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The short answer is that an application letter or cover letter is a sales tool.  A well written cover letter highlights your skills, strengths and suitability for a position.  The cover letter is your opportunity to introduce yourself and encourage the reader to find out more.  If the cover letter shows you are potentially suitable within the first 10 to 15 seconds of reading it the recruiter is more likely to review your resume and ideally contact you for an interview instead of discarding your application to the dreaded “no” pile!

Many companies are now utilising online recruitment tools so you may wonder whether a cover letter is still relevant in todays job market.  Most recruiters will tell you that a well presented and tailored cover letter stands out over a generic resume with no introduction and that a cover letter actually saves them time because they don’t have to read through pages and pages to find the facts about you.  A one page cover letter provides a perfect candidate snapshot and is indeed still considered very relevant.

Taking the time to prepare a cover letter shows that you are enthusiastic about the position and that you are interested in working for their organisation.  Along with your relevant skills and experience, this is sure to create a great first impression.

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A job applicant recently received advice from her colleague that the gaps in her employment history could be easily fixed by “stretching out” the employment dates on her resume.  Whilst this sounds simple and innocent enough, it did raise some questions with this person and she asked what I would do.

My opinion is that it doesn’t look good at all to stretch the truth about anything on a resume.  From a recruiters point of view, it’s really not such a MASSIVE deal if someone has been unemployed a couple of times.

Sometimes gaps in employment can be explained by things like:

• Caring for another person/family member
• Having children or taking time off to be with kids
• Career change or temping to try a different industry
• Travelling
• Taking time off to study
• Getting married/renovating a house

As you can see, there are many legitimate reasons why someone would stop working for a while and it wouldn’t necessarily ring alarm bells for a prospective employer if the candidate has a good attitude, relevant experience and an otherwise stable employment record.

As for including reasons for unemployment on a resume, it really depends on how long the break was for and whether there have been alot of them.  For example, a month or two here and there for travel reasons probably doesn’t need to be explained, whereas longer breaks of 6 months or more should probably be addressed briefly in the resume and then discussed at an interview if it becomes relevant.

It ALWAYS looks bad for the applicant if they try and cover something up because it immediately looks like they’re trying to hide something and any trust is instantly gone.  It’s also bad if they lie about referees (for example saying their referee was a previous supervisor but they are really only a team mate).  All it does is raise question marks and makes the recruiter think “Can I trust this person? Probably not, so I won’t take the risk of hiring them”. Most good recruiters WILL check employment dates, job titles & responsibilities.

Honesty is always the best policy.  Be diplomatic and positive when dealing with the issue if it does come up in an interview…. here are some suggestions.

“I took a career break for 6 months whilst renovating our house.  It was an enormous project and I picked up some valuable skills that can be applied in the workplace such as budgeting and project planning!”

“I travelled overseas for 12 months which was a fantastic life experience!  Overcoming language barriers in different countries has really improved my communication and problem solving skills!”

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If you are asked to attend a job interview, it means that the recruiters are interested enough in you to meet you in person and determine if they would in fact offer you a job. Creating a good impression is important to ensure the recruiters remember you and feel confident that you will fit in with their organisations culture. Here are my top 7 tips for creating a good impression at a job interview.

1. Do your research

Research the company and the position before your interview. Demonstrating your knowledge of the company and the job will be an advantage.

2. Pay attention to the details

Make sure you have the name and the job title of the person interviewing you. Make sure you know the time, date and location of the interview. Find out before hand if you need to ’sign in’ at the security desk and allow extra time for that if you need to. Check public transport or parking access and make sure you know where you are going and be ON TIME. I worked for a company that had 2 locations in the same street - one was a branded retail store and the other was an office building. I can’t tell you how people would turn up at the retail store for their interview, even though they had been given the office address. Nothing will shatter your nerves more than being late for your interview because you went to the wrong address.

3. Dress for the occasion

You don’t need to rush out and buy a designer suit, but make sure you look the part. There is a saying that I really like “dress for the job you want, not for the job you have”. Make sure your clothes fit you well and go for a classic style. Minimise the jewellery, keep your hair neat and tidy and polish your shoes. Yes, they will notice. Use your common sense - if you’re going for a job in a funky retail store, it’s probably OK to show a bit of your fashion flair but if you’re going for a corporate job stick to the classic suit.

4. Body Language

Avoid folding your arms and legs, use a firm handshake, maintain eye contact, sit upright in your chair, speak clearly and SMILE

5. Remember your manners

Be prepared for small talk before and after the interview. Be courteous to the people you meet - shake hands, smile & make eye contact. Thank your interviewers for taking the time to meet you and don’t forget to thank the receptionist on the way out.

6. Show your personality

Be positive about the skills you have and what you can do for the organisation. Be enthusiastic with your responses but don’t be a ‘know it all’ or be too over-enthusiastic about your achievements.

