From a sales cover email: I can sell direct to consumers, or to “C-Level” executives. That pretty much covers everyone. I don’t know about you, but I instantly think jack-of-all-trades, master-of-none.
Continue ReadingHow To Stand Out
We are sourcing many different positions right now so my antennae are up regarding resumes, phone calls and emails. At times, the responses can be overwhelming. Or underwhelming. Just yesterday I received a stammering voicemail about a position in which the candidate said they were going to send an email with their resume. I’m still waiting. I received another call a couple weeks ago in which the candidate wanted to fax a resume to me for a technical position. I told him he could email it to me instead. He said he doesn’t have email. It seems apparent to me that their is no more odd time in a hiring… Read More
Continue ReadingA Survey on Digital Dirt
CareerBuilder offers this article discussing the use of the Internet to research candidates. Most candidates are aware of the pervasiveness of information available on the web. But according to this statistics from this article, not all candidates are concerned about it: When asked to divulge the types of information discovered on the Web that caused them to dismiss potential employees, hiring managers pointed to the following: 31% – candidate lied about qualifications 25% – candidate had poor communication skills 24% – candidate was linked to criminal behavior 19% – candidate bad-mouthed their previous company or fellow employee 19% – candidate posted information about them drinking or using drugs 15% –… Read More
Continue ReadingWait Until You See Their Resume
Survey: M.B.A.s Are The Biggest Cheaters. Grad students are quite the cheaters according to this CareerJournal.com article. More than half (56%) of M.B.A. candidates say they cheated in the past year. For the study, cheating was defined as plagiarizing, copying other students’ work and bringing prohibited materials into exams. This borders on the absurd: However, what’s holding many professors back from taking action on cheaters is the fear of litigation. How pathetic is that? If these students are willing to risk their academic career by cheating, what will they be willing to state on their resume once they join the work world?
Continue ReadingCover Letter Help
After all of my cover letter enjoyment, CareerJournal.com offers up a short article to assist candidates – Six Tips for Writing A Winning Cover Letter. Thank goodness for CareerJournal. Their last suggestion (my emphasis): Proofreading. Double-check the letter before you send it. When you’re applying for multiple jobs, it’s easy to send the wrong cover letter, or not change the company name. Make sure you have addressed the letter to the correct person and have included the correct company name and job position. Check also, of course, for spelling and grammar problems. And if you’re sending your resume via an attachment, don’t forget to attach it before you send it.… Read More
Continue ReadingEmail Covers Potpourri
Base on this subject line, I don’t think this person is lacking confidence: The god of office administration soon to be in Twin Cities! And here is an objective to avoid: My expirience and work ethic make me a great canidate for any opening you may have. I am looking for an opportunity that is full time with benefits. And a subject line to avoid: John Doe looking for work This one almost hurts: Help change my life. I’ve been stuck in a rut for a few years . . . I need to get a jolt so I can start to live again. Looking for any opportunity to get… Read More
Continue ReadingGet your facts first, then you can distort them as you please.
Another embellished resume survey is out from CareerBuilder. I assumed educational background was the most common lie, but that is not so according to their survey. Stretched dates to cover up employment gaps is the most commonly-caught resume lie, with nearly one-in-five hiring managers saying they have found this on a candidates application. Other top resume lies include: Past employers (18%) Academic degrees and institutions (16%) Technical skills and certifications (15%) Accomplishments (8%) As naive as it sounds, it would be a pleasant surprise to see a downward trend in the percentage of resumes with distortions in them.
Continue ReadingMore Cover Emails
Ok, this is a different approach – asking yourself questions in the cover email: Why am I here you ask? I’m seeking a position where I can learn with room for advancement.What type of position am I looking for? I’m open to new experiences, but I would love to be in an office environment. I keep noticing these different approaches and laughing about them. But I do notice them and isn’t that the author’s intent?
Continue ReadingMore Fun With Resume Covers
I have a general weakness for the general resume cover emails. This one is great: Help! I am not an idiot! Ok-I am employed full time-but they think I am incapable of anything but answering the phone, making copies, and filing! I am so much smarter than that.
Continue ReadingGimmicky?
From a cover email of a technical person looking for nights or weekend work: PLEASE – no recruiters, insurance agents, or other gimmicky type people. I’m gainfully employed and simply want to put my name out to keep my skills tuned. For some reason I get a kick out of edgy cover emails. I thought this one might be a funny way to start your Monday (was for me).
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