Free Career and Job Search Advice

tony · Newbie Joined: 02 Aug 2009 Posts: 1 Career Advice: +0/-0

Hi quick question, I was wondering if it is acceptable to include an experience in your cover letter that you did not list or mention anywhere on your resume. (reason : ran out of space on resume....but if necessary I can remove something to make room)

Thank you for any help!

Pauloz · Posted: Fri Aug 07, 2009 12:30 am Post subject:

tony

Careful with the space situation on the resume. You might be overdoing it.

There are some things which belong on cover letters, rather than your resume or CV. We tell people specifically not to rehash the CV in the cover letter. You can expand the information if necessary, using material that doesn't fit the CV format and content, sure, but in that case you're adding information.

The cover letter is to provide information about motivations and achievements, reasons for your interest in the job, and other material that sets you apart from the other applicants. Occasionally that will mean you're explaining parts of your CV, but it's definitely not the whole story. The stuff that's not on the resume, in your case, has to be part of the cover letter, particularly if it doesn't really fit the information on the resume, like experiences and things which aren't directly related to past jobs, but are very relevant to the job you're applying for.

When going for a job, you can assume that most applicants have basically the same levels of skills, meet the job criteria, and are in the ballpark as candidates. Their resumes and CVs look pretty similar. So you have to provide information which shows your strong suits in your cover letter. You're proving your skills, experience and abilities.

Some things look better on a cover letter than as part of the resume. The trouble with resumes and CVs is that a lot of information is in standard format, looks anonymous, and doesn't get the same type of attention as a cover letter. High value material should go into the cover letter, on principle. That includes references to things on the resume, using the cover letter like a highlighter.

Important:

Forget the "sell yourself" stuff. This is really marketing. They pick one product because it looks better than another. All job applications are competitive. At least half the time candidates are picked because they provide better information, not because they're better candidates.

The cover letter is effectively the only part of a standard job app where you can really express yourself, and stand out. You've only got one page to work with, so make every word count. The cover letter is best used as persuasion, showing added value to the employer, higher levels of experience, and career motivation.

When you draft your cover letter, try and read it from the point of view of someone who has no other information about you but the CV and the letter itself. Does it work? Does it add information? Does it persuade?

Get a bit picky with yourself, and you'll find the quality of your cover letter improves drastically. After a while, you'll do it automatically. I'm a pro writer, and my starting points are "Is this what I want to say?" and "Is this good enough?" and "Did I leave anything out?"

The minimum result of this approach is that you kick out a lot of extraneous material and clumsy sentences, and the quality of info content improves a lot. Be ruthless about your editing, until you wind up with a cover letter that's readable and does what you want it to do.

Claire001 · Posted: Wed Aug 12, 2009 8:07 am Post subject:

Hi Tony

I usually provide CV Writing advice, however we also provide a number of resources on Cover Letters, Speculative applications and Interview tips in order to give candidates further support past the CV Writing process.

With regards to Cover Letters, open with the reason you are writing, what position you are looking to be considered for and where it was advertised. You will then need to explain who you are and why you are applying, consistently showing yourself in a positive light through competency statements.

The following paragraphs (1/2) need to provide a summary of your expertise and career highlights that will support any claims that you have made in the previous paragraph. Include some achievements that reinforce your case and enable the employer to understand why it would be beneficial to them to recruit you. You may also wish to include some of your personal qualities to give an insight into your characteristics as an employee.

Give them the reason why you are particularly interested in the company, there is nothing wrong with a little flattery just don’t overdo it! E.g. “Your organisation has an excellent reputation in the local area as an employer, making the position even more attractive”.

Close with a strong positive paragraph that will set the scene for the next stage, thanking them for their consideration and politely requesting a reply, e.g. “Many thanks for considering my application, I would welcome the opportunity to discuss this further with you, I can be available to attend an interview at short notice”. If you know the person’s name sign ‘Yours Sincerely’, if you don’t use ‘Yours Faithfully’.

There is a good book that can be found on Amazon called 'Brilliant CV' which you may also find useful.

I hope this helps!

Claire

Laurabrasnan · Newbie Joined: 18 Aug 2009 Posts: 1 Career Advice: +0/-0

Hi tony
You can do this if your Resume take more pages.The job employers read a number of cover letters and resumes over their careers. So, how can you catch the eye of a job recruiter? The answer is to write a perfect cover letter. In short, your cover letter and resume should be absolutely flawless. Sure, a resume and a cover letter list all your achievements, qualifications and experience. But a resume cannot capture your personality and desire for a particular job. A cover letter is the best way to let your employers know about you in a better way. The best way of writing a cover letter is to write it perfectly. Razz

Join our Newsletter
CopyRight © 1999-2008 cvtips.com This material cannot be published under any form or condition.