Recently I met with a new client that has been in the market for a job for more than a year. He was home responding to job ads from job boards. His phone was not ringing. No one was calling him back and he was more than frustrated.

At the end of our first meeting the homework I assignment I gave him was to develop a cover letter. I gave him a sample letter that included a strong opening, highlights of his accomplishments using bullet points, and highlights of his qualifications that fit the job ad he was responding to. I met with him briefly this weekend, two weeks since our first meeting. He has received phone call after phone call by adding a strong cover letter to his resume. This gentleman went from no calls, to interviews.

I am a firm believer that like a resume opens the door for an interview, a cover letter opens the door for the organization to want to read your resume. Resumes have a 4 second shelf life. You will move either from being an interested candidate to a potential candidate. But you have four seconds at best to communicate your value through a resume. A cover letter is a little different. If you have a strong cover letter, you will create interest in your resume. The 4 second rule will no longer be in effect because you successfully created interest for you as a potential candidate.

Tips for Developing Your Cover Letter

1. Do not use a template. Write a letter, a cover letter that communicates who you are and give the reader a reason to read your resume.

2. Make sure your cover letter includes key qualifications the job description highlights.

3. Use strong action words that describe you, your skills and abilities.

Cover letters are the appetizer in the full course from interview to job offer. Cover letters help to develop the first impression that organizations will have about your candidacy. So many job seekers skip investing time in developing their cover letter. You need a cover letter if you want to differentiate yourself from other candidates. So take your time and carve out a strong cover letter. If you would like a sample cover letter to get you started, leave me a comment and an email address and I will send it.

Image Credit: sxc.hu

What are you doing to create a buzz about you? If you are waiting for the phone to ring, but there is no traction or attraction, you are waiting in vain. I have been following a question on LinkedIn. You can jump in the conversation too, just find the Job Angels Group, join and come share your thoughts and/or questions.

Here is the question:What are you doing to stand out to employers? Especially when you are responding without referrals to a job opportunity? Is a strong cover letter or resume enough to put you on the top of the stack?

My response: Is a strong cover letter and resume enough to put you to the top of the stack? To answer you question in a word, “No”, I don’t believe a strong cover letter and resume are enough to get you on the top of the pile. I do believe they are a start. The problem is that there are so many job seekers in the market, competing for the same jobs. Many are qualified for the positions they are applying for, so how does a hiring manager or recruiter differentiate one good or great candidate from another? That is the value of social networking or a referral. I believe qualified candidates who find them self in the market today must find other access points into organizations. And not rely on whether their resume/cover letter bubbles up to the top. That is a losing game for people who are serious about finding a job.

Get out there and talk to people, meet people, get introductions, conduct informational interviews and get people buzzing about you. When you start talking to people, or you get introductions through networking, that is when you want to introduce your resume/cover letter. Now you are putting it in the hands of key decision makers or hiring managers.

If you are struggling to network with others on in your industry, try positioning yourself as an expert. Here are a few suggestions for you to do that:

1. Answer Questions at LinkedIn Answers

2. Start a blog

3. Write some articles - Freelance

4. Write a book

5. Start a Business

Don’t allow yourself to fall into hopelessness concerning your job search. It is a tough market, but it is not insurmountable. Choose to get creative, choose to take some risk. Jean over at Small Business here at Bizzia has a post called Laid Off? Terminated? Start a Business. WOW! Great advice! Joel Freeman wrote a book for business people called If Nobody Loves You, Create the Demand. I love his title and the book so much, I use it for a webinar to assist job seekers with moving past the anger, frustration of their current state of affairs into ACTION! You have to do something, create a buzz about you! If you don’t, why should anyone else. If you don’t, who will. Your next great opportunity is waiting for you to take one step of FAITH. Come on! When you get break through, come back and share your story!

Image Credit: sxc.hu

Have you ever been moving along rather swiftly in your car, truck or van and all of a sudden there is a speed bump in front of you? Your foot is frantically looking for the breaks so that you don’t damage your car.