7. Listen and answer the questions

Listen to the question being asked. If they ask something like “tell me about a time when…” or “give me an example of…” they are looking for a specific example of something you have done in the past, they’re not asking what you “would” do in a situation. If you don’t understand the question, ask politely for them to repeat it. If you are really stumped, try not to waffle on with the first thing that comes into your head. Think about the question and say “that’s a great question, would you mind giving me a minute to think about it”. This will give you breathing space and a minute to get your thoughts together.

BONUS TIP - Ask questions

Prepare yourself before the interview and have some questions in mind that you’d like to ask about the job and the company. Do your research and you’ll naturally end up with a list of questions. Don’t forget that the interview is also YOUR opportunity to find out as much as you can about the company, the job and the people you are likely to with. Recruiters will be impressed with someone who has taken the time to really consider whether the working environment is right for them.

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The purpose of a cover letter is to inform the reader of your interest in the job and your interest in the company. It should give the reader a snapshot of your suitability for the position and encourage them to invite you for an interview. The cover letter is an excellent opportunity to demonstrate your written communication skills so it should be written in a friendly, concise and business-like manner. Some people make the mistake of trying to win the job with the cover letter and try to provide a complete career history in the letter. Whilst it is important to create a good first impression, the letter should only provide enough RELEVANT information for the reader to want to know more about you either through a phone interview or better still a face to face interview. Once at that stage, it’s up to you to win them over. But more on that later.
The cover letter should be no more than 1 page long and should be targeted for the specific position you are applying for. It is important to articulate why you are suitable and why you want to work for the organisation, so do your homework.

Do

• Emphasise your strengths and clearly explain what you have to offer.
• Match your skills to the criteria listed in the advertisement and validate your statements with an example.
• Be positive and use persuasive language.
• Use a few bullet points to summarise key points.
• Explain why the position interests you and why you are suitable.

Don’t

• Don’t use negative language and avoid highlighting any skill gaps. Writing something like “although I do not have recent experience in this field, you may be interested in my 5 years experience at XYZ Company”. This is basically telling the reader that you are NOT suitable and they will put your application straight in the no pile. This sounds really obvious, but you would be amazed at how many times I have read that in a cover letter!  Instead, focus on your transferable skills and achievements.
• Don’t try to hard to be “unique” or highlight your outgoing personality. Keep the letter business like and let your personality shine at the interview. Of course, if you are applying for a job where a vibrant personality is a must (such as the entertainment or promotions industry) then perhaps you need to stand out from the crowd. Be logical, put yourself in the reader’s shoes and match the tone of your letter to the job and the industry.
• Don’t sound desperate or beg for a job/interview. Be persuasive and positive and create genuine interest for the reader.

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Have you ever heard the term ‘the hidden job market’?  If you’re a job seeker, tapping into this hidden market is critical if you are serious about finding that dream job. Basically, the hidden job market is a term that is used to refer to the 75% of positions that are never advertised and can be accessed through networking, cold calling and referrals.

Networking

Love it or hate it, this is a valuable activity for many reasons. Try to attend as many business functions as you can. Breakfast meetings, lunches, drinks etc. Business functions are the perfect environment to informally mingle with other people in your industry and find out which companies are expanding or experiencing staff shortages. It’s up to you how open you are about looking for a career change but remember the golden rule. NEVER, EVER bag your current employer or express how much you hate your current job. It’s extremely unprofessional; you’ll just sound like a whinger and no-one will want to help you. Instead, ask questions to gather information. EG “how did you find your self employed with XYZ Company”, “what do you like most about working there”, “sounds like a great place to work, how does your company conduct recruitment”, “could you give me the name of your HR person”. It’s fairly simple, but the idea is that if you happen to be in the right place at the right time, you may just come across a great opportunity.

Cold Calling

This is as simple as picking up the phone and calling the organisation that you would like to work for. Ask to speak to the person in charge of hiring, and then find out how that organisation conducts their recruitment. They may keep a ‘talent database’ of potential candidates so ask if you can send your resume to them. Be prepared for some form of rejection, but if you are tactful and professional, many recruitment consultants may be prepared to give you some advice or guidance. Whilst ‘keeping in touch is a great idea, do not be a pest and call the person every week to see if “anything has come up yet”. If you must make contact, keep it relevant and have a purpose for contacting them.

Referrals

Many organisations have staff referral programs in place because it is a very effective recruitment method saving companies time and money. Think about all of your contacts and how they might be able to help, but ask for information, not for a job. You may know someone who works in your desired industry so ask them if they know anyone. For example, “I’m considering a career change into the XYZ industry, do you know anyone I could talk to?” sounds much better than “I hate my boss, hate my job, can you help me find a new one”.

You never know when an opportunity might present itself so make sure your resume is up to date so you can send it quickly and make sure you always have business cards with you! Happy job-searching!

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