Do Employers Actually Read Cover Letters

Do Employers Actually Read Cover Letters So, do employers actually read cover letters? In a word â€" yes! In fact, cover letters may actually be more important and more necessary than even the attached resume. Cover letters can move candidates to the front of the line if they are highly focused and highly objective, and they can help a recruiter or employer see why it is that you contacted their organization, and what you are looking for (not to mention how you can help the company itself!). Cover letters, then, are important to have and make sure that you understand how and why employers read them. With that, then, it’s critical that you create the perfect cover letter than an employer will be happy and glad to read, as they make sure they are getting the most out of your contact while they try to fill out their job descriptions. Here’s the rundown on writing a cover letter that employers will love: They need to be tight and focused: First and foremost, make sure your cover letters are incredibly tight and focused, to the point where they are brief and short. Highlight your experience, how you can help the company, and what you can do to get the most out of their job description â€" while highlighting your experience and the successes you have had in the past. In turn, make sure they are no longer than several paragraphs â€" and certainly no longer than a single page in length! READ MORE:  How to Make Your  Cover Letter  Grab the Employers Attention Link them to a specific job or opportunity: Second, link the letters to a specific job or opportunity. Never send a cover letter to a company that isn’t highly focused to a direct job opportunity, and never make your cover letters aimless and worthless. Employers only have so much time to read cover letters, so it’s critical that they are brief, to the point, and highly specific. Make them brief and provide value: When you make them brief, make sure you highlight how exactly you can provide value to the company, and how you have provided value to companies in the past. Experience is great to highlight, but connect it to providing overall value (and revenue!) to corporations, since the bottom line is what drives profits, hiring, and the growth of the business. READ MORE:  5 Rules to Keeping Your  Cover Letter  Simple and Effective Proofread, proofread, proofread! Finally, don’t make any grammatical mistakes or spelling errors! Nothing will get your cover letter thrown out quicker than a dumb grammatical mistake, or a spelling error that could have easily been corrected in time. Constantly make sure that you are double checking your cover letters â€" even to the point of having other people around you proofread them â€" so that you don’t run into stupid mistakes or other dumb problems that may lose you respect and opportunities with different companies and corporations.

3 Tips to Encourage Collaboration Between Departments

3 Tips to Encourage Collaboration Between Departments Collaboration is hard, even within a team. Across multiple teams and across multiple departments? That’s a near-impossible task in some organizations. Sales people might distrust the inputs from marketing people, or HR might regard the IT team with suspicion. But it’s the ability to collaborate â€" to be creative and to solve problems together â€" that distinguishes top companies. Their teams share knowledge and inspire one another daily. For managers and executives, the onus is on you to create a culture in which communication, transparency and collaboration thrive. Here are three tips for tearing down the silos in your own organization. Empathy and understanding are the foundations of collaboration Victoria  Crispo writes at Idealist Careers. When you work across departments and learn each one’s motivations and how it relates to the whole organization, you may gain a feeling of ‘we’re in this together’ among you and your coworkers (and perhaps ideas for communicating that message to your audience). That “we’re in this together” attitude is the very definition of a team â€" and that team spirit can become self-reinforcing. Once you understand the challenges and frustrations people in other departments are experiencing, you’ll develop the empathy necessary to be able to reach out and offer ways to help. That collective effort will translate into more meaningful results for the organization as a whole. It also helps to break down walls we all have built up inside of ourselves, i.e. our own biases. Joanna Schloss writes at CMSWire. True collaboration requires more than just a willingness to share. It also requires team members to acknowledge that what they share is inherently biased by the personal lens through which they see the world. Teasing apart those personal biases one-by-one gives everyone in the organization an increasingly clearer picture of how they can move their teams forward. Team leaders must encourage communication and internal transparency Of course, to first build that intra-departmental empathic connection, you must first get those particular challenges on other people’s radars. In other words, workflows and projects need internal transparency so team members elsewhere can get visibility into what’s going on. This is why I called out the sales-marketing misalignment earlier on; these teams often run into conflict in organizations because it’s not always clear to one what the other is doing. Some companies understand this and take intentional steps to avoid that disconnect. For example, SalesforceIQ, a small business CRM provider that started life as RelateIQ before being acquired by Salesforce, has members of its product and marketing teams sit in on sales calls to better understand customer questions. Would your sales team let someone from another department sit in on a call? If not, it would be good to know why. Practicing forgiveness: To err is to be human We all make mistakes. Sometimes, an engineer misses a bug in the software she’s building. Sometimes, a salesperson lets a lead go cold. These things happen, and recognition of this fact needs to be built into any organization’s operations. Workplace wellbeing teacher  Michelle McQuaid writes. Organizations with a forgiving culture have been found to experience more trusting alliances, social capital, workplace humaneness, customer care, and a sense of calling among employees.  Be it redefining failures as learning opportunities, seeking a higher purpose that provides personal meaning for employees, separating acts from people, providing environments of support or honoring fairness and equity, forgiveness allows people to heal, replenish and restore positive energy. In other words, be forgiving of mistakes, and treat everyone as the human beings they are. This leadership by example will set the tone for a more positive, empathic, collaborative culture for your entire organization. About the author: Casey Meehan is the founder of Stock Hax, where he shares trading news and tips for investors.

