How These Executives Made the Questions Work in Their Favor

Jennifer Grancio, Managing Director, Retail Business BlackRock, was asked: “What would be your ideal job?” Grancio stated that the question made her think about her strengths and weaknesses.

No hiring manager expects any candidate to be perfect. If you claim to be, you won’t fool anyone.

Grancio states, “(this question) also provided a chance to respond passionately and gave me a great platform to use specific past real-world examples to bring my skills to life for the interviewer.”

That’s definitely taking an interview question and making it work for you.

“Sell me on why you should get this job?”

That’s what Michelle Madhok, founder of SHEfinds.com and author of Wear This Now recalls as being her favorite question.

For many candidates the question might prove daunting, or it might cause the individual to lose all restraint and brag. Madhok states, “A favorite ‘zinger’ to ask is: If we get a chance to talk with XXXX (regarding a former boss and ask them to spell the boss’s name as you write it down), what would he or she say about you?”

Clearly, every candidate has to be prepared for that inquiry, and to answer it as truthfully, but as favorably, as possible.

“Anything else you’d like to share?”

Now there’s a question that can prove advantageous to a candidate, and was the personal favorite of Mindy Mercaldo, Citibank Division Manager and President (Illinois).

According to Mercaldo, “I was interviewing for jobs once and was practicing with a mentor. She guided me to use this as the opportunity to ‘close the deal’. This is your opportunity to summarize why you are the best fit and how excited you are to do the job.”

Valuable advice.

“What is the last great book you’ve read?”

You don’t often hear an interview question like that. However it’s the favorite of Wendi Sturgis, Yext Executive Vice President of Sales and Services. Sturgis states that the question surely doesn’t reflect on a candidate’s ability to do the job. She does add, “I have used it in interviews I conduct and can garner surprising insights about a person including the fact that some people actually admit they don’t read books anymore… Not a bad answer if they’re able to talk about how they use the internet and other sources to stay up to date on the world and fire their imagination.”

So true.

“What would your former boss say about you?”

That can be a frightening question to many. Holly Lignelli, LinkedIn Program Manager – North America Strategic Accounts writes, “(My current boss) asked how I thought she (her former boss) would rate me compared to my peers across several key skills and attributes necessary for his role, and what she would cite as my biggest win – and area for development.”

Every candidate should be prepared for this question. It’ s not one you want to ‘wing’ during the interview.

“What has been your greatest achievement over the last two to three years at work?”

You should hope for this kind of question and dive right into it, fully prepared with the many ways you helped your last company succeed. Betsy Berkhemer Credaire, co-owner of Berkhemer Clayton, Los Angeles, says it well: “It’s about achievement and appreciation.”

She’s absolutely correct. If you haven’t achieved at your last job, there’s little reason for hiring managers and recruiters to get excited about your candidacy.

Preparation for these questions, along with standard interview questions, will go a long way to helping you achieve your dream job.

To maximize your job search, the certified writers at ResumeEdge have decades of experience in crafting achievement-based resumes for 40+ industries. We specialize in resume writing, resume editing, cover letters and LinkedIn profiles.

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Putting together a professional resume that highlights your abilities and accomplishments is just the first step when you are searching for a rewarding career opportunity. Once you have the tools you need in hand, the next step is to identify prospective employers and get their attention! When you do land a telephone or face-to-face interview, it is critical to make a great first impression. You don’t get a second chance to do this, so be prepared when you are ready to meet in person in the hiring manager’s office or at a restaurant for lunch. By pulling out all the stops, you will give yourself an edge over other candidates who will be competing for the same position. The best way to do this is to utilize a professional job interview coach to help you prepare for your interviews. It can certainly make a difference when it comes to professionally presenting yourself and your abilities.

Also keep these tips in mind:

Do Your Homework Prior to Meeting With the Interviewer

• Know the company. When you’ve researched an organization and have knowledge about what the company has been doing in the market, it helps show that you have a genuine interest and will go the extra mile if they do hire you.
• Know yourself and your abilities. One essential point that you need to focus on is to closely evaluate the job requirements and how your background parallels with what the company is looking for. Show them how you match their needs.
• Avoid discussing money. The last thing you want to do is to price yourself out of the salary range. Additionally, if you name too low of a figure, you may end up receiving less than you could have.
• Stay focused on the questions. Many candidates find themselves rambling on and on, ultimately losing the listener’s interest. Be aware of body language and whether you are holding the interviewer’s attention. Keep your answers brief, but to the point.
• Ask for the job! So many times an employer may have a real interest in a candidate, but doesn’t know whether the individual really wants the position. Before you leave the interview, let the employer know you are capable of handling the job and that you would like to have an offer.

