the field and
* get some guidance about how you might go about getting into the field, given your background.
Posted by julieannerickson at 6:07 AM 0 comments Links to this post
Monday, May 11, 2009
1000 recruiters on Twitter!
Click on title for list of 1000 people (tweeps) who have "recruiter" in their profile on Twitter. You also can follow them all as a group. No information about what industries they recruit for, but those recruiters I've seen are focused on PR, HR, tech, and food service so there's probably a WIDE range.
Posted by julieannerickson at 8:08 PM 0 comments Links to this post
Your Cover Letter Markets You
Cover Letters Matter
A cover letter is your chance to present yourself as a terrific match with the employer's needs as laid out in the job posting and description of responsibilities and qualifications. You need to convince them that you have the goods to be able to do this job superlatively. The cover letter makes the case for why you are the right person for the job – or at least gives the reader compelling reasons to interview you and learn more.
• It is your opportunity to anticipate any objections and respond to them.
• It is your chance to demonstrate your writing and communication skills, as well as any persuasive and strategic positioning abilities you have gained through the years.
As with every piece of good writing, it will require several drafts and revisions for you to come up with a cover letter that captures your essence, marries your abilities to the needs of the job, and yet does not go on and on. A page or at most a page and a half are sufficient to make your case. We want the employer to be interested enough to read your resume and call you for an interview.
There are some key factors to make the cover letter compelling to the employer and increase your chances of getting an interview.
Your resume is focused on your past while the job posting is focused on the future.
Prospective employers are focused on their own needs, and how you are able to meet those needs - they don't need or want to know a whole lot about where you are now. The job of the cover letter is demonstrating that you understand and can meet the employer's needs.
I recommend using past experience and accomplishments to illustrate how you have and therefore can do the job THEY have.
• Why do you want to do this job or work?
• How does it flow out of your past experiences?
• How does what you have done in the past prepare you to meet their needs?
Infuse into your letter your enthusiasm for this position as a logical next step in your career, as well as the perfect fusion of their needs and your abilities.
63-70% of jobs are filled by networking and referrals of business colleagues.
Most jobs go to people who are somehow familiar to the person doing the hiring. A personal referral makes the employer more comfortable meeting someone; it's less of a risk when you get a referral from someone you trust. Even with an introduction, it behooves you to stand out as someone relatively familiar with and to the person doing the hiring. Become a familiar face!
Go through the employer's website and become more familiar with what they do. Pick out a couple of their services and see if you want to target them in your cover letter, using key phrases or words. Here's one example from a consulting firm that specializes in real estate-related services.
They say in Facilities Management: "how to operate facilities with maximum efficiency, safety and employee comfort—and dramatically reduce costs in the process." Use phrases like "maximum efficiency" and "employee comfort" as well as "dramatically reduce costs" somewhere in your cover letter - perhaps referring to your previous accomplishments or responsibilities.
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