Speed bumps are asphalt mounds constructed on streets. According to Wikipedia,The use of speed bumps is widespread around the world, and they are most commonly found where vehicle speeds are statutorily mandated to be low. In other words, you are legally required to reduce your speed in the area of the speed bump. For the purposes of my discussion of a successful job search, my use of speed bumps are the apparent obstacles, both expected obstacles and unexpected obstacles that are in the way of you receiving the job you are looking to do right now. As frustrating as a speed bump can be when driving, the speed bumps you face in the job market are equally frustrating.

Every time someone tells you “no”, you are dealing with a speed bump. Every time you send a resume/cover letter and get no response, you are dealing with a speed bump. When you have navigated your way through a hiring process and the last interview comes and goes with no response, you are dealing with a speed bump.

So what do you do with a speed bump? Just like you slow down to face them in your vehicle, you get to slow down and deal with them in your job search. For each speed bump you face during your job search, the first thing you need to do is slow down and assess the situation. Take a moment a give your self honest feedback about why you might be getting a “no” or why you are not getting a response back from your resume/cover letter submissions.

Speed bumps will lead to opportunities if you take the time to slow down and re-evaluate your situation. Once you assess the situation you are facing, develop a plan of attack so that you can successfully traverse the speed bumps in your job search. If you are unsure about why you are struggling to get a positive response, you may want to consider hiring a career coach. Someone who is trained to evaluate resumes, someone who can listen and assess your strengths and potential weaknesses. Whether you work through your job search on your own or you enlist assistance from a professional, remember that every issue you face in your job search that seems to be hindering progress is a speed bump. It is an opportunity to slow down and re-assess. Make course corrections as necessary and continue to move forward. When was the last time you saw a car stuck on a speed bump? It is not a place to get hung up on. A speed bump can only impede your progress if you stop and/or if you go so fast that you damage yourself in the process. Move forward with caution, but keep moving forward, you will eventually reach your destination!

Image Credit: sxc.hu

I can’t imagine that you send your resume to prospective employers hoping they glance at it and then toss it in the trash. But if you are sending your resume to any job opening you see that sounds interesting, hoping they want to give you a chance you are deceiving yourself.

If your telephone rings and a prospective employer is interested in discussing their job opening with you, then you are on the target. The bullseye would be if you are sitting in front of the hiring manager and they are seriously considering you for the job opening. The HR Recruiter is not the bullseye. You are just on the target. You’re in the game. The bullseye is the economic buyer, the person who will determine whether you get to work their and collect a paycheck. Period.

Now, how do you hit the bullseye?

1. Evaluate your skills and abilities - Know who you are and what you will bring to an organization.

2. Evaluate the job description - Do you have 90% of what they are looking for?

3. Evaluate your resume. Ensure you highlight the skills and abilities you have that match the job description

4. Develop a cover letter that highlights your experience.

5. Follow-up with the organization after you send it. Attach your voice, and your interest to the job you are pursuing.

6. Make a great first impression - Be knowledgeable about their organization. Be prepared to discuss your qualifications.

7. Be prepared to connect your experience with the job.

8. Communicate that you are the “best candidate for the job” without ever saying those words.

Bottom line - Don’t waste your time, and money sending your resume out for jobs that you are not qualified for - Avoid the Scattershot Job Search. It will not help you get the job you want. Invest your time developing a well thought out plan for your job search.

Image Credit: Newscom

Back in the mid 80’s when I began working as an adult, it took me less than 90 days to get decent paying job when I needed a job. I didn’t know a lot about getting hired, but I knew that if I presented myself well, had enthusiasm, and could demonstrate relative competency to do the job I was interviewing for, I would get the job.

Today, you can be in the job market for a year and still not get a decent offer. I am talking about qualified candidates. Valuable people, looking for work and struggling to get the phone to ring. So, what do you do?

Here are a few things to keep in mind during your job search:

1. Retool your resume

2. Get feedback about your resume from an expert

3. Write a cover letter

4. Proofread your resume, and then proofread it again

Video Instruction: Cover Letter & Resume Secrets Revealed by Kevin Donlan

Your Resume and Cover Letter is your key to entry into an organization. There are no guarantees, no matter how good your resume and cover letter are - it only gives you access to get in the front door. Once you are in the door, the resume and cover letter become a guide to the hiring manager. The rest is up to you! You are the product!

Video Credit: Kevin Donlan from YouTube