Posts Tagged ‘employer’

How To Write A Perfect Cover Letter

November 4th, 2011

Preparing a highly targeted and personalised cover letter and you are already on your way to a brand new job. Obviously, you will need a professionally written resume also! By impressing the reader (hiring professional) and they will enthusiastically move onto your resume. Disappoint the reader and your resume will be deleted.

Will a perfectly written cover letter ensure that you get the job? Of course not. However, a poorly written cover letter will guarantee that your application will not get the attention that is needed to be one of the top candidates. In the current job market there are three areas of your cover letter that you need to pay special attention to:

Target the employer’s needs:

Too many times, we write our cover letter and resume from our point of view. From the perspective of the hiring manager they want to know that you have the skills to do the job you are applying for. If the employer is looking for a candidate who is going to need to travel and spend time outside of the office then you need to emphasise that travelling is something you are willing to do (and enjoy). If you do not feel that the job is right for you, then the easy solution is not to apply for the job. However, if you do decide to apply for a certain role then target the needs of the employer and the skills that they require from the perfect candidate.

Don’t be afraid to emphasise your previous achievements:

When applying for a job you need to prove that you are the best candidate. The only way to do this, is by emphasising your achievements and all those skills that make you both unique and special. Try to establish yourself as an expert. Remember that in order to stand out, you need to be in the top 5-10% of all the candidates applying for the role. While no one likes arrogance, employers DO want to see examples of your achievements that would make you the right person for the job.

Provide examples how you will add value to the organisation:

If you don’t believe that you have the skills to add value to the particular organisation then why is the hiring manager going to hire you? It is not enough anymore just to present your skills and achievements but you need to prove to the reader that you are capable of adding value to the role and to the whole organisation. Providing examples of the added value expertise that you can offer should be highlighted in your cover letter to help differentiate your application as compared to others.

Posted in Career Advice

6 Ways to Completely Change Your Career

October 26th, 2011

The dismal economic state has motivated people to change careers more than ever. Here, we present to you six strategies that can help you achieve your new-found career goals and excel beyond your current capabilities. Today, changing careers can be a rather tough challenge. Not only are there less jobs, but the competition is even more fierce and cut-throat. So, it may seem impossible to persuade a hiring manager or future employer to take a chance on you, especially if you have no experience in your chosen field. Do not give up, these 6 strategies may just give you the head start you need.

First, keep in mind how much competition you’re up against. Nowadays, it’s not uncommon for hiring personnel to go through stacks and stacks of resumes from possible applicants, just like you. A stack of 200 resumes is the norm. Employers are looking for candidates with specific criteria and expertise, not to mention the right experience in the field to back it all up. If your application doesn’t contain these standards, why should you make the cut? Before you decide on changing careers, try signing up with a temporary agency in the career of your choice. You may have to make a couple of sacrifices at this stage – in salary, relevance, etc but this step will give you the opportunity to prove to yourself you can do it and more importantly, get a foot in the door.

Secondly, be ready to market yourself. This means highlighting your other skills that aren’t totally related to the job specification. For example, things that you excel in that a different type of employer might be able to put to use. Sales, customer service, social media marketing, human resources, and management are all examples. Employers love to hire well-rounded candidates with transferable skills so the more you market your other specialties, the better!

Third, if you still feel at a disadvantage, maybe going back to school and taking courses in your weak spots will greatly help. This not only teaches you more about the business, but introduces you to a new environment, and people to help you get to where you want to be.

Fourth, always network at every given opportunity. Even if you know an agency or organization is not hiring, still make the effort to create rapport, and hand off your resume. Human interaction is always better over uploading countless resumes over the internet.

Fifth, if you’ve tried everything including big-companies and smaller ones, maybe it’s time to focus solely on smaller firms, including start-ups. While bigger companies may seem more enticing, the competition is rough, there is much more paperwork to be done, and your chances of getting hired are greatly shortchanged due to more rigid job descriptions. Starting off with smaller firms provides more flexibility and possibly more opportunity.

Lastly, the Sixth strategy we can offer is don’t give up. Knocking on more doors until you find the right one is key. We know it’s easier said than done but keep your spirits up and you shall find results. Find your strengths, know your weaknesses, and then support your weakness by enrolling in a top online college to help you be well-versed in the career you are interested in pursuing. Accredited higher education coupled with desire, ability to market yourself, and networking should give you a great head start in finding employment in a new career.

Posted in Career Change