Personal Branding Weekly - Should You Stay or Go - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Personal Branding Weekly - Should You Stay or Go - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career In everyone’s myth of the time deprived world, comes those moments of every busy executive or entrepreneur when they must ask should I stay or should I go? (Can you just hear the music from The Clash in your head now?) What I’m referring to are the dozens of networking events that bombard us via email, text, fax, snail mail, flyers, bulletin boards, updates and newsletters. They could be industry luncheons, professional women’s groups, professional men’s groups, chamber mixers, meetups, tweetups, structured networking events, after hour mixers, open houses, ribbon cuttings â€" you name it in the busy business person’s world there are a slew of events that come your way (much like the slew of advertising venues that attack you when you go into business… I know my fellow entrepreneurs can relate). Decision, Decisions How does a busy person decide which ones make sense to attend?  When work is pulling at you, that large stack of papers doesn’t seem to have changed, that unanswered email list has grown exponentially and there are still “things to do”, you find yourself asking  â€œshould I stay or should I go”. There are  THREE CORE ACTIVITIES  for any networking event. When an opportunity to network avails itself, think no more of being the traditional “grip, grin and grazer” but become the person that takes charge of their time and priorities. Is there someone that will be attending that event/meeting or that can attend that event of meeting that I can make a deeper connection WITH? Review the list of attendees or maybe you’ve been to a meeting or an event like this before so you know who are the ‘regulars’. Do you need to get to know any of them better. Are they one of the 18 people you need to know? Then, use this even to get to know them better. Is there someone you can make a connection FOR? Is there someone that needs to be at this meeting? This event will have all of their key connections, influencers and decision makers that could help them personally or professionally â€" so why not invite them? Nothing will deepen a connection more when you genuinely help someone get connected. Is there someone you need to connect with whom you’ve never MET? Will there be a person there that you’ve not ever met but need to meet? Could it be someone who will keep you up to date on industry trends? Or, a decision maker, influencer or a connector that will help you get further, farther, faster? Or, might they have some insight into an organization that will help you better understand it? There are people you need to meet. Especially, if you don’t’ have all of the 18 people you need to know in place. This could be the place then. Now, just as another song canters, “two out of three ain’t bad”. This means that you must have the ability to do two of these connection activities in order to make a positive choice to attend an event. For example, you’re invited to a mixer and you know one of your new contacts really needs to meet the leaders of this group so you: 1.   Invite them to the event and meet them there and introduce them to the officers or committee members of the group. 2.   Then, you call another contact you have that is a member of this group and ask “will you be at this event? Would like to reconnect and see what’s up?” That’s two out of three. If you’ve got those two things in place, then the answer is “I should GO to the event”. Make networking connections a strategy and not just something you stumble upon! Start Your Naughty List Now  by Nance Rosen How to Stop Wasting Time at Work  by Ceren Cubukcu 5 Ways You Can Benefit from a Personal Branding Coach  by Heather Huhman Embracing Limits Increases Productivity  by Elinor Stutz 5 Branding Lessons from The Sex Pistols  by Brian Horn How Universities Are Failing Their Graduates, Part 3  by Richard Kirby Don’t Let Gotcha! Job Interview Questions Getcha!  by Skip Freeman Personal Brand Rebrand or Evolution?  by Maria Elena Duron Can You Make the 10% Social Media Commitment  by Jeff Shuey Attract More Website Visitors for Your Personal Brand  by Susan Gilbert Why Your Personal Brand Needs a Video Presence  by Chamber of Commerce 5 Tips to a Stress-Free Holiday in Your Business  by Leslie Truex 6 Things to Never Say During an Interview  by Ken Sundheim Pursuing Jobs Where You Are Not A Good Fit  by Marc Miller

