Cover Letters
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Dalek Dave wrote:
super cool the job sounds
This doesn't quite jive with your chosen profession... :laugh: (DD's an accountant, for anyone that may be new or can't be bothered to remember such things...)
The United States invariably does the right thing, after having exhausted every other alternative. -Winston Churchill America is the only country that went from barbarism to decadence without civilization in between. -Oscar Wilde Wow, even the French showed a little more spine than that before they got their sh*t pushed in.[^] -Colin Mullikin
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What do you put into a cover letter? If you're recruiting, what do you look for? I have a standard template that I tweek, but it's barely a paragraph just saying who I am, what I know and what I am looking for [a job]. Any help would be great. anyone?
Panic, Chaos, Destruction. My work here is done. Drink. Get drunk. Fall over - P O'H OK, I will win to day or my name isn't Ethel Crudacre! - DD Ethel Crudacre I cannot live by bread alone. Bacon and ketchup are needed as well. - Trollslayer Have a bit more patience with newbies. Of course some of them act dumb - they're often *students*, for heaven's sake - Terry Pratchett
Another point is to relate what you know with how it helps with the company. Otherwise a recruiter who might not know what you are talking about won't get it. ie. If you've worked on ASP, don't just say you've worked on ASP, say you've made an ___ style ASP.net website for enterprise/consumer, whatever, as long as you can make it relate. That is intrigues them to keep going.
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What do you put into a cover letter? If you're recruiting, what do you look for? I have a standard template that I tweek, but it's barely a paragraph just saying who I am, what I know and what I am looking for [a job]. Any help would be great. anyone?
Panic, Chaos, Destruction. My work here is done. Drink. Get drunk. Fall over - P O'H OK, I will win to day or my name isn't Ethel Crudacre! - DD Ethel Crudacre I cannot live by bread alone. Bacon and ketchup are needed as well. - Trollslayer Have a bit more patience with newbies. Of course some of them act dumb - they're often *students*, for heaven's sake - Terry Pratchett
Now I don't really bother. Unless it is a direct contact that might actually read it. Most people skip it and either keyword scan with a tool or just read the résumé. Now, to be funny, I have an entire page on my C.V. devoted to keywords with a paragraph apologizing the hiring manager for it : )
Need custom software developed? I do custom programming based primarily on MS tools with an emphasis on C# development and consulting. I also do Android Programming as I find it a refreshing break from the MS. "And they, since they Were not the one dead, turned to their affairs" -- Robert Frost
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Funnily enough I just had to do one this week. I made it a very short introduction and indicated my interest in the position. A little explanation about how super cool the job sounds and why you feel you would be perfect for the role. No-one ever suffered from sucking up and kissing arse!
--------------------------------- I will never again mention that I was the poster of the One Millionth Lounge Post, nor that it was complete drivel. Dalek Dave CCC Link[^]
Dalek Dave wrote:
No-one ever suffered from sucking up and kissing arse!
Tell that to the list of people who have been executed.
A guide to posting questions on CodeProject[^]
Dave Kreskowiak -
What do you put into a cover letter? If you're recruiting, what do you look for? I have a standard template that I tweek, but it's barely a paragraph just saying who I am, what I know and what I am looking for [a job]. Any help would be great. anyone?
Panic, Chaos, Destruction. My work here is done. Drink. Get drunk. Fall over - P O'H OK, I will win to day or my name isn't Ethel Crudacre! - DD Ethel Crudacre I cannot live by bread alone. Bacon and ketchup are needed as well. - Trollslayer Have a bit more patience with newbies. Of course some of them act dumb - they're often *students*, for heaven's sake - Terry Pratchett
Nagy Vilmos wrote:
If you're recruiting, what do you look for?
That they can spell, and that it isn't full of irrelevant information. The important stuff is in the CV
People say nothing is impossible, but I do nothing every day.
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What do you put into a cover letter? If you're recruiting, what do you look for? I have a standard template that I tweek, but it's barely a paragraph just saying who I am, what I know and what I am looking for [a job]. Any help would be great. anyone?
Panic, Chaos, Destruction. My work here is done. Drink. Get drunk. Fall over - P O'H OK, I will win to day or my name isn't Ethel Crudacre! - DD Ethel Crudacre I cannot live by bread alone. Bacon and ketchup are needed as well. - Trollslayer Have a bit more patience with newbies. Of course some of them act dumb - they're often *students*, for heaven's sake - Terry Pratchett
I find cover letters only useful when sending in a resume without knowing who to send it to. Most places I've worked throw them out immediately, as do I. Far better to spend time refining your resume.
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What do you put into a cover letter? If you're recruiting, what do you look for? I have a standard template that I tweek, but it's barely a paragraph just saying who I am, what I know and what I am looking for [a job]. Any help would be great. anyone?
