TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
E-mail glen -at- softint -dot- com
X-Mailer: ELM [version 2.4 PL23]
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
Content-Length: 2020
> Karen Kay said:
> >I just spoke with someone about a possible job, and he told me that
> >they had received 300 resumes for this particular position--and that
> >at least half of them were eliminated by the cover letter. So be
> >careful!
To which Rick Lippincott responded:
> I agree. The importance of the cover letter is often overlooked.
> After several weeks, I revised my thinking and started doing more detailed
> cover letters. Each letter would contain specific information that at least
> showed I had read the job posting. I'd cite my background and compare it to
> the requirements listed for the job. The response rate jumped sharply with
> these letters, one of them got me my current job.
> It took a few extra minutes to write the customized letters, but that's about
> all. Just a few extra minutes. (Gee whiz, if I can't write a simple -letter-
> fairly quickly, then I'm not much of a tech writer.)
Excellent idea! And if you know something about the company that WASN'T
in the ad, that's even better. Of the 150+ resumes I recently waded through,
the best candidates were the ones who had BRIEF cover letters along the
lines of:
Enclosed is my resume. I meet the requirements you requested because
XXX, XXX, XXX and XXX. My background in client/server software solutions
would help me do better stuff for your documentation.* Gimme a call.
* The ad did not mention our products, but this person had checked us
out a bit and decided that since we do client/server software and he had
done that too, that he was a good candidate. (He was.)
Checking out a company is a good idea for anyone seeking a new job. I'm
much more comfortable hiring you if you know something about the company
(beyond talking to 4 or 5 people in interviews) and show initiative in
finding answers you need.
------------
glen accardo glen -at- softint -dot- com
Software Interfaces, Inc. (713) 492-0707 x122
Houston, TX 77084