Why A Gift Of Flowers Is Perfect Every Time

Why A Gift Of Flowers Is Perfect Every Time If youre lucky enough to have a garden at home, you may enjoy spending time looking at the flowers. Perhaps you have a special someone in your life who likes to send you flowers from time to time. It seems the tradition of enjoying flowers is alive and well in us. There are plenty of occasions when you might choose to send flowers, or even just pick a bunch up for yourself to enjoy. With so many occasions throughout the year, flowers can be the perfect gift. If you work in an office, you may find your workspace quite bland. Brighten your day at work with a lovely bunch of flowers. Gerbera flowers come in many vibrant colours making them ideal for an office desk. Cut flowers often last for ten days or so. Treat yourself once a fortnight with a fresh bunch, or see if you can convince that special someone in your life to send some to your office. You’ll be the envy of all your colleagues! Bouquets of flowers are often given to friends and family who have to stay in hospital. They bring a much sweeter aroma to the hospital room than the usual smell of chemicals. They also provide much-needed colour and brightness to help people get well. Who doesn’t smile when they see lovely flowers? You might also take a bunch of flowers to someone’s home if they are feeling a little under the weather. Some flowers can be purchased already in a vase or decorative pot. Mother’s day is a great excuse for buying your mum a lovely bouquet or presentation basket. Carnations say I love you for any member of the family, and look great when you put two or more colours together. They tend to be presented with long stems, but they can easily be cut short for smaller vases. Choose pink and red carnations and add some blue irises or yellow daffodils for the extra structure to your display. The buds for each of these flowers looks pretty too and works well in the group. Birthdays are always a lovely time to receive a bouquet of flowers. You can enjoy looking at them for at least ten days after your big day. Bouquets in the home offer a lovely scent, especially when the flowers are warm in the window. Keep yours fed and watered to prolong their freshness. If you are giving a bouquet of flowers for someone’s birthday, you might want to think about how they are wrapped. Tissue paper always looks lovely, but if youre travelling, it may become damp. Cellophane may not be the most environmentally friendly choice. But it will ensure the flowers are well preserved and safe as they travel. Add bows and ribbon to the packaging to make the bouquet extra special. Add a little card with a sentimental message, especially if its for a loved one. Birthday bouquet image from Flickr Writing a card to go with a bouquet of flowers needn’t be as daunting a task as it first appears. Only a few short words will fit, so long poems and prose are not required. Instead, think of one or two keywords that communicate your sentiment. If you are sending it to a loved one, then be sure to include the word love. If its for a birthday, then wish them a happy and memorable day. If you are sending flowers for a funeral, a wreath is sometimes more appropriate. Funeral cards are more common in these circumstances. You will need to write a message about the departed rather than a message to the grieving. For example, you might write ‘Your smile will be missed’, or ‘My wonderful friend is gone but not forgotten’. Just a sentence or two is enough. Fresh flowers and bouquets can help freshen the look of a room if the decor is looking a little tired. Because flowers come in so many different colours, you can colour co-ordinate. You might even choose something more striking and vibrant. The scent of flowers also helps mask the smell of any painting you are doing during decorating. Historically, people have hung pictures of flowers on the wall. The trend for floral pattern wallpaper is back as well. Flowers make a wonderful addition to any home and can bring extra colour to your decor. Some flowers leave us prone to allergy attacks. You may experience watery eyes or a need to sneeze. Even if you suffer hay fever, there will be some varieties of flower that cause you no problems at all. Flowers are so beautiful and are great for cheering us up. It is worth finding some blooms you are not sensitive to so you can enjoy flowers at home. Some types of flower, like lilies, can be poisonous to our pets. Cats, in particular, can be very poorly if they ingest the pollen. If you have pets, it is worth placing your vases or bouquets on surfaces where they cannot reach. Valentines is a time of year when you may receive flowers from mystery senders. This often happens in the office and its great fun guessing with your colleagues who may have sent them. Of course, there is nothing stopping you sending some to yourself! If you do receive a lovely bouquet from a mystery sender, you will find it very hard to discover who they are. Florists are bound to keep their customer’s identities secret so they will never reveal the answer. Equally, if you sent some flowers in secret, you won’t be found out from the florist company. Thanks to Flickr for this picture At Christmas time, it is always lovely to receive flowers, or use fresh flowers as table decorations. Some people like to dry them and press them in a book, but this tends to work much better if you use small wild flowers. If you are ever stuck for a gift idea, a bouquet of flowers will always be welcome. Whether it is for a man or a woman, a bunch of flowers brightens the day and puts a smile on your face. Give a bouquet today.

