Don’t regurgitate your resume…and other tips for cover letters!
Posted by Mark Avera on 26 Jun 2007 at 04:02 pm | Tagged as: Career Advice, Construction Jobs
Attached to your one page chronological or qualitative resume should always, always be a cover letter. This provides you the space and freedom to do several things. First, you may use this cover letter to explain any flaws, gaps, or weaknesses in your resume without drawing unnecessary attention to them. You want your potential employer to know that any gaps or other anomalies were legitimate, but ensure you keep that from becoming the focus of you cover letter. Instead, use the cover letter to focus on the parts of your experience, skills, awards, education, and qualifications that are most important and applicable to the specific position you are applying for. This ability to cover all types of experience and qualifications comes in extremely handy for chronological resumes, where work experience alone generally dominates the top of your resume. Do not copy your resume in the cover letter! Instead, use the letter as a ‘highlighter’, adding personal touch to a rigid, highly structured list of information and qualifications… READ THE REST HERE!
The other really important tip for any resume or cover letter is to only have one page. I am a recruiter in the construction industry and I see some many resumes that are 3-4 pages long. A company looking to hire a great candidate only spends 5 seconds reviewing the info so make sure to keep your resume clear and concise. Be sure to customize each cover letter for each specific position and company. Do not do a blanket cover letter for all jobs.
Thanks, Brent
Remember to change the name on each cover letter. A fried forgot to do that and now his nickname is Jones. He forgot to change Mr Jones to Mr Degen.