According to Life and Career Coach Anna Goldstein, there are several helpful interview techniques to keep in mind. Review the eight tips she suggests that can help you through some of the difficult hurdles that applicants face when interviewing.

In Ms. Goldstein’s article, you will also find additional details regarding speed interviewing, questions you should be prepared to ask, hypothetical situations the employer may address, inquiries about personal issues, salary, weaknesses, scare tactics, and stress interviews.

The more material you can read about interviewing the better—you never know when you might run across a tip that can make a difference!

Don’t Forget to Show Your Appreciation

One of the lost arts of interviewing is sending a thank you note. People just don’t do this as often as they did in the past. When you mail a letter to those you’ve met with, it really makes you stand out in a crowd. Anyone can send an email, but it takes effort to actually personalize a letter that is mailed out to hiring managers or recruiters.

Our certified writers at ResumeEdge can assist you in preparing an effective letter that can make a difference in the outcome of your interview experiences. We also excel in resume editing, resume writing, and LinkedIn profiles for 40+ industries.

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To help recent graduates in their job search, their CEO, Don Fornes, recently created a list offering some of his best advice for the job-seeking recent grad.

1.  Practice your interviewing skills.

Interviews can be stressful — especially for a young graduate who hasn’t had many yet. And interviewing well takes practice. While you’ll likely hear a few questions off the cuff, there are a handful of questions that are asked in almost any interview. If you know that’s the case (which you do), you should come up with some solid answers to those questions when you’ve got time to carefully think them out.

To make sure that you are well-prepared, you should go find a list a common interview questions and write out your answers. Then practice saying them out loud to another person, so that you sound natural. This is one of the best ways you to make sure that you give succinct and confident answers in your interviews.

2. Search for “foundational” roles and be able to explain why you want one.

Foundational roles will help you build a set of skills that will lead to a successful career. These are roles that require a lot of you, but give a lot back in terms of experience. No matter what industry you choose to go into, the knowledge you will gain from foundational roles can be carried with you.

For instance, every job you pursue is going to require that you understand a certain level of professionalism and the way things work in an office. You have to know how to appropriately communicate with colleagues, managers and customers. These roles are often demanding, and will challenge you. But you can impress your interviewer by explaining to them that you understand this, and that want to work in this role because of it’s difficult — not despite it.

3. Create an “elevator pitch” to tell your story.

You’re probably a complex, multi-faceted person. Your personal story would likely take longer than a 1-hour interview to tell. But when preparing for an interview, it’s important to pick your most valuable traits that are relevant to the position and stick to talking about those. You should also be able to explain to the hiring manager how you developed these skills, and how you would use them to meet and exceed their expectations for the role.

This short summary of yourself is commonly referred to as an “elevator pitch”. To create an elevator pitch, take all the information you’ve chosen to focus on and condense it into a story that sells you as a candidate. You should be able tell this story in the time it takes to ride an elevator from your starting floor to your destination–hence the name.

4. Don’t be afraid to show your personality!

Of course, when interviewing, you also want to come off to your potential employer as professional and courteous. But, many young candidates get consumed by the need to be formal that they forget to show that they are human. Just as you shouldn’t be overly-casual, you shouldn’t be overly-formal, either. Hiring managers want to see that you would be an enjoyable person to work with — so be yourself.

Do you have other tips for recent college grads? Let us know in the comments below.

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LinkedIn®, a powerful web portal, can help you find work, gain positive exposure, make essential contacts, and perhaps scramble up the career ladder even quicker. If you utilize it correctly, you are essentially presenting your resume and business card to 200 million people, including executives from every Fortune 500 company. Very impressive. Even better, LinkedIn adds one million new users every 12 days.

Currently, 75% of Fortune 500 companies use LinkedIn for recruiting. An estimated 1 in 6 professionals successfully used social networks to get jobs, notes Caroline Lau of Social-Hire.com. “Recruiters are using LinkedIn heavily now. You need to be professional—and findable!” says career coach Kimberly Schneiderman, founder of Career City Services.

A robust online presence is virtually mandatory. Count on potential employers and hiring managers to Google you. They’ll check you out on LinkedIn and most likely on Facebook too.