Using Reddit to Write Your Resume

Using Reddit to Write Your ResumeIf you have been putting off getting your resume together because you think it might be boring or too general, then you should consider writing your own. Resumes are supposed to stand out, and because you're not just trying to sell yourself, but you want to attract the type of employer that you want to work for, this will make it look like you are prepared to put some effort into the job. However, what if the resume you're looking at is from a company you've never heard of?This is a good reason to use Reddit. This social networking site can help you get an edge over other resumes because it has millions of people interested in getting hired by companies that are only one step away from home. You just need to search for certain terms that describe the job you are applying for.Redditors are real people who share their thoughts and opinions on various topics. When you write your resume using Reddit you can get a wider range of opinions than other ways of going about it. Take for example, you may be interested in writing about a specific product and the quality of the manufacturer.Another important factor is that you should have written your thesis statement. This will tell the reader that you have thought about and researched the position you are applying for. These points should be concise so they don't bore the reader to death.Resume writing can be complex and time consuming, but through the power of Reddit you can get your thoughts down on paper that you can relate to on a common level. As long as you have thought about what you want to say, you will find that when you write the job description using the factors you have listed it will appear clear, concise and easy to understand.The internet has made a lot of big names in the business, so there are more opportunities than ever before. But do you really know how to find these opportunities? Use the internet to find out how, and when you have gone through this process then you ca n put your personality out there and let people know you are ready to take on a challenge.Some of the best careers in the world come through the internet and on the web. This means that anyone can use the internet to land that big, awesome job they've always wanted. So whether you want to be a computer programmer, a construction worker, or a doctor, you will find that the internet is an incredible place to start.There are many jobs out there that are waiting for people to take advantage of the great opportunities available to them if they take a little time online. Try writing your resume using Reddit and see what a difference it makes!

Salary Negotiation Tips

Salary Negotiation Tips A colleague and I recently had a conversation about one of the classic salary negotiation traps that many people fall into when a hiring manager asks about their past salary. In this situation, the hiring manager asked how much the job seeker was currently making and assumed that this was the approximate number the candidate was looking to earn in their next position. What the hiring manager is doing is using the candidates past salary as a benchmark for what they should be earning in the future. This will often work against the candidate. All a past salary indicates is what someone was willing to pay that person at the time of the hire. It doesnt account for the candidates current market value or the current market value of the job they are applying for.Job seekers need to learn how to source information on their market value, so the conversation moves away from past salary and towards a salary request based on what the market will bear. They should ask colleagues and recruiters wha t the salary range is for certain positions, tap into salary information through professional organizations, and review online salary info through services such as salary.com and payscale.com. When asked the salary question, a better response is, My research indicates that typical salaries for positions such as these are between X and Y. Is that consistent with what the company is planning to offer? This way the job seeker shows the hiring manager that they are an educated consumer and at the same time they have not given away the store in terms of the negotiation process.