Panic, Chaos, Destruction. My work here is done. Drink. Get drunk. Fall over - P O'H OK, I will win to day or my name isn't Ethel Crudacre! - DD Ethel Crudacre I cannot live by bread alone. Bacon and ketchup are needed as well. - Trollslayer Have a bit more patience with newbies. Of course some of them act dumb - they're often *students*, for heaven's sake - Terry Pratchett
For starters, I'd totally include your profile picture on the cover. :D
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What do you put into a cover letter? If you're recruiting, what do you look for? I have a standard template that I tweek, but it's barely a paragraph just saying who I am, what I know and what I am looking for [a job]. Any help would be great. anyone?
Panic, Chaos, Destruction. My work here is done. Drink. Get drunk. Fall over - P O'H OK, I will win to day or my name isn't Ethel Crudacre! - DD Ethel Crudacre I cannot live by bread alone. Bacon and ketchup are needed as well. - Trollslayer Have a bit more patience with newbies. Of course some of them act dumb - they're often *students*, for heaven's sake - Terry Pratchett
I put in topics related to the job and to expand on the skills in my CV that are appropriate. CVs only cover the bare facts; the cover letter is your chance to show why your skills are right for the job. When I was a software manager I used to get CVs now and then and on a couple of occasions the cover letters were simply awful. Needless to say, those applications didn't make the second round. Ideally they should be formal and ideally, one page only. Avoid copy-and-pasting or using a template. It's surprisingly easy to detect a letter that's obviously generic with a chunk slapped in it to make it company specific. My cover letters are always different except for the contact details, etc.
"I do not have to forgive my enemies, I have had them all shot." — Ramón Maria Narváez (1800-68). "I don't need to shoot my enemies, I don't have any." - Me (2012).
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What do you put into a cover letter? If you're recruiting, what do you look for? I have a standard template that I tweek, but it's barely a paragraph just saying who I am, what I know and what I am looking for [a job]. Any help would be great. anyone?
Panic, Chaos, Destruction. My work here is done. Drink. Get drunk. Fall over - P O'H OK, I will win to day or my name isn't Ethel Crudacre! - DD Ethel Crudacre I cannot live by bread alone. Bacon and ketchup are needed as well. - Trollslayer Have a bit more patience with newbies. Of course some of them act dumb - they're often *students*, for heaven's sake - Terry Pratchett
I rewrite for every job I apply to, explaining why I'm the best fit for that exact job in that exact company. I've gotten pretty good and pumping them out in about 30 minutes. It works very well. I've received phone interviews for every job I've applied for since doing this. If you would like an example, I could provide.
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What do you put into a cover letter? If you're recruiting, what do you look for? I have a standard template that I tweek, but it's barely a paragraph just saying who I am, what I know and what I am looking for [a job]. Any help would be great. anyone?
Panic, Chaos, Destruction. My work here is done. Drink. Get drunk. Fall over - P O'H OK, I will win to day or my name isn't Ethel Crudacre! - DD Ethel Crudacre I cannot live by bread alone. Bacon and ketchup are needed as well. - Trollslayer Have a bit more patience with newbies. Of course some of them act dumb - they're often *students*, for heaven's sake - Terry Pratchett
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What do you put into a cover letter? If you're recruiting, what do you look for? I have a standard template that I tweek, but it's barely a paragraph just saying who I am, what I know and what I am looking for [a job]. Any help would be great. anyone?
Panic, Chaos, Destruction. My work here is done. Drink. Get drunk. Fall over - P O'H OK, I will win to day or my name isn't Ethel Crudacre! - DD Ethel Crudacre I cannot live by bread alone. Bacon and ketchup are needed as well. - Trollslayer Have a bit more patience with newbies. Of course some of them act dumb - they're often *students*, for heaven's sake - Terry Pratchett
The current view is that you should change your resume (cv) to meet each job application. But I disagree. I am a programmer - I'm only going after jobs that require programmers with skills that I have. I've taken forever to make my resume the best it can be, so I want to leave it alone. But I can make my application more personal with my cover letter. I tend to reply to each requirement in my cover letter, using the exact text in the job advert, and responding positively, usually citing a section in my resume. I also make sure that the cover letter matches the resume (font style and size, paper stock, etc). It seems to have worked for me. My resume and cover letter use a logo and I have business cards with the same logo. When I go on an interview, I make sure to drop a business card with the hiring manager - the resume and cover letter are often filed in HR's office, but the hiring manager will keep the business card and - hopefully - remember me. When I am recruiting, I throw out applications with cover letters that don't match the attached resumes - I've seen too many instances of great looking resumes, but the cover letters are written on lined paper in pencil; all that proves is the candidate went to a resume shop.