LinkedIn is where professionals gather to exchange business information, to network, and share connections. It’s your global village. Participate in a discussion, post updates, join a group, scope out colleagues, or research company profiles. It’s the 21^st century cracker barrel or water cooler.

Stand Out From the Crowd

• Update Your Photo: If you include a professional head shot on LinkedIn®, your profile is 7 times more likely to be reviewed.
• Seed Your Header and Summary with key words and phrases for LinkedIn®’s search engine. Your header’s “elevator speech,” should include several core skills along with your enhanced title.
• Set up a Vanity URL: Instead of meaningless numbers in your profile address, go here to customize your public profile URL. Make your public profile visible to everyone.
• Use the New LI Rich Media App: LinkedIn Apps are being replaced by a new feature that allows you to add work samples—links or uploads that include images, projects, publications, presentations, videos, or documents. You will also be able to add test scores, courses, patents, certifications, volunteering, causes, honors, and awards. Rich Media is gradually being released to all members.

Shine up Your Summary

The Summary section offers the opportunity to introduce yourself in a professional yet personable manner. Use first-person narrative to describe your accomplishments, skills, and talents. Keep your Summary fresh with updates.

Don’t brag, but don’t sell yourself short, either. Blend your personality with bottom line benefits to potential employers. Describe both hard and soft skills. Most importantly, define how you’ve made an impact by quantifying career results.

“Your Summary is your cover letter to the world. What are your strengths? Why are you a company’s dream employee? How can you help the people who view your profile? Why should someone do business with you?” asks Caroline Hatchett of Wax.com. Her PDF “20 Ways to Optimize Your LinkedIn Presence” is an excellent resource.

Polish Your Profile

“Just like with romantic relationships, workouts, and savings accounts, you get out of LinkedIn what you put into it. If you leave your profile relatively undeveloped, you’re not using the site to its full potential,” says Amy Levin-Epstein of CBS “Moneywatch.”

Even though LinkedIn provides a premiere audience, 48% of all profiles are incomplete. Fill out everything you can, refreshing often. LinkedIn is different from resumes, where hobbies, interests, and even volunteer activities and social memberships are usually omitted. Strive for 100% Profile Strength.

More tips:

• WELCOME INVITES: Expand your circles and join multiple networks by accepting invitations.
• UPDATE FREQUENTLY: Stay visible with profile tweaks. Every update is shared with networks.
• REARRANGE: Reorder profile sections to ensure priority information gets viewed first.
• ENHANCE JOB DESCRIPTIONS: Don’t simply list tasks or duties. Include accomplishments. Proven contributions. Results!
• BE A GROUPIE: Groups put you in touch with like-minded connections to grow your network.
• ENDORSE/BE ENDORSED: It’s easy to endorse skills and expertise. Many will return the favor.
• SKILLS & EXPERTISE: Showcase special talents for recruiters. Use this search for popular terms.
• RECOMMENDATIONS: What others say about you is powerful. Approach and ask colleagues.
• HIRE A PRO: Like resumes, LinkedIn profile development is an art and science. Consider a pro to craft one for you.

Why You Should Care About LinkedIn

Wired Magazine reported in April about a best-kept LinkedIn secret: LinkedIn Recruiter. According to writer Alexandra Chang, it’s LinkedIn’s flagship product and the “core of the professional social network’s Talent Solutions” that spiked $161 million last quarter.

Recruiter is invisible to all users, except for “companies that pay LinkedIn as a candidate sourcing and hiring tool,” says Chang. More than 16,000 companies or clients use Recruiter from global corporations to businesses and recruiters of all sizes. They can see all your information, search for skills sets, and build a dossier on people they are watching.

“Let that sink in for a moment. If you care a whit about your career, not only do you have to be on LinkedIn, you should have a detailed profile with your job history,” adds Chang. “It should look like your resume. Taking advantage of LinkedIn features like Skills can also make you more searchable to recruiters. And of course, build out your network with people you know.”

Whether you’re reentering the work force after a long absence, transitioning to a new career, or making your mark in your chosen industry, the certified writers at ResumeEdge can help. We specialize in resume editing, resume writing, cover letters, and LinkedIn profiles,. Our writers are skilled in 40+ industries and have decades of experience.

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However, you still have to get through the interview. While spending an hour or an hour-and-a-half with the hiring manager certainly sounds doable to most, what happens when you’re invited to an all-day interview?