How LinkedIns Open Candidate Can Save You Time

How LinkedIns Open Candidate Can Save You Time If you are tired of your job and ready for a change, then you need to know about LinkedIns Open Candidate function. Heres the  problem- searching for a job is time-consuming and hard to do well when you are working a full-time job. As a result, you may find yourself  trapped in a job you  dislike longer than you want because you dont have enough time to invest in a thorough job search. Sure, less time-consuming job search methods exist, but generate dismal results. For example, it doesnt take long for you to post a resume to a job site (or two). The fact  is-  recruiters prefer NOT to search posted resumes unless theyre desperate or have a very specific set of skills they are looking for. They dont know what they are getting and it is overwhelming to  search resume databases, so its seldom the primary source for identifying candidates. The other trap all job seekers  fall into is wasting time searching job boards and applying to any job that may look interesting. It isnt unusual for working job seekers to send a generic resume and cover letter. This shotgun approach results in less than 15% of hires, according to the Jobvite Index, which aggregates source of hire data from 2007 to the present. One of the biggest problems with searching for a job while employed is that you run the risk of your current employer finding out you are looking for a new job. Even talking with people in your network about your quest for a new job could get back to your boss  if you arent careful. Announce Your Search (Secretly) Imagine if you could secretly let recruiters know that youd like to be contacted about new opportunities. This might increase your chances of a recruiter reaching out with an amazing opportunity. Now you can. LinkedIn released a new service called Open Candidates which enables your LinkedIn profile to indicate you are open to new opportunities. Only recruiters subscribing to the recruiter tool on  LinkedIn can see this. Recruiters at your company or affiliated company recruiters will not be able to see you are open to new opportunities. Remember:  Keep your job search confidential by reminding your network to keep your search  private. Specify Your Job Interests Another benefit to the Open Candidates feature is that you can specify the job titles and industries you are interested in and the geographic locations you are open to. A major frustration has been that job seekers  couldnt specify more than one industry. They also didnt know what city to list in their profile if they were interestedin relocating. To activate your preferences in Open Candidates, on your home page go to LinkedIn Jobs. In the pull-down menu select preferences. Research  Companies It isnt enough to hope that recruiters find you. You have to proactively target companies that seem like they would be a good fit. This requires you research each target company and find people you can talk to. But lets say you just happen to hear about a  job (of find in on a job board) and want to research the company. This typically requires using multiple sites and even then, you arent sure the information youve read is accurate. Yes, youve always been able to research companies using LinkedIn. But now, LinkedIn makes it  easier through their newly released Career Pages. Companies will be able to provide an  overview section, relevant jobs and more insight on corporate culture. Companies will need to pay to incorporate long-form written posts, photos, leader profiles and aggregate data on company and culture. 30  companies successfully piloted this employer branding and research feature and LinkedIn has decided to roll it out. Expect to see more career pages as more companies learn about it. These additional features should save you a lot of research time. Youll also get a 360-degree view of the company to help you understand what it will be like to work there. Check Out Employees Career Pages will also include even more valuable intelligence for job seekers. When you are on a companys career page, you will see job recommendations tailored specifically to you. Youll also see a section called Meet the Team which shows information about people in similar roles in the company. Youll see the job the person came from, their skills and the school they attended. As you look at this information, you can compare your skills and career path with theirs. You may also find that you attended the same school, which you can use during the interview to build rapport. Job Search The Right Way for Greater (and Faster) Success If you are  employed and searching for your next job, take advantage of all the resources available to you. LinkedIns newest features should save you time, provide meaningful insight and allow you to easily identify people you know inside companies. This will help you can get the inside scoop and a leg up on the competition for the job. Remember, referred candidates are the number one source of external hires. Learn how to get referred! This post originally appeared on US News World Report