Challenges of a Marathon Interview

(Credit: pixabay, geralt)

While you may be personable and eager with the first company rep grilling you, that will probably wear thin by the fourth, fifth and sixth interviews on the same day. A recent article on Mashable explored concerns about:

• Providing the same answers to different staff members/interviewers
• Questioning the interviewers about their roles in the company
• Simply surviving such a prolonged process

The article’s author came up with four strategies to make it through the long, challenging day.

Request a schedule and a list of the individuals you’ll be meeting with

Given that the list may be lengthy, it’s wise to ask for this information a few days prior to your interview. Schedules frequently change, especially for higher-ups, and you want to make certain the list is as accurate as possible. With the information in hand, you can do Google and LinkedIn searches to learn the individual’s role in the organization. That can certainly give you insight into how to answer questions. Discovering that you’ll be meeting with seven individuals, instead of one or two, during your first round of interviews will help you prepare mentally for such a large crowd and will guide you in how to tailor your answers.

Begin and End Strong with Each Interview

While the all-day interview may be a marathon to you, it’s only a short sprint for the interviewers. Make certain that you treat each sequence with respect. Introduce yourself, shake hands, provide each individual with a copy of your resume. Don’t let your mind drift to what might – or might not happen – during the next interview. Stay focused. Stay on point. And always reiterate your interest for the job at the end of each segment.

Be Consistent with Your Answers

But do vary the content, adding additional relevant information during each interview. Be assured, after the day is over, the interviewers will discuss what you said to them. If they all heard the exact same thing from you during six different interviews, they may feel you have very little to offer. However, if you tried to wow one group with a story of how well you take charge while assuring others you’re a solid team player, they will wonder which person is the real you. Always be consistent. If during three interviews you’re asked how you resolved a company problem, focus on three different skills (eg: crisis management, employee training, customer service) to make the same point. You resolved the problem effectively and professionally.

Be Prepared

If you’re always sluggish in the afternoon, bring an energy bar or some candy along as a pick-me-up. There may not be a vending machine on the premises. Women should bring along a compact and lipstick to freshen their makeup. Men may want to bring some face wipes. Make certain you have extra pens in case one runs out of ink. Bring along enough copies of your resume so that no one at the company has to share.

While daunting, an all-day interview can be won if you think ahead and prepare properly for the challenge.

To maximize your job search, the certified writers at ResumeEdge have decades of experience in crafting achievement-based resumes for 40+ industries. We specialize in resume writing, resume editing, cover letters and LinkedIn profiles.

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So what’s wrong?

Part of the problem is an entry-level candidate’s misconception about securing an interview and a job. I recently found a good video that addresses this subject. It came out last summer, but the points made in it by Lea McLeod of Degrees of Transition still hold true.

The Most Common Misconceptions of New Grads

• Believing that sending out a resume is all that it takes. As quite a few new grads have learned, that’s simply not true. Many candidates will state that they’ve sent out resumes for months, applying for dozens or  hundreds of positions, without securing even one interview. They can’t imagine what’s wrong. The problem is most likely their resume. It’s not targeted to the company and position they seek. In this poor job market, no one can risk sending out a one-size-fits-all resume to every available posting. Failure to dovetail skills/knowledge/abilities to the position’s responsibilities is another big mistake. Accomplishments also matter. If you haven’t listed the results of your tasks, no one will care. There are simply too many other equally-qualified candidates to consider.
  
• Applying solely online. According to the video, research has proven that a mere 7-10% of jobs are found online, while a whopping 60% are secured via network referrals. Candidates need to make themselves visible. Use contacts from school to learn what jobs aren’t being posted and about hidden employment opportunities.
• Allowing parents to become too involved. Although they mean well, your parents faced a far different employment market than you will. Thank them for their concern, but use all the tools that are now at your disposal – tools they never had – to find the right opportunity.
• Deciding to go on to graduate school because the market is so bad. If your only purpose in returning to school is because you believe you can’t get a job, you may be making a huge mistake. You’ll be adding significant debt with new educational loans, and the market may not be any better when you receive your advanced degree. It’s better to weigh your options and to determine if your lack of success is due to your poor resume or because you really do need an advanced degree in your field.
• Accepting that there are simply no jobs out there. If that were true, no one would be working. As of April 2013 national unemployment was at 7.5%. While it would be better at 4%, which is considered full employment, it still proves that the vast majority of Americans are working.

It’s not easy finding a job, but it can be done. It takes persistence and the right approach, including an effective resume.

The certified writers at ResumeEdge have decades of experience in crafting achievement-based resumes for 40+ industries. We specialize in resume writing, resume editing, cover letters and LinkedIn profiles.

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The technology field is by far and away one of the fastest-growing industries worldwide. In the United States alone, the Bureau of Labor Statistics placed employment growth—in some IT positions—upward of 30% over the next 10 years. Median salaries range from approximately $46,000 for support specialists to $90,000 for software developers.

It has never been a better time for IT professionals to seek a position. However, what’s the best way to structure your resume that will get you noticed by recruiters? Here are some tips on how to put together a great IT resume.

Your Technical Skills Are Most Important

First and foremost, you need to be as detailed as possible about the technical skills you have learned and used throughout your career. Be mindful of those skills that would be considered obsolete or ones that you haven’t used in more than five years. You’ll want to omit those from your resume.

For example, while mainframe programming might sound like a good technical skill, you’d be hard-pressed to find an employer that would be looking for someone to do this, considering the migration to servers and networks. Therefore, it would be wise to not mention your skills with mainframes and place more of an emphasis on new technology.

Organizing the structure of your technical skills may vary, as Monster points out. But in any case, you will want to group your skill sets in categories such as operating systems, software, hardware, and programming languages. More importantly, this section should be placed near the top of your resume prior to your work experience.

Your Professional Skills: Equally Important

While your technical skills are the most essential part of your expertise and experience, it should be noted that your professional skills can be weighted just as greatly. For instance, you may seek a position in technical support. Besides your technical know-how, you’ll also need customer service skills.

As another example, you could be seeking a systems administrator position. Keep in mind that in many of these positions, you should have the ability to work with vendors, as you will find that most of your systems and networking equipment may be covered under service contracts.

Take a look at your work history. Were there any times that you had to work with customers or vendors? Did you take any leadership roles in which you managed people? Were you called upon to write IT policies and procedures? If so, you need to include this information.

What about Certifications?

Whether it’s A+, CCNA, or MSCE, the IT field is a veritable alphabet soup of certification acronyms. Aside from that, you will undoubtedly notice that many positions will require these certifications. Include certifications either as a separate section or as part of your technical skills, near the top of your resume.

Spell It Out!

One of the biggest pitfalls for job-seekers is the assumption that your resume will be heading straight to the hiring manager. While this may be true in some cases, most of the time the first person reviewing your resume will be a recruiter, and there’s no guarantee he or she will possess the same level of technical expertise as your hiring manager.

To be on the safe side, you will want to avoid using technical jargon the recruiter may not understand and spell out any acronyms, including the aforementioned certifications. Never assume that the person reading your resume will have any idea what MCSA or CIW means.

Following these guidelines will go a long way toward building an effective resume. Make certain that you are as detailed as possible with your skills and experience, while at the same time making your resume readable to the average individual.

Whatever your professional background or employment situation, the certified writers at ResumeEdge can help you stand out among the competition. We have helped tens of thousands of job seekers with our services that include resume writing, resume editing, cover letters and LinkedIn profiles.

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As a result of this tough market, new college students and graduates have begun to adopt some clever techniques to differentiate themselves. They’re certainly more proactive than graduates were in generations past, but also a bit more creative than job seekers were just a few years ago. Here are a few techniques that the savvier grads are employing:

The Experience Grab

Not too long ago, having experience in your chosen field opened all the right doors. The lucky or connected student who could swing a summer job at the right place could expect, if nothing else, a guarantee of coveted interviews for her first post-college job. Now, experience is mandatory on a candidate’s resume and not so differentiating. The availability of non-paying to low-paying internships has leveled the playing field for many job seekers. So now, students are creatively looking for internships and making the ones they have stand out. Enter the studenternship. Coeds aren’t waiting for summer to load on the experience; they’re working on campus as student reps for businesses or working remotely for companies from their dorm room. I have my own social media college intern who I’ve developed a symbiotic relationship with; she helps me with social media marketing and I give her work experience and a little fuel for her resume. Being the smart intern that she is, she also asked me to write a recommendation for her on her Linked-In profile.

Top of the Heap

Of course, I’m not Amazon, KPMG, or Proctor & Gamble, so referencing my little company will only get you so far. If you really want to catch some attention, put an industry leader on your resume. To be honest, most employers are more impressed by the name of your summer employer than the quality of the work offered; or at least this will help float a resume to the top of the pile because of it. So how do students get the big name employer? During high school, some target an industry and go for the low-hanging fruit —the internships in the smaller, experience-rich companies. Each year these students advance to bigger, more recognizable companies within their field. An undergrad I know had attention-getting Microsoft on his resume by the time he was a college sophomore, with an offer to go back the following summer, yet he specifically sought out (and gained) an internship at Apple instead, to round out his resume.

Talking the Talk

Some job seekers decide not to take any chances when it comes to getting those coveted internships or their first post-college job. They learn as much as they can about their industry through connections and company literature, but they don’t stop there. They access information through the internet, including specific interview questions. When you Google “Google interview questions,” 291 million entries appear. That ought to give a candidate plenty to chew on while preparing for her first chat with company recruiters.

Websites have also sprung up catering to job seekers in almost every field or company. Want to know how to ace your i-banking interview? First buy a self-study HD video from Wall Street Oasis to gain the financial modeling skills needed for interviews. Then peruse the website’s online articles to find out How Not to Suck at Phone Interviews. The site even offers advice for what to do when pegged as a faceless number cruncher with How to Develop a Personality.

Using these methods of gaining the right resume-enhancing experience, the most ambitious grads should be able to land attractive jobs in a reasonable amount of time. But also consider a time-tested element  gleaned from an interview with Football Commissioner Roger Goodell. Goodell discussed applying for an internship at the NFL and said he was rejected “maybe 50” times. He added, “I think they honestly gave me the job because they were tired of getting my letters.” In summing up his job search he reflected, “I actually don’t mind rejection, I’m good at it.”

Great attitude, Mr. Commissioner—one we can all learn from in today’s market.

The post Recent Grads Creatively Build Experience Into Their Resumes appeared first on ResumeEdge.

The cartoon is by Josh Mecouch of Formal Sweatpants.

Is it just me or does the job seeker resemble a young Bill Gates?

For more laughs, check out ResumeEdge’s Resume Richard video. Have a great weekend!

It’s no joke that everyone needs a dynamite resume. The certified writers at ResumeEdge have decades of experience in crafting achievement-based resumes for 40+ industries. We specialize in resume writing, resume editing, cover letters and LinkedIn profiles.

The post We thought a little levity was in order…. appeared first on ResumeEdge.

Recently, I saw a cover letter video that had additional, valuable tips.

What I found most interesting about the video are these points.

Have You Been Referred to the Company?

If you’re targeting the position because a friend or an acquaintance mentioned it, it’s wise to note that individual’s name in your cover letter. It makes you appear less of a stranger to a hiring manager or recruiter. It gives you a bit of credibility a stranger might not have. Recently, I addressed a question about referrals on Yahoo answers. The individual asking the question worried that naming names, so to speak, was tacky or came close to bragging. I explained that nothing could be further from the truth. If you know someone on the inside and they’re willing for you to use their name, then do so. However, first make certain that the individual is in good standing with the company.

Use Keywords to Describe Your Skills & Expertise

This is Cover Letter Writing 101. However, it’s important to repeat here. Use keywords to prove in your cover letter that you meet the requirements for the position. You should never use exact wording from the job posting, as that tends to irritate hiring managers and recruiters. However, you should dovetail what you do know and can do to what the job entails.

Follow Up Your Cover Letter & Resume with an Email

After a week passes, if you haven’t heard from the hiring manager or recruiter, send an email stating that you have applied for the position and you are still interested in it. Your email can – and should – detail how you’re the perfect candidate for the position. Not only will you be reminding the hiring authority that you did apply for the job (just in case they didn’t get your application materials), but that you’re still interested in interviewing for it.

Avoid These Mistakes

No matter how well your cover letter reads, it won’t win you an interview if you make these errors:

• Writing one cover letter for numerous positions without personalizing each. No one job is going to be exactly the same in any industry. If your cover letter contains information that isn’t included in a particular job description, it’s unlikely you’ll be invited to interview.
• Failing to name the position you want. Companies often post openings for numerous departments at the same time. If you’re making the hiring manager guess as to what you want, that individual will simply move on to the next candidate.
• Submitting an error-ridden document. All you have to do is misspell one word and you won’t be considered, especially for a position where attention to detail is required. Proofread your cover letter carefully. Have a relative or a friend proof it for you. Use spell and grammar check. Then proof it again.

ResumeEdge specializes in cover letters, resume writing, resume editing and LinkedIn profiles. Our certified writers have decades of experience in 40+ industries. They can craft a cover letter that will wow a hiring manager and compel that individual to read your resume.

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